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.