2007 - My first go at 50K in the vaunted hills of Wyandotte County State Park. Icy conditions prevailed throughout the race. Learned of the simplicity and necessity of screwed shoes. - 6:38:36

2008 - Second time around. Makes me a veteran. Right? Temps were mild and mud prevailed. Learned that screwed shoes are of no use in mud. Improved my time by nearly two minutes. - 6:36:47

2009 - Third time’s a charm. Scared, scared, scared about running this year. Conditions were similar to 2008.

After slipping and sliding through last years race, I bought a pair of “mud” shoes just for the occasion when I would run this again. Considering the snowy weather in Omaha, I was sure we would be running through mud for 3 full loops. Thank God I was wrong. In the end, it was very similar to last year, but this time around I had on my magic shoes.

I decided to run my own race throughout and take it easier, earlier. The trail was crusty and somewhat solid for the first loop. Some of the dry dirt sections were solid ice and downright treacherous if you weren’t paying attention. These were probably the only sections where screws might have helped. For the most part, I navigated the obstacles well, with the exception of one fall while trying jump a water crossing. Caught a root and tumbled hard in the first 2 miles (only hard fall of the day). Finished first loop in 1:42:18 refreshed and excited for the second.

The second run through was a little more difficult. The mud was beginning to show up, but not too bad yet. Ran almost the entire loop with Travis from St. Louis and the miles flew by. Usually, by this time in the race we are all running alone. At about mile 16 there was a chain of about 12 of us running in lock step for a couple miles. It almost felt like I was back in the military. I kept waiting for someone to start calling out cadence.

One mile no sweat,
Two miles better yet,
Three miles think about it,
Four miles thought about it,
Five miles feeling good like I should.
In my legs,
In my head,
In my chest,
Feeling good,
Super troop.

Second loop 1:55:28 including a 5 minute stop at the start/finish aid station.

Was actually very excited to get out on the third loop with a very realistic chance of breaking 6 hours. My previous best time was last year in 6:36:??. Got moving and began to struggle getting up the hills. It was much muddier this time around. Some tacky mud, some very sloppy. One thing I learned last year is not to avoid it. Just run right through. What a difference. I ended up walking most uphill stretches and ran the downhills. Reached the last aid station with 2+ miles and less than 25 minutes to spare to break 6. Here is a bit of dialog from the aid station -

I asked, “Can I get there in 25 minutes?”
The answer - “If you run”.

They say there is no such thing as a stupid question. I beg to differ. “If you run” they said. The solution was pretty obvious. So I ran - scared. Two of the best miles of the day for me. The hills were still rough, but there was no time to rest. Get up and run down. Get up and run down. Repeat.

Crossed the finish line in 5:57:19 - Thrilled, fears be gone!

It can’t be said enough. The Trail Nerds, Ben, Kyle, and all the others are the model of efficiency in putting on a race. We are all lucky to have the opportunity to run with these folks a few times a year.

Take one part foolishness, mix it with one part sheer stupidity, toss in a dash of endurance and whala, you have a wannabe100 mile runner. Now take previously listed ingredients and throw them into the scenic beauty of the Black Hills, with the unbelievable support of numerous volunteers and you have a wannabe 100 mile runner taking on the Lean Horse 100.

Yes folks, that is me, only I am no longer a wannabe 100 mile runner. I am a veteran 100 miler, with exactly one, albeit relatively easy race under my belt. That’s right, I’m a veteran. All veterans start off as rookies. That was me three days ago. Foolish, stupid, enthusiastic, excited, nervous and ready for the unknown.

I chose Lean Horse for a number of reasons. One, because it was within driving distance from my home in Omaha. Two, because of it’s reputation as a good, first hundred miler…and it was. Three, because of it’s reputation as a quality event… and it was.

I arrived in Hot Springs South Dakota at the southern end of the Black Hills Friday around noon and promptly checked in to my hotel about a half block from the race start. After unloading the car, I walked to the Mueller Events Center, which served as the race headquarters and the start and finish line. It was an odd feeling checking in, wondering how many of the people wandering around the multi-purpose gym were first timers like me, and how many were true ultramarathoning veterans. Judging by the growth in entrants over the 4 years of the race’s existence, many were in the same boat as me. Newbies! Although, plenty of the sports elite have run this race as well. Last years winner, Akos Konya, set the course record… and did I mention he’s also placed second at the prestigious Badwater Ultra Marathon in 2006-07? This year there was Jamie Donaldson, the first female and third overall finisher at Badwater.

Jerry Dunn, the race director had asked that we check in Saturday morning around 5:15 so that they would have an official count of the starters. I had gotten up early and had a cup of coffee and a few donuts at the hotel before heading over. I arrived at the start to 170 other runners preparing to run either the 50 or the 100 mile race. I was nervous, but not at all like I felt when preparing to run the Chicago Marathon for the first time. Back then, I had high hopes for running a Boston Qualifier, which I did with only a couple minutes to spare. This time I knew, barring injury, I was going to finish and I didn’t care if it took 20 hours or 30 hours, I WAS going to do it. I’ll admit that the 24 hour mark did creep into my mind more than once though.

After a few pre-race words and a dedication of this years race to Jerry’s mother, who passed away earlier in the year, we were off. I was fortunate to meet another runner from the Omaha area named Greg Corns. This was his second time running Lean Horse. Greg had called a couple of weeks ago to introduce himself and I finally met him and his girlfriend Annetta in person just prior to the race. I ran with Greg for the first few miles as we meandered through Hot Springs to the first aid station at Coldbrook Reservoir, around the 4 mile mark. 4 miles down, 96 to go. The going was easy to this point. Greg made a pitstop at Coldbrook and I continued on through a field that connected the lake my least favorite part of the course, Argyle Road.

Argyle Road is not a difficult run, nor is it something to be feared. It is about 11 or 12 miles of rolling hills that wind north and west to the George Mickelson Trail. It reminded me somewhat of the Bohemian Alps course, only the hills were longer and not as steep. The part I did not like was the gravel that covered the road. It was not so bad in the early stages, as my feet were light and I did not shuffle so much that I the rocks ended up in my shoes. Argyle Road is also what convinced me that I will never, and I mean never do another trail run without gaitors again. The scenery along this stretch was another story. It was absolutely beautiful! Stands of Ponderosa Pines (I think that is what they were anyway) mixed with wide open prairie were a sight to behold. Never did it feel claustrophic and even with the massive expanse of land did I ever seem to tire of the endless views. The 16+ mile point brought the end of Argyle Road, at least for Saturdays running and the beginning of the George Mickelson Trail.

The Mickelson Trail is an old railroad bed that has since been converted into the pathway where we would spend the rest of of our run until returning to Argyle road for the 16 mile homestretch. It is covered in crushed limestone and is an easy path to run. Because of it’s previous status as a railroad, the grades are gentle and never rise more than 3% at a time. Early on with fresh legs, the 3% incline was not terribly noticeable, this would not be the case for me as the afternoon wore on. It was easy for me to forget that there were still 51, 50 mile racers, many of who were running much faster than me. I had to remind myself on more than one occasion not to try to keep up with them. The trail continued on at a gradual rise through aid stations at 20 miles, 24 (Pringle) miles, 30, 35 (Custer), 40, 45, and the turnaround. I was happy to see the one person I recognized, Annetta, Gregs girlfriend at the earlier aid stations. She was always quick to offer food, water, or a seat. I didn’t take her up on the offer early on, as I wanted to just keep moving and to avoid getting into the habit of getting too comfortable.

As has been customary for me in other warm weather races, my stomach took a nose dive around 27-28 miles and I suddenly threw up. This time, I knew it was not because I did not eat enough, or that I was not hydrated. I’ve just come to the acceptance that, it is just me. I did come prepared with ginger chews, which are supposed to calm an upset stomach, so I promptly took one and a couple of salt tablets and began to feel better within 10 minutes. This would become a routine for me throughout the daylight hours. Ginger chew and s-caps every five miles. It works quite well.

We worked our way through the town Custer and up what is probably the most significant climb on the course, a constant ascent from Harbach Park in Custer through Mountain Trailhead aid station and past the Crazy Horse Monument. While I was able to continue putting one foot in front of the other, my stomach issues persisted, only to be thwarted by ginger and salt, and I found myself pining away for nighttime and the 40 degree temperatures we were supposed to have throughout the evening. After eventually cresting the high point on the course around 5800 feet we were treated to a decline and the turnaround 6 miles away.

I reached the midway point at a street aptly named “Deadbroke St” in 11 hours and 55 minutes. Night was approaching and my hopes of cracking the 24 hour barrier were beginning to diminish. I was not demoralized by the fact. Actually, I was quite relieved. As the sun drifted lower in the sky my spirits soared and my stomach took a break from tormenting me. I latched on to another runner named Don from New Mexico and run/walked with him for the better part of the 6 miles back to the high point. Eventually, Don dropped off and I continued trying to keep a quick cadence while walking. Once I returned to downhill running, my fatiqued legs weren’t too interested in the constant pounding of running, so I settled into what would be my pattern for the remainder of the run. 180 steps running, 45 steps walking. Yes, I counted. The counting served two purposes. One, it kept my mind occupied and two, it kept me moving forward with a purpose. I did not walk slowly when I walked.

You know you are an ultra runner when…. someone says “man I wish I could walk as fast as you”, and you take it as a compliment. True story. I heard this numerous times, and as much as I hate to admit it, I’ve heard us referred to as walktards a time or two. I might have taken offense at the term once, but no longer. Whatever gets me to the finish line.

I enjoyed everything about the run and the course, even the pain, and the rocks of Argyle Road, but what I enjoyed most was the aid stations at night. Oh my God! I love to eat, and I have never, ever looked forward to food and coffee quite like I did during this run. When I first realized there was chicken noodle soup, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Then, I asked, “do you have any coffee?”, when the answer was yes, I just wanted to sit and talk for a while. Maybe it was delerium setting in, I don’t know, and I didn’t care. It was the same thing at every aid station throughout the night. Chicken Noodles and Coffee. Only one stop surpassed the starch and caffeine fixes and that was at the Carroll Creek aid station, where one of the volunteers spoke the magic words:

“ANYONE WANT A GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH?”

I would have killed for that, believe me. Luckily for me and some unlucky soul, I didn’t have to. I did split it with another runner there, but it was far and away the food highlight of my run. No stop was the same after that. It was OK though. Noodles and coffee suited me just fine.

I stuck to my run walk pattern the best I could and tried to keep my focus on one aid station at a time. Generally they were about 5 miles apart. When they were more than that, the 6th mile felt like an eternity. Each station on the return was somewhat of a milestone for me, meaning I had X number of miles less to conquer. By the time 3:30 a.m. rolled around I was back at Argyle Road ready for the home stretch. The gravel road did a number on my feet and I had a hard time keeping the rocks out of my shoes. I did the best I could and pushed forward. Over the last 25 miles of the course, I must have passed 20 people, which was a really good feeling. I always passed with a compliment and moved on. Argyle Road went on and on until I finally reached the stretch of field connecting the road to Coldbrook Reservoir.

Oddly enough, I remembered the trail through the field as being a straight shot. NOT! It wound around until finally reaching the lake and one last climb out to the edge of Hot Springs and two plus miles of pavement. I never thought I would say it, but I was actually looking forward to the stable, rock free surface. Back, by the same route I continued to pass a few more runners who were clearly struggling. This only served to highten my excitement at the inevitable finish waiting me. Throngs of cheering crowds lining the streets — Nope. Hoots and hollers of admiring women– Yeah Right. We were told there would be someone at the end of the trail to direct us to the correct turn toward the finish. There was, and she was sound asleep when I came by. I don’t blame her. It had to be the most boring job to direct traffic for runners who were coming through at a rate of one every few minutes. She did wake up in just enough time to steer me straight and I jogged the remaining quarter mile to the finish and not one, but two women. One was the timer, and the other was waiting for her husband who finished a mere minute or so behind me. Another mile, and the order would have reversed. It may sound like I am complaining. I’m not. As a matter of fact, the unceremonious finish was one another of the many things I liked about this run. 100 miles is MY challenge. It’s nice to have supporters, but in the end I am glad this was done on my own. Now, if the Leadville 100 becomes a reality, I may be putting people on the payroll to come help, because I AM scared of that one.

One thing I’ve begun to learn is that you DO NOT judge a book by it’s cover when it comes to ultramarathoners. I saw short, squatty types; tall and lanky; old and young; muscular and sinewy. What I found out is that it is not always the tall, lanky, muscular, sinewy builds that makes up a good ultrarunner. Sure, maybe they make up the elite of the sport, but there were many that did not fit that description that completed the course under 24 hours. I think it’s safe to say that a 24 hour finish is the gold standard for the average ultrarunner among us. After all, that is what you have to beat to get the BIG belt buckles that are given away at most 100 mile races for such excellence. Anyway, I digress, but I do think that the total lack of ability to stereotype us people is one of the things I like more and more about this sport. To win, or even place in a 5K, 10K, Half or Full Marathon, some would say you need pure talent, and the gift from a pristine gene pool, in addition to the willingness to work hard to reach such a a goal. In my not so vast experience, I would say that much of the same is needed in order to run a 50K, 50 or 100 miler, and more, but the further you go, the more heart, desire, and willingness to overcome adversity, whether it is self-inflicted or not, trumps pure talent. Yet, another reason I am really beginning to love this sport. I could go on and on… the people, the diversity, closeness of the community. Where else can you go and be among school teachers, students, lawyers, doctors, mechanics, computer nerds, and retirees, and fit right in as though you’ve been there for years? THAT is what it feels like.

Jerry puts on a wonderful, well organized race. Everyone should try this at least once. The volunteers at the aid stations truly made it an experience and were always ready to help however they could. I’ll admit, I’ve never volunteered to work a race, but my time is coming. I am beginning to see that it is really more of an obligation than a choice if we want to continue to enjoy quality races in beautiful places like the Black Hills.

I finished with a time of 25:03. Maybe all those extended aid station stops weren’t such a good thing. Then again, maybe, my time would have been 27:03 if it weren’t for them. I don’t care. I am sore, elated, and ready to do another one already. What will it be? Will it be Mother Road 100? Will I try to PR in a 50K. Will I sign up early next year for Leadville? Who knows.

The choices are plenty and I am LIVING THE DREAM!!!

Photos of the run can be found here.

Prevailing wisdom in the ultra running world says that you really should acquaint your mind and body with a 50 miler or two before attempting a 100 mile race, especially one at 10,000 feet. The organizers of the Leadville Trail 100 bike and run are also responsible for putting on the annual, marathon, heavy-half marathon, 10K and Silver Rush 50 bike ride. This year they decided to add a 50 mile trail run on the day following the 50 mile bike ride. The run is also appropriately scheduled as the perfect training run before the 100 miler at the end of August. Yesssss!

Having not one (Me), not two (Joe K), but three (Jim K) Nebraska plainsman that wanted to do this made it a no-brainer, literally and figuratively. Joe actually did BOTH the bike and run making him a “Silver King”.

Not good for his ego and definitely a reason to have his head examined. This time the visit to Leadville included no acclimation hike up tall mountains, just a couple of days in the thin air and a short run down Half Moon road to help get the lungs used to the lack of oxygen. I won’t go into the food details or useless grocery shopping trip, but I will say this… Quincy’s in Leadville might be the ultimate restaurant. Filet Mignon, baked potatoes and salad, Sunday thru Thursday. Prime Rib, baked potato, and salad, Saturday and Sunday. With a menu like that, who needs grocery stores? It might not be the perfect pre-endurance race meal, but for 7.95 (Filet Mignon) and 9.95 (Prime Rib), it is a deal that can’t be beat. See why I like Leadville so much.

How about the run you say. OK, here it is. It starts at 6 a.m. and takes place on the same course as the ride the day before at the base of what is known as Dutch Henri hill, a steep hole ridden slope that is used as a practice ski/tubing run (I think). The first man and woman to the top of the hill received a Troy ounce of silver for their efforts.

I was NOT the first man, nor did I have any intentions of trying. Hell, I don’t even know what a Troy ounce is. Probably better I don’t. After conquering the short, steep hill, the run proceeded back down for a while, which led me to wonder just exactly what the climbs up would be like.

We would find out in due time. With the vast majority of the run taking place between 10,000 and 12,000 feet and almost 19,000 feet of total elevation change,

my intentions were to hike quickly up the hills and run down. This strategy worked well for most of the race. The first seven miles were relatively painless as I managed to get to the first, unmanned (at the time) aid station, Black Cloud in about 1:20.

GREAT!

Sure, that is like 11 minutes a mile uphill, at altitude, and we haven’t even begun the real climbing yet. Oh it would come though. The 6 (or so) mile stretch between the Black Cloud AS and the Printer Boy AS was tiring, but again relatively pain free. We continued to climb for a couple of miles before turning on to a well maintained road that starts at the base of 14,036 ft. Mount Sherman.

The road was virtually all downhill for 3-4 miles. I loved being able to run freely for a while. After 13.5 miles, I arrived at the Printer Boy aid station in 2:40.

I should remind you that after thirteen and a half miles the math says you still have roughly 37 miles to go. Anyway, I filled up my bottles and took off on the jeep road from Printer Boy AS, down to Old Oro City. Gold was discovered around the Oro City site in the 1800’s, thus the name. Today, there is only a sign reminding you of what was and to take care of the area. I continued to cruise in to the next real climb, walking uphill and running down. The first significant climbing takes place between miles 15 to 18, 19, 20, somewhere in that stretch is the Venir AS at mile 18. After Venir, we really received a glimpse of what we would have to cover on the way back, Ball Mountain. It was somewhere on this side of Ball Mountain that I ran into the race leader. This kid couldn’t have been more than his early 20’s and this was his first ultra-marathon. That is just sick, sick, and SICK! He was flying at mile 30 or so and I was still trying to get up and over Ball Mountain with the turn around still several miles away. Amazing! I continued on the climb up and over the saddle on Ball Mountain. It wasn’t until here, maybe 30 minutes later that I came across the second place runner, followed by a string of returnees. Finally, I reached the saddle and some downhill running. I would trade places with this guy that would walk, or jog very slowly downhill, only to pass me while power hiking up the hills. It was incredible. I think these guys know a whole lot more than me. With the turn around finally in site, I came across Joe and Jim on their return trip. We said our good jobs and I moved on with the hopes that maybe, just maybe, I would catch them. I didn’t. I spent a solid 15 minutes at the Stumptown AS taking in water, Coke, pbj, sport beans, and ridding myself of the extras I had no business packing to begin with. Some of the time was just me putting off the inevitable painful trek back to the finish, but enough is enough. It was time to go. I left the turn around at 5 hours and 19 minutes with tiny high hopes of breaking 11 hours.

Every step up, every step down, and every contortion of my leg muscles was magnified over the next 20 plus miles. The climb back over Ball Mountain is twice as long on the way back as it was getting there and I began to struggle mightily.

Never the less, I still plugged away and had lost only 9 minutes on the stretch back to Venir. You could probably say that Venir is where things started to go wrong. I had not eaten enough, but honestly, can you possibly consume enough calories doing a run like this. You could certainly take in more than I did. So, I tried. I had some pretzels, a pbj, and refilled my bottles with water because my stomach was sick and tired of PowerAde. Even the Coke was beginning to be unsettling. I trudged on down the trail trying to munch down the pretzels and pbj and my stomach was like, “Hey buddy, what is this, I don’t want this.”, and I threw up. Yep, I am getting accustomed to the throwing up. Funny thing is, I felt a bit better after that and was able to suck down some of the gel that had sat untouched in my pack until now. The gel re-energized me for a little while, but not before an amusing cramp in my left calf halted me for a few minutes. I don’t know why, but I find the cramps really funny. It just amazes me the ways your body likes to tell you that it is now getting even for what you are doing to it. Soooo, now, some gel and a few S-Caps later and I was back on the trail, walk-running. I made it back to the Printer Boy aid station and after the struggle a few miles back had still only lost two more minutes. With only 3.5 miles of climbing to go and nearly 10 miles of ascent, 11 hours was still a possibility. Mmm hmmm, riiggghhhht!

AHA! Not so fast Scott. You still have 13.5 miles to go. The next 3.5, no make that 6 miles, might have been one of the longest, slowest walks of my entire life. I was now going up the road I had run down so freely just a few hours before, only this time I was not running, and I was not walking freely. I am certain that someone attached a ball and chain to my legs at the Printer Boy AS. Crap, I was THAT tired! The road went on for what seemed like forever and I was really looking forward to going down again with 10 miles left. Even after hitting the turn downhill, I simply could not run, nor did I feel like, running, so I simply walked a little quicker pace to the Black Cloud AS and the 7 mile home stretch. Any shot I had at breaking 11 hours was now fully gone as I had lost nearly an hour from my time covering the same stretch earlier in the day. My sights were now set on trying to break 12 hours. Yes, I threw up again, and yes, it was not as enjoyable, and yes I felt better when it was over. I took more S-caps, and more gel, and ran for the first time in over two hours. I was going to break 12 hours. No question about it. I continued to play a game of run for 2 minutes walk for a little, run for 2, walk a little. Somewhere in this mental spell I was in, I had gone right by a turn. That’s right! I missed a turn! Luckily for me, I realized my mistake before getting too off course and recovered, losing 10 or more minutes of time. After getting back to the missed turn, I went on playing the mind games, finally coming to the first of three crossings of the Mineral Belt Trail. A sure sign, the finish was near. Just past the third crossing was a final cruel, short, steep hill. I knew it was there, but it looked like Mount Everest to me at the time and I just wanted turn left on to the Mineral Belt and jog it in, but I didn’t. Up the hill and down the trail I went, turned left to the final downhill past some kids who were sending back our numbers to the finish line via radio. One more right hand turn and I was finally able to cross the finish line, to the sound of my name being called out as the next finisher.

I didn’t break 12 hours. My finishing time was 12:12:19. Probably could have made it had I not missed the turn or without any of the other mini-mistakes I made throughout the day, but who cares. WHAT A THRILL!

Jim and Joe finished together in a sparkling time of 10:55. I swear they split time between Nebraska and Colorado. Awesome to say the least.

It is easy to compare yourself to any of the other people that run to these extremes. Some do more, some do less. Some run faster, some just want to finish, but I can’t help but feel that we don’t all feel the same overwhelming sense of accomplishment and achievement at the end. It is impossible to answer the questions of why I or anyone else does this. All I can say is that you have to find out for yourself.

The views on the east side of Leadville are a different kind of spectacular. You are treated to the peaks in the west, including Mount Elbert and Mount Massive. There is considerable scarring of the land due to the years of mining. The mines scattered throughout the Mosquito Range are reminders of the rich mining history surrounding this part of Colorado. It is simply amazing to think of the struggles the men and women had to overcome back in the day to inhabit and prosper in Leadville.

Next up…, The Lean Horse 100 in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This will be my first 100 miler. I know for sure it is not as hilly, in fact the total elevation change is less than half that of the Silver Rush, and it is not nearly the altitude experienced in Leadville. Now, all I have to do is find a way to manage 50 more miles. Piece of Cake! Right?

Also, thanks to Brandon Fuller, another Silver Rush finisher for allowing me to use a few of his photos.

You can view more photos of the bike and run here

Well, if that didn’t kick my ass.

Maybe it was the 4:00 a.m. departure for Kansas City or the lack of training. Either way I am sure I was disallusioned. I actually thought I would go and break 6 hours. Yeah, Right! Maybe after one lap. Unfortunately, when the course is a tough 50K and two fifteen mile loops are required, you have to be able to maintain a reasonable pace to accomplish that. The final race results showed me with a sparkling time of 2:52 and thirteenth place through the first fifteen miles and 4:17 second loop for a 7:09.28 finish. The race was very humbling for a couple of reasons. One, the reality that you HAVE to train for this distance. You cannot take weeks off and expect that it will be easy. Two, the heat (and this was not a hot day by midwestern summer standards) and humidity were debilitating. I said to myself that I wouuld hydrate and refuel from the very beginning. Do you think I did? Nope. In fact my only nutrition throughout the seven hours on the course was Succeed drink, water, a couple small glasses of coke, a few pringles, and some fruit snacks. That is it. Nothing else. Now let me tell you what I brought along with me. I had three packets of Hammer Gel and one packet of Sport Beans. I even had more in a drop bag at the start/finsh area. Did I touch one of them. Nuh uh! They just took up space in my shorts and pack. Nothing more. Maybe, just maybe that would explain my massive drop off in time from loop one to loop two. Who knows.

The course is different from the winter version of the 50K. First it is two 25K loops versus three 10 mile loops. Second, it is run in reverse and adds a three mile out and back section around miles 9 - 12 and 25 - 28. Oh, and Ben mentioned at the beginning that they had added a hill to the course and that it was a little muddy on the east side of the lake. They had received 3.5 inches of rain two nights before. He wasn’t lying. It was shoe sucking muddy for about three miles. Not as bad as the winter version this year, but stickier. I haven’t found any ticks on my body yet, but Ben also mentioned that we should use extreme caution when leaning on 4 legged creatures. That we should make sure it is a deer and not a tick, as ticks are BIG and plentiful this year. I didn’t see any ticks, but I did see a deer and some turkey. The turkeys flew away. The deer just looked at me like, “who is this fool, and what is he doing on my trail” At that time, I was wondering the same thing.

Loop One started off in a clockwise direction around the lake. The start is combined with the 15 milers, so it made for a good, slow crowded trail for a little while. Just what the doctor ordered. I wore my Garmin 205, which meant I obsessed over my pace. WHAT!!! Why I do this to myself, I will never know. I never looked at the mileage covered, just the pace I was going. I really got into a comfort zone after a couple of miles and ran with a group of 3 or 4 people. I do think I know the aforementioned hill. It was damn steep! I followed my group up the hill at a snails pace to be welcomed with a nice flat section of trail. After a period of running I began passing the people in my group. Yes, I would see most of them again as they passed me back. Ah the wisdom! I came through the half way mark by the dam and was feeling pretty darn good. I had passed people by and was cruising along quite nicely. After navigating the steep downhill to the backside of the dam and traversing the grassy section, we another back climb back up which eventually led to the out and back section at mile 9. Somewhere in this stretch, I was passed by a military man who had just moved to the area two days prior. He was running the 15 miler and was moving a bit faster than me. Never the less, I ran with him for a couple of miles before sending him on his way. Shortly after the loop, we entered the area affectionately known as the Wyandotte Triangle because if its interminable winding single track. It is actually a lot of fun. It was after the triangle that we encountered the mud strewn finish toward the start/finish aid station. I managed to navigate the mud without too much trouble, but it was still an energy and momentum sapping adventure. The start/finish in site, I braced for 15+ more miles of bliss. On the way back out Ben placed an ice cold bandana around my neck and sent me on my way. Man was the cool bandana nice.

Loop two can be summed up pretty quickly. Power Hike, run a little, power hike, run a little, walk fast, hike, walk, walk, walk…. puke, walk, puke. Yep, that’s it! My stomach and lack of any real substanance was beginning to revolt and I threw up a meager amount of succeed drink over the span of 100 yards.I actually felt much better after the incident but still could not tolerate any food. Even the fruit snacks weren’t appealing by this time. Highlights of loop two included a well placed support group with ice, which I placed in my cap. What a relief! I did this twice AND took a cold shower at the aid station at the end of the out and back. WOW! Aside from ice and shower, the only other highlight was finishing. I was content to walk in to the finish, as I didn’t feel worthy of finishing with a run after having walked so much of the second half, but as I approached the finish line to the applause and support of everyone there to run it in, I jogged the final 100 yards of the run and finished with extreme happiness.

It is too easy to lament what you might or might not have done differently, but the fact of the matter is that a bad day trail running is better than the best day at work… any day of the week.

The Trail Nerds really know how to put on a show. It doesn’t matter how good or bad I feel during a race, I always feel welcome and taken care of at Wyco. These guys are consummate trail professionals and it shows. Thanks Again!!!

End result - 7:09.28, 27th out of 50 runners.

One of my “resolutions” this year was to journal about my runs. HA…. Ha Ha!

I don’t know what I’ll use for an excuse, but we’ll just say I was busy. I am always amazed at people that can balance so many activities in their daily lives and make it look easy. Me, well, I am not one of THEM.

Back in February, I had the opportunity to volunteer coach the distance girls at Ralston High School. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to combine two passions of mine. Running and working with young kids. I was able to combine the two, but the coaching/training combination was not one of them. I quickly found out that running with the girls and coaching them were two different things. As a consequence, my training went downhill a little bit. Would I change a thing? Absolutely not! Coaching this year only served to fuel my fire to work with these kids and hopefully be a part of instilling the confidence in them that they can do whatever it is they set their mind to. With a season lasting into May, my own training dwindled quite a bit.

I still managed to get a few runs in, but the quality of the runs was not quite what I’ve had in the last few years.

On April 26, I drove back down to Lawrence, KS to run the Free State 40 mile trail run. I was a little apprehensive about this because I had not run a true trail run over 50K. I did feel confident about my ability to complete the run as I had run the Brew to Brew 43 mile solo run just two weeks prior. The run consisted of two 20 mile loops of meandering, and mildly hilly singly track that winds through the forested areas of Clinton Lake State Park, a couple miles outside of Lawrence. Far be it for me to remember details (not a strong suit), but I do remember running over zealously through the first 20 miles. Yeah! Like I didn’t have 20 more to go. The upside to this common (for me) mistake is that I feel like I can run a very solid 15-20 mile trail run, the downside is that I am still not strong enough to carry that momentum through the rest of the race. Anyway, I did have a very good time. The pain is always worth it and the effort, regardless of the end result causes me to step back and look on it with a sense or pride.

End result - 40 miles, 7 hours and 51 minutes. Sub 8

The next weekend (May 4th) was the annual Lincoln Marathon. I had no intentions of running this competitively, which has been my approach in Lincoln on every previous attempt. I’ve improved my time every time running it. This year was not the year for that. My sister in law Tobi had been running to stay in shape, and since she was not going to be able to make it to Boulder for the Bolder Boulder this year, she wanted to run the Lincoln Half. Of course my way of encouragement was to goad her into it, and tell her that I would run it with her if she signed up. She has never run further than a 10K, but I assured her that she was plenty capable of finishing the half, and that with me as her pacer, she would. Her instructions to me were to NOT keep telling her to run faster, that that kind of motivation is not what she was looking for. I followed the instructions pretty good! Pretty good! The race started off like it does for many racers, with Tobi going out like this was a 13 block run, not 13 miles. I was afraid I would not be able to keep up with her, but she eventually slowed to her manageable race pace for the remainder. We came through the 10K mark at 49:30 and I informed Tobi that she was on pace to hit 1:45 in her first ever half marathon. The look on her face was one of, “just leave me alone and let me run”, but she kept the pace, even with the only real hill of course coming up at the 9 mile mark. The last few miles were rough on her and I am sure it did not improve her mood any to have me running backwards while I used my brand of motivation. To my credit, I never once said, “run faster”, I simply, constantly reminded that she was going to hit 1:45 and that THAT was a big deal. Anyone that has struggled through the final stages of any race, knows the conflicting feelings that run through your head. One side of the brain is telling you to keep moving, you can do this, the other says just slow down, your tired, you’ve earned this. Tobi chose to listen to the first side and crossed the finish line in 1:45:38. Nice!

May brought the annual trip to Colorado for the Bolder Boulder 10K with Jordyn and Kolby. This is one of those races that has been a mainstay on the annual schedule and will be as long as I have a say about it. The last few years I’ve chosen to run with Kolby and Jordyn, or, Jordyn and I have chosen to run with Kolby. The run through Boulder is attended by nearaly 50,000 people and finishes in Folsom Field, home of the Colorado Buffaloes football. Booooo! We’ve endured all kinds of weather during this Memorial Day event. Heat, Wind, this year it was rainy and cool. The three of us ran together for the first part of the race, however, at about the 5K mark, Jordy and I turned around to see where Kolby was. Yes, we were a little nervous, but we were finally graced with her not so smiling face as it emerged from the crowd. She was not doing so well! The next 3 miles were a mix of running and waiting for Kolbs to come back. Run, wait, run, wait. In the past, I’ve used Sharkies as my dangling carrot for Kolbs. Guess what I forgot. Yep. The Sharkies. No carrot, no incentive to run any faster. We ran down Folsom street as banners overhead proclaimed 9K, 9.1K 9.3K, etc. until we reached the hill leading to Folsom Field. Suddenly Kolbs saw the light at the end of the tunnel to lead the Giddings trio into the stadium, just beating the one hour mark.

Unfortunately that is the best summary my ADD mind can put together. Hopefully I will do a better job of re-canting my experiences over the rest of the year. It’s hard to believe it we are already half way through 2008. Time slows for no man.

Well well well…. Brew to Brew 43.5 mile solo trail run. Run from the Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City, MO to the Freestate Brewery (almost) in Lawrence. Back in the day cowboys would ride 43 miles horseback just for a sip at the watering hole. Here I am two hundred years later running to a brewery from a brewery. What in the world! And I paid for this!! Forrest Gump would say stupid is as stupid does, and I am the IS and the DOES!

I really did enjoy myself that much is true. I think the run was cut a little short as we had to start across the river due to bridge construction. This might have made the overall distance 42.5 miles, I don’t know… and I don’t care. It’s still a long damn way. Considering my longest run since the Psycho Wyco 50K back in early February has been 15 miles, and the fact that I have never completed a 43 mile race before (I have done the distance several times with no time limit) I set a conservative goal of reaching the finish line under 8 hours.

The run started at 6:15 on the Kansas side of the river, about a mile from the true start at the brewery. We ran along a levee, which was nice and flat, and dirt. I loved the dirt. I suppose we ran for 4 miles before crossing a bridge to the other side of the river for a few more miles. There were a couple of nice diversions down and up the levee along the way, which kept the trail from being completely flat and boring, and plenty of other soloists making headway to keep me company on the way to Lawrence. I felt a little sluggish to start the morning, but eventually found myself in a nice groove around the second aid station, or leg 2 for the relay runners. I drank a couple glasses of Gatorade at aid station 2 and headed toward the KAW (?) highway before being stopped by a train for a couple minutes. We were warned about the trains and were told that we could handicap the time spent waiting for it if we wanted, so I kept track of the time. Two and a half minutes. Who am I kidding? Two and a half minutes hardly meant anything five and a half hours later, so I didn’t turn it in. The highway was the single longest stretch during the run and seemed to go on forever. We passed through at least one aid station before hitting the 22 mile mark. I was actually feeling quite well leaving the station after three hours and twenty five minutes of running. Pretty darn good…. If you are running a marathon. Well, things changed after mile 22. Suddenly the county roads we were to run became hilly. The kind of hills you think you’ve conquered before the next one rears its ugly head. It was about this time, I turned in to run/walk mode, something I would continue to the finish. I walked all the long hills, ran the downhill and the flats for several more miles. I actually came through the 50K mark (or close to it) in under five hours, so I was proud. My best 50K is 4:50 or something like that…. again, a good thing… if I was running a 50K. AHA, but I WAS NOT running a 50K. The running periods gradually became shorter and the walking periods became longer. We did reach a point in the course where a boat crossing was required to continue on. I thought this would be a nice break. Get off the feet, float across the river, get out refreshed and ready to run some more. NOT! As anyone who has been on a boat knows, it bobs in the water, which of course made getting in with my weary legs difficult. Finally in the boat, ready to relax, we started across the river. What happens, but a jet ski pulls up beside us to help facilitate a quicker crossing. My relaxing boat ride lasted all of 30 seconds before having to stand up in the bobbing boat to get back on dry land only to step straight up a steep embankment. Yes, this is where I officially went into survival mode. We eventually went through the little town of Linwood. I had heard there was a bar you could step right into if you felt like it. Boy did that sound good. Being the good little boy that I am, I took my Gatorade and continued running, er, I mean walking with a little running. Did I say there were more hills? The hills would not have been bad if I were out for a Sunday 10 miler or if I had properly trained for 43 miles, but I didn’t and I wasn’t. I think the land eventually leveled out and were at aid station 9 later rather than sooner. Aid station 9 is noted for a couple of things. It is the homestretch to the finish line, only 4.7 miles to go, and it is manned by the Trail Nerds, a group I am rapidly beginning to appreciate, not only for their hospitality but the great events the put on and contribute to in the Midwest. The levee from aid station 9 to the finish is made of crushed limestone and the distance is denoted in half mile increments by stone markers. I thought, I can manage a run/walk combination and still hit 10:30 - 11 minute miles to the finish. Wrong! It was a strange but exhilarating sensation to not be able to move any quicker. I tried, believe me. I managed to run for two minutes, walk for one to the finish. I suppose I ran the last quarter mile, but it was made a lot easier seeing the crowd gathered at the finish line.

I finished in 7 hours 28 minutes. 32 minutes under my goal time. I am proud of the finish and ready to tackle Free State in a few weeks. The question that I need to ask myself is, do I want to do the 40 miler or the 100K. Hmmm!

Now I’ve gone and done it! After much pondering, contemplating, consideration, and PROCRASTINATING, I have officially signed up for my first 100 mile trail run. As stated in the first post of the year, the ultimate goal was to run in a 100 miler and everything I do this year will be with that goal in mind. We’ve all heard the SMART approach to goal setting:

Specific - Run a 100 mile race

Measurable - In 24 hours

Attainable - No doubt about it

Relevant - It’s relevant, because it is important to me

Time - This year

One word missing from the mnemonic is commitment. I had mentally committed to ‘the idea’ of running 100 miles this year, but that was it. That is sort of like telling yourself you will do it IF it all works out. I decided that for my year of running to have true purpose, I needed to commit fully to the run, pay for it, and put it on the schedule. No what ifs, no maybes, just the absolute fact that I have signed the dotted line and said to myself and everyone I know that I AM going to do this. I quit worrying about possibly failing and decided that the only failure would be to put it off or worse yet, not do it at all.

I remember signing up for my first marathon in Chicago. The feeling of apprehensiveness and sheer excitement that came with it. I remember making the run a consideration in every decision I made, from training to eating. The eating part was hard because I am easily the most picky adult on the face of the earth, so eating well is always a challenge. Eating, just meant not having more junk and cutting out fried foods and sugars, and including more whole grain foods, otherwise it did not change that much. In the end, signing up for Chicago early in 2004, having a goal and planning to accomplish that goal, led to me qualifying for Boston in my first marathon. At that point in my life, it was THE single biggest personal achievement I had ever accomplished and I was damn proud of it. I see this run for 100 miles in much the same light. I have signed up and now I plan to make the goal a reality. I will run to prepare like I did in 2004 and I will plan to succeed like 2004. Plain and Simple!

Let the games begin, with all their highs and lows. Bring on August and bring on Leanhorse.

I don’t know how you write a race report, but I am going to give it a shot after my “races” this year.

Yesterday, I ran the Psycho Wyco Run Toto Run 50K in Wyandotte County Park, KS. This was the second time I had run the race and I came in with a mixture of excitement and nerves. Excitement, because it was a whole lot of fun last year, despite extremely icy trails AND the fact that it would be oh, 20 degrees warmer at the start, which meant, no screws and a nice “squishy” running surface. Nerves, because I wanted to better my time of 6:38:?? from last year’s race. Ultimately, it’s about having fun though, and fun I had.

As fun as running is for me, I get just as big a kick out of having my kids come out and partake in the festivities as well. One thing I liked about last year is there was something for everybody as far as distance was concerned. Ben did us one better this year by adding a 5K. My daughter Kolby is a noted event junkie and joined me at the park to run the Psychopathic 5K. Her comment on the course…” It WAS hard”. I LOVE I, I LOVE IT.

The Psycho Wyco winter 50K course is three 10.35 mile loops of rocky, rooty, and hilly bridle trails & single-track trails. It is NOT flat by any stretch of the imagination, with 5000 feet of elevation change per loop.

Around 8 o’clock, race director Bad Ben Holmes gave us our parting instructions. Ben informed us that Dam Hill around the 4.2 mile mark of the loop was particularly treacherous. Dam Hill is an extremely steep downhill covered by rocks, which were covered by leaves, which were covered by a nice coating of the snowfall from earlier in the week. Be careful! OK Ben, I’ll be careful.

Countdown 10, 9, 8, 7…1 and we’re off. I told myself from the beginning, go slow. Well, I didn’t exactly follow my own advice for the first 5 miles. I ran with a couple of friends, Joe and Jim, each of who has slightly more wheels than I, but I felt good so what the heck. The trail was soft and snow covered in many places and the footing was good, but nothing like last year, where even the slightest misstep caused a slide of the foot on the ice. I thought this is going to be a good day. Somewhere in the first couple of miles, we got a brief taste of mud. Nothing too serious, but a precursor to what the next 6 hours would bring our way. There was also a couple of small water crossing which were easy to hop through. I ran with Joe and Jim through the aptly named Wyandotte Triangle, a mile long section of single track. The triangle was particularly friendly and I thought again that I can’t wait to do it two more times. Joe decided to play games of, best athlete of all time, most hated athlete of all time, hottest female athlete (Maria Sharapova, by far). Eventually the distance between the three of us became greater and greater, making the game of Q and A, a futile attempt. Another mile of ups and downs and we hit Dam Hill. Yeah it was steep, and it was slippery, but it was negotiable. After grabbing a few small trees to keep from tumbling ass over tea kettle, we were at the bottom of the dam headed to the west side of the lake. This is one of the few flat stretches on the course and is very enjoyable. What goes down must come up and up we went to a half mile stretch of pavement, the only non-trail section of the course. After slowing myself down, the rest of the first loop went well and I found myself very much looking forward to the next two laps. I came through the first loop in about 1:45, problem was, I had to go to the bathroom, and how. I checked in, grabbed a cup Succeed and headed to the one stall bathroom, only to be thwarted by a guy and his son occupying the stall. Ten minutes later, it was my turn and I was in and out and back on the trail ready for round two. Yee Haw!

Laps two and three can be condensed into much less space. Lap two…Mud. Lap three… More mud. The mud preview on the first lap was suddenly the feature film. Mud was everywhere. It was left, right, and straight down the middle. This was going to be a challenge, but hey, isn’t that was this is all about? After all, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it…RIGHT. I wandered on with the happy knowledge that I would reach the Wyondotte Triangle for the second time. The same triangle I was looking forward to running a couple more times. Uh, Yeah! It was not the same triangle we went through the first time around. It was now one mud strewn hairpin turn after another. Every sharp turn left or right prompted an instinctive reach for the nearest tree to keep from becoming a human mud ball. It is amazing what a difference 400 pair of feet can do to the gentle surface. After one more bathroom pit stop at the Shelter 10 aid station, I came through loop two at around 4:05. For the last two hours my shoes had performed the function of size 9 ½ mud skis, so I decided to change into a dry pair before taking off on the last loop.

Loop three was much more of the same thing only with deeper and wetter mud. Every time I began to curse the course, I remembered one sign proclaiming that all whiners will be buried in unmarked shallow graves. One mud puddle, I thought I could just dive head first and do the job myself. I’ve experienced mud, but never anything like this. I swear it was shin deep. Finishing time – 6:36:35. Good news! I beat last year’s time by over two minutes.

After having run two Psycho Wyco’s, I have to say that I may prefer the ice to the mud, but any day in these extremes is better than a day on the couch. I would do this again in a heartbeat.

Check out photos of the day here

It is a happy new year for me. I hope it is for everyone else. After all, the fact that I am here another year, I am healthy and I am running are all good reasons to be “happy”. I’ve never been one to make resolutions. How many times have I made a wish, uh, I mean resolution and it’s lasted one week and been forgotten? Too many to count. The things I care about are year round resolutions for me. I care about being the best father I know how to be. I care about being a good person and doing good things for others, monetary concerns aside. I am still in search of my own way of being an every day philanthropist. And I care about running! My goal for this year is to be all of the above and combine them to do good things.

I’ve set an ambitious schedule for the year with the hopes that I can someday see a 50K as ‘easy’. Yeah, that’s what I said. The whole schedule is intended to take me to my ultimate goal for the year… Run my first 100 mile race. I hate using the term race because I just want to see what I can do. I am running against no one but myself, but I do want to see exactly what I am capable of.

The schedule is as follows:

February 9 - Psycho Wyco Run Toto Run 50K trail run. One amazingly fun and difficult race. No, Kansas is not flat.

I’m torn between the next three. Decisions have to made soon. We’ll see.
April 6 - Brew to Brew 43 Miler from the Boulevard Brewery in KC to the Free State Brewery in Lawrence.

April 26 - Free State Trail 40 mile/100K. Hmmm stepping into the unknown with a 100K. Maybe, maybe not.

June 7 - Kettle Moraine 100K. Am I nuts? Yes, maybe I am.

July 20 - Leadville Silver Rush 50 mile trail run. Ran the Leadville marathon last year. I have to be nuts to want 50 miles now. Tahoe Rim is an alternative to this as I will be in the middle of a western USA road trip.

The rest of the year is up for grabs. Two 100 milers are options, including the Leanhorse 100 (August) and the Mother Road 100 (November).

Did I mention that I would like to run the Cowboy Trail in northern Nebraska? Well, I would. Approximately 200 miles in an ambitious 4 days.

Here’s to 2008 and my own personal evolution. Oh Yeah, before I forget… my resolution this year. Run and maintain my running log, again. Piece of cake.