Heartland 100 Race Report

The day finally arrived, it seemed like a long wait. I had waited for the Heartland 100 since running my first 100 in February. I had trained hard and prepared as hard and as best as I could. I had felt my training had been good and expected to run well. Through months and months of preparation and lots and lots of training miles, the day had finally arrived. It was finally time to see if all my training had paid off. In the days leading up to the Heartland 100 the weather forecast had steadily got worse and worse. I was a little concerned about the weather forecast and had hoped for a little warmer weather. The forecast was for Hi's in the 30's and lows in the upper 20's with 20-30 mph winds. The weather did not disappoint the hi for the day I don't think reached 35 with 20-30 mph winds. But I told myself to just keep my head down, stay focused, and run as effectively as I could to mile 63 where my pacer Rick Mayo would pick me up. I had set a goal of a sub 22 hr finish, thinking if everything went good and as planned I could break the 22 hr barrier. It was finally time to see what would happen.

The start to Teterville aid station mile 25:

When it was finally time to start, I was ready to get to running after two weeks of low mileage and too much time on my hands I was ready to run and run I did. The first 8 miles I ran with Jim Beiter and we kept each other company, chatting and running, the pace was a little faster than I had planned but it felt good. When we hit Battle Creek (8.2) Jim hit the Johnnie and I hit the aid station to refill my water bottle. In and out of the aid station in short order and back to running. As I crested the first hill I seen Brad Bishop in front of me a little ways. I pushed the pace up and down the hills till I caught up to Brad. When I got to Brad I decided to hang with him till Teterville (25). We ran and chatted till we caught up to another group that included Paul Schoenlaub and Scott Hill, we ran in a big group for a few minutes till a couple of them dropped back. Me, Brad, and Scott stuck together and hit Lampland (16.8) and the first crew access. My crew filled my bottles and refilled my waist pack and with a handful of food we were off. Through this section of the course to Teterville I ran mostly with Scott, and Brad was not far ahead. The 4 mile stretch when we turned north to Teterville was cold, and the wind was blowing right through me. I got a little chilled in this section and decided to change into dry shirts when I got to Teterville. When I arrived at Teterville I had a whole bunch of people there to take care of me, my crew, and 2 other crews. While some helped me change shirts others filled my bottles and my waist pack. And I was off again 25 miles down and 75 to go. And now 4 hours into the race.

Teterville to Lone Tree mile 50 the Turnaround:

After leaving Teterville we had a mile stretch and then had to head back North and buck the wind. I had caught back up to Scott in the first mile or so after the aid station. The wind was still coming at us but didn't seem as bad with a couple of dry shirts on. I kept my head down and just kept running through this section. We didn't chat much we just ran till we hit Texaco Hill (31.2). Here we seen Stacy Sheridan and I had to have a couple of her famous cookies. The next 5 miles were on top of the ridge and the wind was howling, nothing to stop it, not a tree nothing, just open air and pasture and cows. You could see forever and ever it was about as open as it could get. It seemed like we ran forever till we finally hit Ridge Line (36.5). I had thanked Scott for pulling me along to this point, as I was going to take care of business and knew he would be gone before me. From here I was all alone for the first time today, not a problem just keep you head down, stay focused and run I told myself. The next 6 miles went by and before I knew it I had hit Mattfield Green (42.5) still felling really good. After chatting with the crew and getting stocked back up, I made my only mistake of the day I skipped the aid station and didn't grab any food to take with me. I ate a couple gels and a candy bar, but I was getting a little calorie deprived and wasn't running as effectively as I was earlier. After I got to the unmanned aid station at the Tower (47.5) the first runner coming back passed me. Only 4 or so miles ahead of me. I thought to myself holy crap, I went out way to hard and it's going to be a long road back. I passed one, then a little later another, then here came Scott. He had taken off like he was shot out of a cannon when he left me at Ridge Line. He was looking really good and running strong. A few minutes later I passed Kyle Amos and he gave me a high five as I went by, and I think he was kinda shocked to see me already. The calorie deprivation was taking it's toll and the last mile and a half to the turnaround took forever considering it was mostly downhill. When I arrived at Lone Tree(50) I was in 6th place and needing some food. I snacked while they filled my bottles and nuked me a hamburger. When my hamburger was done and dressed I was off, 50 miles down in 8:24 way faster than my 10 hr out plan.

Lone Tree (50) to Ridge Line (63.4)

After my burger had some time to digest, and the cookies, and peanut m&m's ,I started to feel better and was running good again. Keep up on the calories I told myself, don't let yourself get low on fuel again. Then I ran into the next runners coming into the turn around, about a mile from the turnaround the first place woman and then Paul Schoenlaub, only about 2 miles behind me. I knew it was only a matter of time before Paul caught me, he is strong and steady and a 100 mile veteran. I ran really good the rest the way back to Mattfield Green passing a lot of familiar faces along the way including my mentor Gary Henry, and of course he had to stop and take my picture. He told me I was killing it, and to keep it up. I was only a mile or so from being back to Mattfield (57.4) and ran the whole way figuring I could rest while my crew got me ready to go again. When I got there I changed into some dry shirts, and my crew took care of me again. Thanks crew. Dad had went to the aid station and got me a sloppy joe to go, as my crew noticed I was a little low on fuel when I left the first time. Good eye crew. I now only had 6 miles till I picked up my pacer and I was determined to keep running strong till I got there. Keep you head down, focus and run and when you get back to Ridge Line (63.4) let Rick take over from there. When I finally arrived I was really glad to see Rick and John King there, I had been running alone now for 27+ miles and some company the rest the was was going to be nice. They asked how I was, and surprisingly I was doing really well and felling good for being 63 miles in.

Ridge Line (63.4) to Finish 100 miles.

With Rick now in tow and to be in 6th place at this point was unbelievable. Still thinking I was going to run out of steam at some point and half to walk it in. I was determined to run as much as I could and with Rick there running became a little easier. I wanted to see what I could do from here to the finish, and Rick had told me he promised my wife she would be in bed by 2 a.m.

2 a.m. that's a sub 20 hour finish no way man. The next section went by fast and I seemed to get a second wind and was still running very effectively. At Texaco Hill (68.7) I had an awesome breakfast burrito and a cup of soup, thanks again Stacy. From here to Teterville (75) we didn't talk to much, I just kept my head down and ran when Rick said run, and drank when Rick said drink, and ate when Rick said eat. I couldn't believe we were going to make it back to Teterville before dark. When we arrived my crew was encouraging me to finish strong. They were a little surprised at how well I was doing as I was about 3 hours ahead of my scheduled arrival time. 25 miles to go and it's only 7:30 wow what happened. From here we would run in the dark. When we left Teterville we ran for a few miles and I started to see lights behind me. This really got my blood pumping. Rick kept asking me how I was doing and I was feeling great considering having ran 75 miles. I told Rick at this point I wanted to hang on to 6th place and I was either going to run the wheels off and stay in 6th or they were going to pass me any way. Mile after mile went by and every now and again I would see lights behind us. This kept me motivated to run as much as possible. It seemed like they were right behind us at times. When we hit Lampland (83.1) the 5th place guy was there going to drop, which moved me to 5th place. My awesome crew took care of me one last time and encouraged me to finish strong. As we were leaving, I noticed the guys behind us were coming in. Over the next section I tried to run as much as possible, but this section to Battle Creek was like a roller coaster up and down, up and down. Every now and then we would see lights behind us and I kept telling Rick they were closing in on us. Rick was not nearly as worried as I was and he kept telling me they were way back there. I was even wanting to run the hills. I thought they were that close, but we knew the last 8 miles was flat and fast so we saved it till the end. When we hit Battle Creek (91.7) we got a lively arrival to cheers from the aid station workers and Willie Lambert's GPRC wonderfull volunteers, little did they know they were cheering in someone they knew. I got a lot of encouragement here, and I think they were all surprised to see me already and in 5th place. A little over 8 miles from here. And with the Mirage aid station, another home base aid station with people we knew from the Kansas City Trail Nerds 4 miles ahead. After sucking down a cup of soup, we took off running, walked the one last hill, then ran all the way to Mirage (95+). When we got there we got a huge Trail Nerd lift from Ben, Brad and Shelly it was great to see them but we couldn't stay long the lights were still behind us. We left the Mirage pumped and ready to finish this incredible run. The miles were easy now, the end was in sight ,and everything seem to come a little easier now. The closer we got the more the adrenaline kicked in and the faster we ran (or at least it seemed fast at the time). When we rounded the corner and hit the 1/2 mile of pavement, I could hardly believe I was going to finish in 5th place, and at that point really had no idea what my time was. I knew it was going to be good. Then with the cow bells ,and my family, and a few others cheering us in I think we sprinted the last 100 yards or so. When we crossed the finish line at 100 miles, I bent over for a second to catch my breath and then got a hug from the wife and my dad, and heard my official time 18:19.50 wow totally amazing. I was glad my family was there to share it with me and I think my Dad (it was his first crew) was probably as proud of me at that moment as he ever has been. It was truly an awesome run, for someone who less than 3 years ago was 235lbs and couldn't run across the street. It was hard to really take in what I had just done, I expected to run good but this was amazing. Can't wait till next year, what an great event the Kansas Ultrarunners Society puts on. The ultrarunning community as a whole has made this the best sport in the world. I can't thank all of you enough for all the help I have gotten from all over, and you know who you are. Thank You.

Thank you to my wife who follows me around and allows me the time I need to train for these events, and the support and encouragement you give me. With out you none of this would be possible. Thanks also to my Dad and my son Jarret for crewing for me all day and being there.

Rick what can I say, you were awesome and the last 36+ miles with you were really fun, without you I would have had a good run but surely not a 18:19.50 thanks again. And thanks again to all my ultrarunning friends the Trail Nerds, the Trail Hawks, and the Trail Gaters you support and encouragement has really been appreciated.

What worked:

Drymax socks and Mizuno Wave Cabrakan's (what an awesome shoe) thanks for the tip Sophia

Having a stellar crew

A pacer (you can finish with out one but if you want the best finish you need one) thanks Rick

Soup at night

What didn't work:

Conquest (sorry that sports drink is the worst ever)

Estimated food and fluid intake: (this is what I remember taking in)

Fluids: 224oz. Gatorade G2 200 oz. of Water 60 oz of Coke

Food: (17) Gel packs (2) packs GU chomps (12) mini Snickers or Pay Days (6) PB&J's

(3) hand fulls Peanut M&M's (5) Oreo's (6) Cookies (4) cups Soup (1) Breakfast burrito (1) Hamburger (1) Sloppy Joe (1) hand full Pretzels (10+) salty Potato's (4) Rice Crispy treats

Heartland Training week 3

This week was an easy week, no super hard runs just logging some easy miles and letting myself heal from all the weeks of hard training and many miles. I am starting to really look forward to Heartland I feel like my training has been good and am feeling confident. But, on the other hand 100 miles is a long way and you just never know what might happen. The next two weeks will seem like an eternity since I will mainly be running only short slow runs or not at all. I plan on resting quite a bit over the next two weeks, my legs and body have been taking a pounding from the last month or so of training. Usually I don't like the taper time leading up to a race but, in this case it is necessary to let my legs heal and recover. I'll need to find something else to keep me occupied over the next two weeks. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to strategies and run different scenarios over and over again in my head. I will be a little disappointed if I don't run as well as I think I can, but I'll take another finish in the 100 any way I can get it. I will need to concentrate on my fluid intake and calorie intake during the race and make sure I'm getting enough fluid and fuel to make it 100 miles. Without either one of them it will be a long day (or a short one) out there. The fluid intake worries me the most I have had several bouts with dehydration in my long training runs, something I hope I have under control now.

Monday 9-21-09 Easy 10 mile county road loop. 1:15min.

Tuesday 9-22-09 9.5 mile county road loop. 1:08min.

Wednesday 9-23-09 18.5 miles on Clinton North Shore Trails 8 solo 10.5 with the trail gaters and trail hawks.

Thursday 9-24-09 took the day off since I ran more than I should have Wednesday.

Friday 9-25-09 10 mile county road loop. No time.

Saturday 9-26-09 Rest

Sunday 9-27-09 14 mile county road loop in the morning. 6 miles @ the Trail Gators picnic with the Trail Gators.

Total miles 68 Push ups 750. 240 squats and lunges.

Heartland Training week 4

This week has been better training wise. My running has been better and my legs have felt better this week. I'm still bummed my sister is not going to be able to pace me. I was really looking forward to sharing this experience with her. I did get another pacer lined out I think, my good friend Gabe is going to take over pacing duties, and I'm sure he will not listen to my needless wining and keep my ass moving. And rightly so being he is a sub 24 hr finisher of Western States. I have started to get some thing put together for Heartland I printed out maps for my crew, complete with road names and aid station locations and miles between aid stations. Sunday I made my last long run prior to Heartland did a 40 miler with Gary Henry on the levee to county roads. It was a good training run to end the hard training. For the next three weeks I will need to let my leg heal and rest from all the abuse and mileage put on them over the last month or so. Next week I will still get in a few miles and maybe one more long of 20. Then it will be just short easy runs for the next two weeks. I usually don't taper for runs but a 100 is different, you half to go into a 100 with fresh legs or you will pay later. I have completely deconstructed myself over the last month so I need to rest and let my body heal and come back stronger. Going into Heartland I feel like I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, and a lot better prepared this time than my first 100 at Rocky Raccoon in February. But, you never know what will happen in a 100 and only time will tell if all my hard training pays off. Starting to get excited about Heartland I have been looking forward to running another 100 for what seem like forever. There is somthing about the challenge of trying to run 100 miles that really gets me going. I love to see how far I can go and how far I can push my body and mind. In shorter races is mostly all physical but in a 100 is not only physical but a mental game also. You get a lot of time to think and reflect and question what your doing and why your doing it when your out there running for 24 +/- hours. For my last 100 I made a list of 10 reasons I wanted to run 100 miles and memorized the list and when times got tough I remembered the list and all the reasons why I was doing it.



Monday 9-14-09 10 county road miles. Felt good today nice and easy 10 in 1:14.



Tuesday 9-15-09 14 county road miles to Osage City and back. Was a really good run ran the first 7 hard then backed off for an easy 7 home. 14 miles in 1:50.



Wednesday 9-16-09 10 miles at the Governor's mansion trails. Hit the trails for 3.5 solo then met up with the Topeka Trail Gators for another 6.5. No time today forgot the garmin at home.



Thursday 9-17-09 Rest



Friday 9-18-09 14 mile county road loop to Osage City. Nice and easy 14 today have a long run planned in the morning. My right knee is giving me a little pain I think is from my runners knee.
I think all the miles have irritated my runners knee. Nothing I can't deal with though.

Saturday 9-19-09 40 mile run in Lawrence with Gary Henry levee to county roads. Last long training run, felt good and feel like I'm ready to get this thing going.

Sunday Rest

Totals this week:

89 miles

750 push ups

200 P90X squats and lunges

Week 5 Heartland training.

We'll this week was full of setbacks and problems. Just when it seemed everything was going great, BAM and the tides change. I found out my pacer is not going to be able to pace me as planned due to work obligations and part of my crew is out also. Not a big deal I should be able to get things lined out before Heartland. My running also took a setback this week, as I have been going really hard now for two weeks running harder and more than normal. As a consequence my legs have been a little ragged out this week. I took Monday off after last weekends long runs and Tuesday did an easy hour on the elliptical. Wednesday I ran in the morning and afternoon with the afternoon run not so great. I decided to take Thursday off again to let me legs get some rest because I was going to do a long run Friday afternoon and another long run Saturday morning to put as many miles in a 24 hour window as possible. My Friday long went reasonably good (slow) for the first 16-17 then was a slow, slow struggle with a lot of walking the rest of the way to 26 miles. I also got dehydrated and was down 8 lbs when I got home. I tried to hydrate good Friday night so I could do it again Saturday morning. I was still down 6 on Sat. morning so decided to take it slow and drink lots and lots of water. I had no choice but to go slow, I just could not get going and really struggled to get in 20. It was a struggle to even run at the end and I just didn't seem to have the motivation I usually have the last couple days. Being dehydrated don't help matters any either. Sunday I was going to run but decided to rest and take what I got this week and hope to get a good week in next week. It was a down week for me but hope to get back after it this week.

This weeks training:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 6.5 miles on the elliptical Cardio Level 12 (it was raining today)

Wednesday: 7 miles on treadmill in 1:02 in the a.m. 10 miles p.m. county road loop in 1:16.
Total 17 miles.

Thursday: Rest

Friday: late afternoon 26 mile county road loop. 26 miles in 3:58min. Slow at end with a lot of walking.

Saturday: 20 mile morning county road loop. 20 miles in 3:10 with some walking at end.

Sunday: Rest

Totals:
69.5 miles
500 push ups
250 P90x squats and lunges

Heartland Training week 6

We'll here we go again. Now that I have started thinking about Heartland my obsessive compulsive disorder has kicked in. Have I done enough? Have I trained hard enough? Do I have enough time to get to where I want to be training wise? Do I have what it takes to complete another 100? I have more questions than answers right now. Today Monday 8-31-09 I decided after a long contemplation to take today off. After the hard training weekend my legs were a little trashed and I contemplated weather to run today and run like ass or take a day off (even though I just had Friday off) and get better runs this week? I'm not sure I made the right decision but only time will tell. Starting to get excited about Heartland and having my sister Darcy as a pacer, I've never had a pacer before so this will be great to have some company over night. Not sure she knows whats in store for her running all night with a cranky and tired runner. Got a good crew lined up also in Mom, Dad, Jarret, Shelby and of corse my wife, who is becoming a veteran in crewing for me.

This weeks training:

Monday 8-31-09: Took a rest day today to recover from the weekend long runs. Not a planed day off but a day off none the less.

Tuesday 9-1-09: 13 mile county road loop. Ran good today. My legs are still a little sore from
a hard training week last week. Went ahead and hit 13.1 miles 1/2 marathon distance in 1:39min.


Wednesday 9-2-09: 14 mile county road loop to Osage City and back. My legs are still a little sore but don't see them getting any better with all the hard training. Ran 7 miles at >7:15 pace and the final 7 at 8:15+/- pace. Finished 14 miles in 1:48 min.


Thursday 9-3-09: 13 mile county road loop. My legs are toast, wow my run today was less than impressive, but after a week of hard runs an easy run was in need. I think I may be trying to hard, and maybe need to back off every other day and save some wear and tear on my legs. Between running hard and squats and lunges my legs are screaming. 13 miles in 1:48min.

Friday 9-04-09: Rest Took a rest day today with back to back longs planned this weekend felt another rest day would benefit my weekend runs.

Saturday 9-5-09: 31 county road miles from home to Reading. The rest day yesterday paid off today, felt good on my run today. Went out a little easier than normal still ran marathon distance in 3:45 and did some run/walk the remaining 5 miles and ended 31 miles in 4:15min. Hope to get in another one tomorrow, felt really good after this run. Nice and easy long tomorrow for some miles on tired legs.

Sunday 9-6-09 25 miles run along the Levee and some county roads with friends Levi, Jim and Gary, all Trail Hawk Members. What a great and enjoyable run. Nice to get in a long one with friends. 25 miles 4:24?.

Week totals:
96 miles
700 push ups
180 P90X single leg squats, and lunges
Happy with this weeks training. Happy everything so far is going good. Feeling good about my training and runs and starting to look forward to Heartland. Don't want to jinks myself but feeling a lot better about this one than my first. But, we'll see only time will tell. Weekend runs went great, felt good and felt like I could of done more both days no problem. Everything so far has been going good and happy to be where I'm at at this point. Just hope it all pays off.

Heartland Training week 7

This blog is for my friends and family that often ask me how a guy trains to run 100 miles.

I will blog every week for the next couple months telling about my training and thoughts leading up to the Heartland 100 and after. Hopefully with some good training and some luck I can finish my 2nd 100 this year. I really enjoy the challenges of trying to run 100 and look forward to pushing my body and mind to extremes. So far I had not thought about the Heartland 100 much, I kept thinking I had plenty of time to train, and then all the sudden I look at the calender and it's 7 weeks away. I have had a good base of 60-70 miles a week, but have been lacking the back to back's that worked successfully for me at Rocky Raccoon. I still don't know what I'm doing, so far I have just winged it and did what I felt right at the time. I am not sure what others do to train for 100's but, I think the training is similar, although different things work for different people. Running 100 miles in a day is a huge challenge I don't care if you run, walk, skip, jump or slog your way to 100 miles 100 is still 100 miles, and finishing is a feeling like no other. A couple years ago I would of never imagined I would run 10 miles let alone 100. There is something about the 100 that really intrigues me and gets my blood pumping, I can hardly wait for Heartland and look forward to the challenges that lay ahead. Over the next couple months you can follow my progress and read my thoughts leading up to the Heartland 100.

So now for week 7 training.

Monday 8-24-09 16 miles county road run. Was a little warm today and I was still tired from Leadville the past weekend. Was defiantly not my best run and seemed extremely slow.

16 miles in 2:35 min. with a lot of walking at the end.

Tuesday 8-25-09 8.5 mile county road loop. Still not my best run and was hot and humid today. 8.5 miles in 1:04 min.

Wednesday 8-26-09 10 mile county road loop. Better run today took out a little slower but kept a steady pace for the whole 10 miles.
10 miles in 1:18min.

Thursday 8-27-09 13 mile county road loop. Felt really good today, was a lot cooler and the run was really enjoyable. Getting excited for the planned weekend long runs.
13 miles in 1:35 min.

Friday 8-28-09 Was the wife's birthday today so took the wife to dinner and took a needed rest day.

Saturday 8-29-09 28.5 county road loop. From home to Turkey Point to Eisenhower St. Park to home. Was a beautiful day and I ran extremely well, I ran an 8:15-8:30 pace most the way and was running even faster at the end around 7:30-8:00. Finished the 28.5 in 3:52min an 8:08 pace. Not to shabby for a training run. Felt good to have such a good run.

Sunday 8-30-09 17.25 county road loop. Took it a little easier today, the legs were a little shot from Saturday and the week. Still managed a good run. Fell really good about this week training. 17.25 miles in 2:27min.

93.25 miles this week, with 800 push-ups and 250 P90x single leg squats and lunges.
Just now starting to think about Heartland and the task at hand. I'm not sure how it snuck up on me so fast. Would of liked to have started ramping up several weeks ago. I think I'll still be O.K. since I have had a good base all summer, but you never know what's going to happen during a 100, so it's still a little nerve racking. My plan for Heartland is to run as many miles as possible and finish sub-24 at least. In my first 100 I walked the last 20+ as my legs and feet just wouldn't take it any more. My plan this time is to run more miles in training and hopefully it will increase my endurance and pay off in being able to run more at the end of Heartland.
More next week.

Leadville 100 notes

Here are just a few thing I learned from crewing/pacing at the Leadville 100.
1.) It is a brutal race with a 30 hour cut off.
2.) Be prepared to have some sort of problem nausea, diarrhea or both, cramping, fatigue, mental breakdowns, not being able to eat or drink or keep it down if you do. Even all of them at some point in the race.
3.) Be prepared to go extremely slow at times, maybe only making a mile an hour. And be glad to make 4 miles an hour.
4.) It is a race with 30-40 miles of running and 60-70 miles of power hiking. Note: don't spend a lot of time trying to train to run the hills spend the time training to power walk them. Unless you are some sort of good mountain runner.
5.) Be prepared to want to quit maybe even 3 or 4 times. And have a plan to know how to resist the urge to throw in the towel.
6.) When you think you want to quit, stop sit down and regroup and think about what you doing, and why you are there in the first place. You may half to do this one over and over again.
7.) Go into the race expecting to out there the entire 30 hrs.
8.) Never give up, no matter how bad things may seem. You can overcome everything, but and injury. As long as your ahead of the cut-off and they haven't cut your band for some medical reason , you can make it if you keep positive and keep moving in the right direction no matter how slow it may seem. (see also #7 again)
9.) Have a good crew and a good pacer or two line up to help you, without them it would almost be impossible. Tell your crew what to expect before hand so they know how to talk you out of quiting, and how to get you through the rough spots. (probably a good idea to thank your crew/pace over and over again after you complete the race for putting up with your cranky, tired and whinny ass.)
10.) NEVER GIVE UP!!!!

See you next year Leadville, I think it will be my turn to give it a shot.

Good training week

Had a good training week for the week after Psycho Psummer 50K. It's good to good to get back at it. It seems like when I don't have a big run to look forward to or to train for I get a little soft.
I still get my miles in but, don't seem to go at it as hard. This week I took Monday and Tuesday off to recover from Psycho, after I hit it for 12 the day after. I ramped it up the rest of the week and got in some good quality runs, faster than my normal pace. I also did a hill workout at the Gov's up and over the hill again and again for 4 miles after 5 on the trails. Saturday I hit a long run on county roads from Lyndon to Auburn for a total of 24 miles and change in 3:25. Was looking to get 20 in on Sunday but our good ol dog Salia passed away on Saturday night and had to take care of that first thing Sunday morning before the kid got up. So my Sunday morning run was pushed back to the late afternoon and by then was a little out of the mood but still had a good quick 10 miles 1:15. Ended the week with 5 runs and a total of 67 miles. Around my usual 70+/- a week in 6 days only this week did it in 5. Starting to look forward to Heartland 100, was trying not to ramp up to soon, so I think now is the time to start upping the miles with some back to back longs and putting in some quality runs. Also looking forward to going to Leadville next month and pacing Rick for 50 there, a little worried about running at that altitude, I really don't have any experience running at 10,000+ feet elevation. Going to hit some good back to backs with Rick over the next couple weekends so that will fun and be some good quality runs I'm sure. I think maybe I can keep up with him after he runs 50, but I will have fun trying to keep up with him off the get go.

Psycho Psummer 50K

Over the weekend I ran the Psummer Psycho 50K ultra marathon, at Wyandotte Co. lake park.

The race was put on by the Kansas City Trail Nerds and was as always a great event. I had heard rumors about how tough a course this was and it did not disappoint. Add in 85+ degrees and 90% humidity and it is even tougher. I went into the race wanting to run well but also knowing that it would be a challenge. The race started with a short paved section necking down to single track trail. I started close to the front and the pace at the beginning was brisk and steady, after we got strung out a bit the pace slowed to a more comfortable pace but still at a good clip. The first 5 or so miles are full of hills and I ran all but the steeper ones. So far so good, and the miles went by and my pace was still good. From the boy scout aid station there was a section of paved and gravel road that was very run able so I tried to make good time in this section. From there it was back to single track trail through the triangle and back to the start finish this section was not to bad hill wise but had some mud in spots to contend with. I finish the first loop in relatively good shape in 2:21 and around 5th place. The second lap I decided to take it easy on the first hilly section and save for running across the damn and the boy scout section. The heat and humidity were starting to take it toll and I started having some cramping problems in my calf's and even my thighs. I was carrying only one hand held which worked good for the first loop but was not near enough for the second adding to my cramping problems.

When I got to the boy scout aid station Lee Crane and Pat Perry took care of me like I was the president or something and got me another bottle to carry. The ice shower they had there was the bomb. From there I ran the paved/gravel section and picked off another runner or two. My calf's were still cramping but I was able to keep moving. The last section through the triangle and back to the start/finish I knew if I just kept moving I would secure a 3rd place finish. At the triangle aid station I was cramping bad again and Sophia ran back to the boy scout aid station to get me some more S caps while I ran the triangle, with some more S caps in me I was hoping I could run the last 4 or so to the finish. While I had some cramping the last few miles the closer I got the better it seemed to get knowing I was getting close to the finish. As I came out of the trail across the grass and to the finish the pace was good and the excitement of a good finish in sight. I crossed the finish line in 5:21 a good run for me and 3rd place overall. Ben Holmes came over to give me my finishers metal and congratulate me on a good race. The Kansas City Trail Nerds sure know how to put on a race and the volunteers are the best out there bar none.

Vacation here we come

Oh, it's been a long wait, but it's finally here, time for a few days away from work and lot's of fun.
We are headed to the North Shore on Lake Superior in Minnesota. I can't wait looking forward to getting some running and hiking in with the family on the SHT (superior hiking trail). They have a 100 there on the SHT and might half to give it a try sometime. We are also going to do a little canoing in the Boundary Waters so a wilderness vacation it will be. Except for a stop at the Mall of America on the way, not my cup of tea but the wife will enjoy it. I ran my ass off this week knowing I probably wont get in as much running as normal but some time off to heal up just might do me some good and we'll still be doing a lot of hiking and sightseeing so that will help. I still plan to get out early a couple times for some time on the trails. See you all in 10 days and will have a vacation report when we get back.

Weekly notes 6-7-09

Monday I hit the Governs mansion after work for a nice and easy 9 miles. Tuesday I took a off. Wednesday was another run at the Gov's I hit it for 3.5 miles then looped back around for 6 more with a few of the Topeka trailgators. Thursday I hit the Gov's after work for 4 miles solo then 3 more with Kevin from work. Friday I hit the Gov's again after work for another 5.5 miles. Saturday morning I meet Hunter Munns and John Knowles for a trip to Banner creek near Holton for a couple 14 mile loops around the lake and a total of 28. It was a great day for running and was great to get out with them for a run. Sunday I was going to rest again, and it was hard, I kept telling myself to go run so I had to stay busy to keep myself from going out. It was like I was cheating on my girlfriend or something. I had decided to cut back a bit for the next couple weeks and let the body heal from months and months of hard training. Since we are leaving on vacation Thursday night for 11 days I thought this would be a good time for a break.
I'm sure I'll half to get in a few runs over vacation so we'll see how good a break I get.
Weekly totals:
59 miles
930 push ups

Weekly notes 5-31-09

It was another good week with lots of running and an extra day off work. Monday was Memorial Day so I had the day off and spent the day with the family hanging out on the patio. We put a couple slabs of baby backs on the smoker and man were they good. I took Monday off from running to recover from the previous weekends runs. Tuesday was back to work, hit the Governor's Mansion trails after work for 10 miles 7 miles solo and 3 with a co-worker who I have recently got to start trail running. Wednesday it was kind of rainy so I hit the elliptical for an hour on cardio level 12 for 4.25 miles. Thursday was another run at the Gov's for 10 miles in 1:30. Friday I hit the Gov's again after work for another 10+ in 1:45 with 3 hill repeats. Saturday morning I took off from home and headed to turkey point at Melvern lake where I was going to meet the wife and kid for a day on the lake. It was a good gravel road run for just shy of 20 miles in 2:45 min. Sunday morning I met some of the Lawrence Trail Hawks for a 20 mile trail run on the North Shore Trails. Runner role call was Nick, Jim, Gary, Levi, Laurie and myself. We had a great time as always running and chatting as we ran, it's always nice to run in a group after running solo most the time. Other notes: I'm starting to get siked for my next 100 miler, there is something about trying to run 100 that really intrigues me. I love the feeling you get from pushing your body and mind to extremes. I know Heartland 100 is still 18 weeks away but I am really looking forward to another 100. My sister is coming home from Florida to pace me the last 20-30 or so at Heartland so that makes it even more exciting. I think I have decided to try and run the Ozark 100 also, exactly 1 month after Heartland so that will be a huge challenge to try and complete 2 100's in a month. But I love challenges and the intence training it will take to pull it off.
Weekly totals:
74 miles
700 push ups
60 Lunges and Squats

Weekly notes 5-24-09

Let's see I had a busy run and work week. Had a job to get out so it was early days, up and at work by 4:30 a.m. all week for a total of 54 hours, as almost every week anymore. I guess it's better than the alternative but man would I like to get caught up once. Monday, was a Monday from hell and was glad the day finally ended and I headed to the Governor's mansion for a few miles after work. Ran 5 miles solo and meet a couple co-workers who are new to trails for 3 more. Tuesday I took the day off with no running. Wednesday I hit the Gov's again for 10.25 miles after work. Got to run at the Gov's again on Thursday for 7.75 and again on Friday for 9.25 in 1:30. Saturday I hit the gravel roads for 14 miles and then ran 3.5 with my Mom and wife. Today I went to Melvern and hit the 10 mile horse trail for an interesting 10 miles the lake was up so there was water over the trail in 5 spots and had to do some bushwhacking and wading to get the loop in. I was going to do it twice but after the firsts lap experience I decided to run the (dare I say it pavement) around the state park and see all the crazy campers. I ran every road in the park for another 10 and man was the park full. When I go camping I kinda like to get away from people so it didn't really look like that much fun to me. I did get a lot of looks running thru the park with my pack on and mud up to my knees from the loop on the trails.

Weeks totals:

70.75 miles

830 push ups

60 lunges and squats

Berryman trail marathon race report

Let me start by going backwards a bit. This year I have went into a few races thinking I would do well and bombed or not run up to my expectation. I thought maybe, just maybe, I had lost a little speed since over the winter, I was training for my first 100. While I had been running lots of miles, I wasn't really running hard, just running long. I had a couple times in training and in races where I was, or felt like was running so bad that it just wasn't fun anymore. So for the last couple races I went in to just run, and not worry about my time or how I was running. Finally running became fun again and I was now motivated to keep going. Then on Wednesday night I seen on the trailnerds email list that Pat Perry had a few unused entry's for Berryman. I had wanted to run Berryman but had waited to long to get my entry in and it was full. When I got the entry I had not tapered or prepared at all. The RD would not let him transfer the entry so I had to run under the alias of Bob Hudges, not a big deal I wasn't going to win anything, I just wanted to run. The race started with a short out and back on a gravel road before hitting the trail. I started out at a good pace to get in front of most of the other marathoners. The first few miles flew by and I was still running at a good clip. Mile after mile went by and running was still coming easy and my pace was still good. I was telling myself there was no way I could keep that pace up for 26 miles. As I ran down the soaked trail and hurdled downed trees, and slopped through the mud in spots, nothing seemed to slow me down. It was a good feeling to be running so well for a change. As the miles clicked off and my pace held steady I just decided to see what I could do. I had my sights on a sub 3:45 marathon, I kept flying down the hills and keeping a steady pace going up. When I arrived at the last aid station with 2.3 to go. I still thought I could break 3:45, I ran my ass off but, every time I would get going good there would be another log jamb to break my stride. When I realized 3:45 wasn't going to happen I slowed a bit till I got to where the finish was in sight and sprinted across the line to finish in 3:48. My best run this year and it felt good to run good again. I stood around basking in my second place finish in the marathon and still in a little disbelief that I had run so good. Then I realized other runners were coming in and going back out for another loop, man was it hard to watch them go back out every ounce of my body wanted to jump back in there for another lap. I waited for Lee Crane to come through and head back out before we headed back home. When Lee came through I was so jealous he was going back out again, I had to sit on my hands to keep from going back out. If I hadn't of changed my clothes I might of just took off. Next year it's the 50 for me, but was just happy to get to run 26 this time. I won't procrastinate next year in getting my entry in.

Weekly notes 5-22-09

Here is my weeks notes: Monday was a easy day for me just hit the elliptical for 4.75 miles on Cardio Level 10. Tuesday I had jury duty in the morning so got up early and hit the road for an easy 7 miles in 1 hr. I was not picked for the jury, so I got released at 11:30 and decided to just skip the rest of the day at work. I then finished putting the metal on Darcie's horse shelter, after taking her to lunch. I got bored in the late afternoon so hit the elliptical for 3 miles on Cardio Level 12. Wednesday I hit the Governor's mansion trails after work for 7.5 miles in 1:06.
Wednesday night I secured an entry into the Berryman trail marathon so was excited about that. Thursday night I was going to take a couple co-workers on there first trail run. So I took of a 4:00 and hit the trails for 3 miles then meet back up with them for another 3 miles at the Governor's mansion. I was both there first trail run and they enjoyed the run and are planning on running with me again this week. Friday we took of towards Cuba for Berryman on Saturday morning. I ran Berryman on Saturday morning and finished the trail marathon in 3:48. (Check back for my Berryman race report coming soon.) Sunday I ran an easy 6 miles in the morning with my mom who is training for the 10 miler at Rock Creek #3. Then in the afternoon I went to
Melvern to check out the new riverfront trails and ran every trail in the park for 4.25 miles.
Weeks totals:
64 miles
900 Push Ups
90 Lunges and Squats

Rock Creek and weekly totals

For only running once last week I ended the week on a good note. On Saturday I ran the Rock Creek trail 1/2 marathon. I decided since I had only ran once that week that I would go out and see how hard I could run the 1/2 marathon. I started out following the lead pack of the eventual winner, who's name eludes me right now, Rick Mayo, Greg Burger, I kept them in my sights for the first couple miles then fell back a little and was all alone. I ran really hard the first 8 miles or so and was felling really chipper. As the miles added up and with no one in my sights in front or behind I found myself running slower, I was still hauling ass down the hills but was taking it easy going up them. It's hard to keep pushing when there is no one around you, I was hoping someone would come up from behind and push me harder. But all in all it was a good run and I finished the 1/2 marathon in 1:45. Willie Lambert and the crew really put on an awesome event as usual. The Rock Creek series and the 50K last October was my first ultra and was what got me started running ultras. On Sunday I got up early and headed out for a country road
easy 16 mile loop from the house in 2:12. For the week I did manage 39.5 miles, 925 push-ups, and 170 lunges and squats.

Rock Creek #2 Proud moment

Rock Creek trail race #2 was today. It was a little cool this morning but perfect for running. I am proud as a peacock today. My mom and my wife both ran the trail 10K. Running on trails is a lot harder than just running on a road. I am so proud of them, they both finished the 10K coarse in under 2 hrs. It was both there longest runs to date, and for only running since late February the did awesome. Finishing a 10K is no small feat and even still heard talk about them running the 10 mile at Rock Creek #3. It just goes to show that no matter when you start you can still get out there and do it if you set your mind to it. I think they both had fun even though it was a little tough with all the hills and rocks, and hope they keep up the good work and will see them finish the 10 mile in July, and at night, how cool would that be. Thanks Willie Lambert, Great Planes Running Co. and all the volunteers who make it happen for another great event.

Back on track

This week has been shot. I have only run once this week, a 5 mile run with the Topeka Trail runners Wednesday night and 2 1/2 solo at the Governors mansion trails. I have been doing some push ups and lunges and squats but not much running. The wife has been keeping me busy building a horse shelter and mending fence. The last 2 weeks have been lazyyyy for me, only 35 miles last week and 7.5 this week so far. I need to get back on track. I don't have anything scheduled as far as runs go for the next 1 1/2 months other than Rock Creek #2 Saturday. I wanted to run Berryman but waited to long and it filled up before I got my entry in.
I guess I'm going to half to tell myself I'm going to try Leadville so I can keep motivated. I really want to run Leadville but, I have no pacer and don't think I can take the time off from work to get a couple days out there getting used to the elevation and such and still take a vacation with the family this summer. Not to mention the cost issue. I have already committed to the Heartland 100 also so that has some bearing on my decision also. I'm looking forward to Heartland my sister is coming from Florida to pace me so that will be awesome. I know she is looking forward to it also.

Sunday 5-3-09

It's been a busy week, take one day off work get 3 days behind. Had to catch up or should I say try to catch up at work this week. Thursday and Friday I took off, after getting home late and getting the yard mowed for the first time. I could of baled it in spots. I did manage 150 push-ups and 40 Lunges and Squats each day. Saturday morning I hit the road first thing for an easy 10 miles in about 1:30. Me and the wife ran to Topeka shopping in the afternoon to get a new T.V after our big screen quit us. We did manage to get a new 42" flat screen. We had some Chinese food for lunch and man was it good. Watched Million Dollar Baby on the new tube that night with a big bowl of popcorn. Sunday morning I headed out for another easy 12 miles in 1:39. Still having problems with the back, it is starting to piss me off. I was going to run farther but, the back was giving me problems and I'm still not back up to speed since Free State. The wife did get her horse today and that made her happy. I know nothing about horses but she had one growing up and wanted one for her and Jarret. I figured I couldn't complain since I enjoy my running so much and she can enjoy her horse. The weekend went way to fast and I'm not looking forward to another long week at work. When is the next ultra anyway, I need a break again already.

Wednesday 4-29-09

O.K. I've been slacking on my blog. Let's see I don't think I've posted since Sunday, so let's get caught up. First, still working on my race report for Free State 100K, hope to have it up tomorrow. Sunday me and Gabe Bevan went out and pulled markers on about 6-8 miles of trail.
I'm not sure what was harder the last 10 at Free State or the 6-8 the next morning, man was I stiff and sore. On a good note we did manage to find a bunch of big fresh mushrooms which me and Jarret at for dinner Sunday night and they were good. Monday, me and Jarret went mushroom hunting at Melvern lake and hiked a couple miles for 1 measly mushroom. I did manage to get in 100 push-ups. Tuesday I got in 4.5 easy cardio level 10 on the elliptical in 60 min. and 100 push ups. The back is still giving me problems may need to see the chiropractor.
Today I hit it for a 7 mile easy run in 60+ min. and 150 push-ups. Still a little sore from the weekend and my legs and ankles are swollen a bit. Nothing like after Rocky but swollen none the less.

Free State 100K Race Report

This year since I started running ultras we thought we would camp on run weekends. Since every year we always say we're going camping and never do. So this year was going to be different, so every weekend I run we're camping no ifs ands or buts about it. We were going to meet the Gabe Bevan family there on Thursday night. We were both camping with the families for the weekend and it was a really good time. My back had been giving me problems all week after a fencing project the weekend before. So I decided to take all week off hoping it would heal. I woke up on Friday morning and decided to test it out and hit the trail from Campground 3 around the cactus ridge loop and back 3-4 miles or so. I went past the campground because I wasn't paying attention and ran right past the exit back to the camper. I'm guessing it was 6-7 miles by the time I ran to the start finish and back. It was a little more than I wanted. The back was sore and stiff and bothered me a quite a bit during the run but, it didn't get any worse. So I thought maybe I could struggle through it. Me and Gabe spent Friday mushroom hunting while the hens talked and the rugrats played. Not much luck the first time out, but hit a spot on the marathon loop in the afternoon and found a bag full of 35 or so. After dinner we made a camp fire and we all ate way to many smores, but man were they good, then off to the camper for a good night's sleep. When I woke up Saturday morning the back was really stiff, I had no idea how it would hold up to 60 miles. I ate some breakfast and we all headed over to the start. When we arrived we chatted with a lot of friends and I was really relaxed until the start. Me and Gabe had decided to run together for as long as it was feasible for the both of us, as he was just using it for a training run getting ready for Western States, other wise I could not have kept up with him. We started out slow and steady. Gabe, Keith Dowell and I all ran together through much of the first half of the first lap. John King ran with us for a bit also. We chatted and ran easy not stopping long at the Lands End aid station. From there to the Kansas Ultra runners aid station, I now refer to as the swamp section there was a lot of mud. The first time through was fun, but after the first lap it wore me plumb slick by the time I got through it. I tried to keep my shoes and socks dry at first but, gave in and just lugged through it. I took a tumble and slid on my ass on the first lap and was covered in mud. We kept moving towards the Kansas Ultra runners Society aid station where I would get to see my wife and kid ,who had volunteered to help at the aid station. I refilled my pack and grabbed a bite to eat and and chatted with the wife for a second and we took off. From there we ran at a good pace back to the Lands end aid station, with a couple 6-8 mushrooms we found along the way. Rick Mayo wanted to know why we were mushroom hunting rather than running, we told him they were growing right on the trail and we just couldn't run by them. Off again to the start finish where me and Gabe finished the first loop in about 3:27 min. We grabbed a bite to eat and some more fluids and were off for the second lap 20+ miles into the race. I was feeling really good and the back was not giving me any problems at all which was surprising. Gabe had a heel problem that was bothering him and he told me to go on, at the start of the second lap. I was running and feeling really good at the start of the second lap, and caught up to John King at the Lands End aid station, we took off together and ran together for a while till we got to the swamp section again, I was feeling great and was running really well and slopped through the swamp section again this time staying on my feet. My shoes were full of mud and thank goodness I had forgot my other shoes in the truck and my wife had them at the KUS aid station so I had her retrieve them when I got there again. With a fresh pair of shoes and a few PB&J's and a couple of Stacie Sheridan's cookies I was off. I ran alone for all this section back to Lands End. When I left Lands End all of the sudden I hit a brick wall, I was running great and feeling great then all the sudden boom I hit the wall. And I struggled all the way back to the start finish. I changed my socks and put my shoes back on and hit the aid station for a bite to eat before heading back out. I thought I needed more fuel so I ate a whole black bean veggie burger as I left. I was a little concerned I had not been drinking enough because I had not went pee pee all day, since the beginning. I had drank 4 liters at least in the first two laps but was now running on empty. I was still struggling, and walking more than I would halved liked when I left on the last lap 40+ miles into the race. When I got behind our campground I got a surprise, my son had ran up the trail from the campground about 1/2 a mile or so and he paced me back to the campground where my wife and parents were there also. It's always good to see your family and get a few words of encouragement when your struggling. I had got a second wind for a bit after seeing the family but, that soon went away and I was back to a run/walk with more walking than I would of liked. Along the shoreline the rocks were hard on the ankles this time and I walked most of this section to the Lands End aid station. After refueling there, I headed back out to my last time through the swamp section. I tried to run through it at first but was just spinning my wheels and wearing myself out even more. I sloped through the first sections and low and behold there was my son Jarret he had ran down the trail from the KUS station to meet me again. He paced me back to the aid station and I really appreciated him coming down to meet me as I had been running alone for quite a while and it was good to see him. I think he enjoyed pacing me and he was a sweaty mess when we got there. As I refueled and chatted with the family a bit, here came Gabe up the trail and he and Stewart Johnson were running together, and they had caught me. I waited for a few seconds while they got refueled and filled bottles, and the three of us and a pacer Gabe had picked up earlier all took off together. I wanted to hang on to them as long as I could so they could pull me to the finish. About 2 miles from the aid station the tornado sirens began blaring, and from the trail it didn't look bad out there and we just wanted to keep moving. We were all running as much as we could only walking the steep hills. The sirens would go off then quit and then go off again, I was never really worried for myself, was just hoping the family was safe. It rained a bit on us, and the trail was soon covered with water making the rocks slick. We all finally made it to Lands End where the was a little crowd gathered wondering what to do. We didn't hesitate at all at this point we were going to finish tornado or no tornado. We didn't stay long and took off for the last 3.9 or whatever to the finish. The sirens were a little eerie at times and the rain was coming down harder but we kept it moving as much as we could. Stewart had ran ahead of us a little bit and the finish was getting closer, and running became a little easier in the last mile or two. When we finally came out of the trail at the road we were glad to be there and ran to the finish in 11:46 min.

My wife, son, and parents were all there waiting on me and was glad to see we made it out OK. It was my parent's first ultra and I they thought it was cool experience seeing all us ultra runners finish. They began to tell me how they had to stay holed up in the bath house while the sirens went off and that it looked pretty eerie out there. I think it was easier to be on the trail then holed up in the bathhouse. Soon other trail nerd friends came over and congratulated me, some of them had got pulled because they had to call the race due to the weather. I felt bad for them not being able to finish but, I'm sure Ben made the right decision. It was another notch on my short ultra belt and I felt like a learned a lot in the process this time. Can't wait till the next one! See you all there...

Sunday 4-26-09

We'll I back from a weekend of camping and running at Free State at Clinton Lake. I did manage to finish the 100K coarse, despite the tornado sirens blaring the last 8 miles or so.
More later. Check back for my race report coming soon.

Wednesday 4-22-09

Last post till after Free State 100K. Back feeling a little better hope to be back to normal by Saturday. Looking froward to a good long run in the woods. Heading out tomorrow to camp all weekend really looking forward to that also. See you on the trails.

Tuesday 4-21-09

Not much to report again today. Took it easy again today, no workout no nothing. Back is a little better but still not good. Hoping for a big turnaround in the next couple days, or 60+ miles on Saturday is going to be really tough. Still have the cough and congestion also, but I can deal with that. Still looking froward to Saturday, but wish I had a couple more days to get this back problem better.

Monday 4-20-09

This is great less than a week till Free State 100K and I have all kinds of problems. My back being the biggest problem. I knew I should of rested yesterday but ran anyway, thought it was O.K. at the time but afterwards it got very painful. This morning was terrible I couldn't hardly get my pants and shoes on. The fencing and running after I injured it did me in. And if that wasn't enough have had this cough and chest congestion since helping the in-laws burn pasture last week. This crap is like glue and I half to cough it up to get it out. Going to take the week off and try and get healed up by Saturday. Hopefully my back will get better before then and maybe I could get in a little run before Saturday. No push-up or anything today. Was going to skip the squats and lunges this week anyway and let the legs rest.

Sunday 4-19-09

Woke up this morning with a terrible back ache. The fencing did my back no good yesterday.
Was going to go out for 12-15 today but with the back problems I had to scrap that idea. Not that disappointing though need to start tapering for Free State 100K anyway. Ran to Ottawa and got some groceries and supplies for camping at Free State next weekend. Came home and
did manage 7.25 easy miles on the treadmill in 1:10 min. Starting to get thing together for next weekend looking forward to all day on the trails.
Week totals:
44 miles
1,105 Push ups
170 Squats and Lunges L&R

Saturday 4-18-09

Well had a productive day today, got all the fence put up and the holes in the fence repaired.
Now the wife can get her horse and it won't be free range. Fencing is hard work I found out had to string the wire by hand man what a bitch. It got easier when the roll got smaller but still strung about 2,ooo ft of wire. Got a back ache from caring that spool around today. Wanted to go for a run but settled for an hour on the elliptical and 4.75 miles the most I have gotten on the new machine in an hour. Going to get out for a good run in the morning without overdoing it
since Free State is next weekend.

Friday 4-17-09

Feeling a little bit better today, might have had some smoke inhalation from helping the in-laws burn off the pasture. Got in another 54 hour week at work and took off from home after work toward Melvern lake. My wife was going to meet me out there for a short run on the horse trails while looking for some morels. Got in 9.8 miles in 1:15 on the way out then went for another easy 2 with the wife while mushroom hunting. Hit several of my honey holes and found one patch with 3 little morels. Need some more warm weather and they'll be up. Also did 250 push up and 40 Lunges and Squats. Have a full day planed tomorrow so hope to get in some miles tomorrow at least. Looking forward to Free State next weekend. Need to start tapering but for some reason I don't taper very well.

Thersday 4-16-09

Down and out!! Woke up this morning with a sore throat and feeling like shit. Still got up and headed to work at 4 am. As the day went on the worst I felt. Was all I wanted to do was go home and lay down. Somehow I made it through 11 hrs at work and went straight home and
took a 2 hr nap. So needless to say not much to report on the workout front today. Did manage 125 push ups this morning. Hoping for a new day tomorrow. I hate missing workouts.

Wednesday 4-15-09

Went to help the in-laws burn off their pasture. Took off from home and ran to Melvern to burn.
Got in 10.5 miles in 1:15. Then got in a good workout trying to keep the fire from jumping into the neighboring pasture. Other than that got in 280 push ups and 40 Lunges and Squats, and
30 Calf raises. Hope to get in a few miles tomorrow after work if the rain will hold off long enough.

Tuesday 4-14-09

Not much to report today. Hit the elliptical trainer again today 5.25 miles in 1:10min.
Been trying to cross train on the elliptical at least a couple times a week to save some pounding on my knees from running. Got in 250 push up and only 40 Squats and Lunges today.

Monday 4-13-09

I was going to take the day off today, but I was feeling guilty for eating all the Easter candy, yesterday and today. I think I ate 6000 calories of candy, very unusual for me, I'm not really a chocolate or candy eater but for some reason it was very addictive yesterday. Hit the elliptical for 4.6 miles in 60 min. on cardio max level 14. This new elliptical I got is a workout, not sure the miles are right, or my old one was way off. I could get 7-9 miles on the old one and it's all I can do to get 4.5 on the new one in an hour. The tension is way way better with the magnet rather than the break, the old one once you got it going it would loose the tension. On level 14 it is all I can do to keep it going with arms and legs. Got in 200 push ups and my reg. 50 Lunges L&R and Single Leg Squats L&R, threw in 30 Single Leg Calf raises also, something I picked up from P90X. Also kept all the push ups from P90X also, and alternate from wide, narrow, triangle and staggered push ups.

Week totals

Total miles this week : 75.19
Total push-up: 1135
Lunges, Squats each leg: 240

Saturday 4-11-09

Woke up at regular work day time of 3:30am. It sucks getting up at 3:30 all week let alone on the weekend. Couldn't get back to sleep so got up and hit the treadmill for an easy 6.75 miles in 1 hr followed up by 10 min power walk at 10% grade for a total of 7.5 miles in 1:10 min. Got a full day of honey-dos to do today, building fence and laying out the horse shelter. Hopefully after all that Darcie will still want to go for a 4-5 mile run, it is great that she is showing some interest in something I have become so pasionate about. And I think she enjoys it even though she may not admit it.

Next race is Free State 100K at Clinton on April 25th.
Darcie and Jarret have voluntered to help run an Aid Station, so that will be fun getting to see them once a lap at the aid station. We will also be camping all weekend so that will be fun also.

Friday 4-10-09

Thank God! Today was finally Friday, sick of work this week been swamped at work only got in 54 hrs this week in 5 days, but at least I don;t half to work this weekend. Went for a quick 8 mile county road run tonight. Ran 8 miles in 58:24. Looking forward to my weekend long run on Sunday, think I will shoot for at least 20 maybe 25-30 if I can make it work. Darcie has me busy building fence for her horse tomorrow going to try and get 8 in the morning before she gets around, then I told her I would go ant and run 4 or 5 with her, after we get some fence built.
Any way got in another 50 lunges L&R and 50 Squats L&R 40 Calf raises L&R. 310
Push Ups on max out Friday. If all goes well I'll have something to post tomorrow, otherwise it will be a lovely rest day as my friend Gary would say.

4-9-09

Thursday 4-9-09
Windy windy windy today
50 Lunges L&R
50 Squats L&R
30 Calf Raises
9.0 miles on treadmill in 1:10 min
225 push ups

4-8-09

Wednesday 4-8-09
Beautiful day today went for a good run today.
4.75 miles on Railroad tracks to county roads for 7 more miles.
Total miles 11.75 3@7:00 2@6:15 remainder 8 and 8:15
50 lunges Left and Right
50 Squats Left and Right
30 Single Leg calf raises Left and Right
225 Push ups

4-7-09

Tuesday 4-7-09
40 Lunges Left and Right
40 Single leg Squats Left and Right
30 Single leg Calf raises
4.8 miles on Ellipical Trainer Cardio Level 12 in 1:00hr
200 Push Ups

4-6-09

Monday 4-6-09
My workouts today were:
50 Lunges Left and Right
50 Single Leg squats Left and Right
30 Single Leg Calf raises Left and Right
6.0 miles on Elliptical Cardio Level 12 in 1:20
175 Push-ups