Well I did it, just like the back of the Javalina Jundred belt buckle has inscripted, “You did It”. I have to say that it was one of the more difficult things I have done in a while. It took me 28 hours, 48 minutes and 2 seconds to finish.
This 100 mile endurance race set on a beautiful Arizona natural desert scape is suppose to be one of the easier 100 mile runs in the country, if there is such a thing. With its 50% completion average I have to wonder. Last year I missed the 10:00 am cut off by 14 minutes, thus ending my race at just over 92 miles. This year they moved the cutoff up by 30 minutes to 9:30 am which meant I was going to have to increase my time at least by 45 minutes over last year.
I learned some valuable lessons last year and put them into action this weekend. I spent less time at the aid stations goofing off and less time at Javalina Jeadquarters goofing off as well. I was also in better shape this year and arrived focused and 12 pounds lighter. I came out to this year’s race to kick some butt and take some names. I also hoped to win the best costume award that I think I might have won last year had I finished. (one of the requirements for the contest)
This year I came out dressed as a US Soldier with a mission to accomplish. I wore a specially made costume that allowed me to run comfortably, was light and used for protection against the heat and the dirt. The custom designed gators made by my wife were extremely effective at keeping the rocks out of my shoes; in fact I did not have to stop once to clean out my shoes because of rocks getting in them. I will continue to wear them to train and race in.
I also help raise through pledges $4000 for needy families in the area where I work for the holidays the money was given to Rose Linda Elementary to be distributed to families for holiday meals this year. The banner in the photo was signed by the children and displayed at the race site. Every mile was worth $40.00 for food.
I was not too hopeful on winning the costume contest once I started running because there were so many neat costumes this year. There were 3 times more costumes than last year. at least by my guess. Another rule is that you have to run with the costume the entire race, so one has to be prepared to make adjustments to the costume as the temperatures change as well. It goes from cool, to hot, to cool, to cold, to warm, to hot, to done. When I was done, much to my surprise, I was presented the best costume award by the Race Director Jamil and his staff. I am very thankful.
I will do a full write up on the story within the next week or so and post it on this blog. It is time to move on to other adventures and other experiences. I do have to thank my lovely wife for putting up with me and my crazy ideas and for being so supportive she is awesome! I have offered to allow her to display the “Best Costume Award” in her living room but she says I can put it outside in my man cave. Isn’t that nice of her?
(for man cave info see previous post)
Well I only have a few minutes before I head out to Sky Harbor Airport to pick up my Badwater crew buddy Ian. He is flying in from Chicago to volunteer at the Javalina Jundred. I will be making my second attempt at a 100 mile race and at Javalina.
I am 12 pounds lighter and I will be a soldier this year instead of Pancho Villa so I am hoping this will help improve my times. I have a lot of support from my work people and my lovely wife. Although she thinks that I am going to die.
I have a friend, Gilbert who came out last year who is going to pace me for a loop, Ian will do on regular loop and then the last one. I also have two friends from Pennsylvania, Steve and Mike Hanes coming out. Steve completed Badwater last year and Mike was registered for the race but hurt his IT band so he will be helping out. Then I have a friend Scott Jacaway from Chicago who is also a Badwater finisher who is coming out to run as well.
I will be blogging on about the race probably the weekend after the race so stay tuned I have some unfinished business out there and I am going out for revenge. Wish me luck.
I doubt that I will still be in this converted saw mill where house on Kings Mountain just south of San Francisco when I complete this blog and have it ready to post but I thought it would be a good place to start it. I am on the final stretch of a two and a half week vacation tour with periodic stops into work. As my previous blog stated this travel tour began in late September with a car show/family reunion in Pinetop-Lakeside, northern Arizona, then on to a beautiful cabin retreat in Alpine Arizona.
A few days of work later I was on my way hiking down into the western end of the Grand Canyon, to a place called Havasupai Falls. The falls were spectacular and the weather was fantastic.
After 3 days in the Canyon I returned to work for one day and then flew out to San Francisco and traveled up to a small mountain community about a half an hour south of San Francisco called Woodside. Now I am writing from this 4th floor apartment atop an old saw mill where house where my daughter now lives with her boy friend. You can only see three floors from this side. No one else lives in this huge building there are just stock piles of lumber, and wood crafting equipment. The actual saw mill is up on the hill above this building.
It is spectacular here thick deep woods, about 30 degrees cooler than Phoenix and fantastic trails to run on. The community has decided to keep the area as rural as possible, not allowing any traffic lights, sidewalks or street lights to be installed. This is a horse community so there are horse trails everywhere and are shared with runners but not cyclist. Last night Toni, my wife, and I went to meet Shannon’s boyfriends parents for the first time. We went to their 2 ½ acre horse property and enjoyed some time at their home. We then went to Sam’s Clam Chowder House down in Half Moon Bay right on the ocean front. What a fantastic sea food dinner and great atmosphere, it was rather cold outside with an oncoming storm predicted to drop 4-6 inches of rain on Tuesday; this amount would wash away the Phoenix area.
Yesterday we also went to a couple’s home that live here on the property in what is called a yert. I had to sneak this exclusive photo for this blog. This yert is a round tent like structure that is made of canvas and is solar powered system that is out in the woods. It is a one room tent like structure with a kitchen area heated by a wood burning stove, the couple that live in it are of course naturalists one is a nurse and the other is a communications expert, educated with degrees, apparently they choose to live this way.
As usual no matter where I go I have to take care of a few projects like, getting the firewood stack and moving it to water proof area and then replace the radiator in my daughters car. I only hope we have the tools needed to complete the project. I will post more on my travels later I am going to get in a few miles before I start with the projects hopefully the rain will hold out long enough to allow me to get this all done.
As I had guessed I am no longer in the Saw mill where house I am now in the San Francisco airport with a 3 hour wait before my flight leaves due to delays. So now I figured I would have time to finish this blog and get it posted. I did get the radiator put in the car but what I thought would be a 2 hour project turned out to be a 5 hour project using a pair of channel locks, needle nose pliers, one fat screw driver and a socket set. To some that may sound like a lot of tools to others it may sound like a pain in the butt, it was the latter. Nevertheless the job was completed and the wood stacked just in time before the rain came in. Now I sit here burning time and coming up with crazy ideas like taking my own photo sitting at the airport waiting to leave. New announcement my flight is now delayed another half an hour, joy, joy nothing like a vacation to get some rest and relaxation. Oh well it could be worse I could be outside in the rain. I now hope I get out of here before the rain cancels the flight all together.
signing off from the San Francisco Airport, 9:35 pm
Well as I had guessed October is turning out to be a super busy month, about equal to July of this year. It actually started out in September with a trip to beautiful Northern Arizona for our fourth annual Family Pinetop Car show get together. This year as I had always wanted to do I took my Jeep which handled great. There was a concern that we might not be able to get everything into it. I took 3 extra days off and so after the car show we had planned on going camping. Those plans changed when my boss, Marie offered up her cabin for us to stay in.
The family gathering has traditionally taken place at a place called “The Place”. It is an older cabin resort with cheap rustic western antique type furnishings and no two cabins come even close to looking alike. They are right in the middle of town and are managed by a real nice family that allows us to play loud Mexican music and have a great time.( within reason of course). Drinking tequila and beer and dancing into the night ok maybe not all night up until about 10 or 11 pm anyways.
During the day we go to the car show where we usually have at least two cars entered and we all sit around and talk and enjoy a day at the show. I almost always run into someone from my home town there and there are lots of neat booths to buy stuff.
This year after the show we went and stayed at my bosses’ cabin which is very nice and out in the woods near beautiful Alpine Arizona. We enjoyed a quiet two days there relaxing, off roading , cycling and hiking. It was a real treat and at night I was amazed at the amount of wildlife sounds we heard very close to the cabin. Bull elk where whistling and snorting all around us and wolves howling nearby as well. It was a great treat. We rode the Polaris Ranger into town and picked up a few supplies and then went to the bakery and bought fresh bread rolls and donuts. We had a great time relaxing, no television and no phones. I did have internet access but had difficulty send out any attached photos. That was about the biggest problem we had all weekend.
Week two of October takes me to the Grand Canyon with a group of under privileged kids from South Phoenix. My company is sponsoring a trip for 30 kids from Rosa Linda elementary school to travel to Havasupai Falls on the western edge of the Grand Canyon. We will hike 11 miles down to the campsite and stay there for one day, then hike back up the last morning. We have been taking the children training on South Mountain the last 4 Saturdays, I am hoping that will be enough, If it were up to me we would have started training sooner.
I also plan to go to San Francisco this month to visit my daughter Shannon. Then of course I have the Javalina Jundred at the end of the month as well. This will be really fun because I have a lot of support from my work and I have good friends coming in from Chicago to participate in the race. A fellow Badwater crew member for 3 years now, Ian Stevens will be here to volunteer for the race and to help pace me. Then there will be Scott Jacaway from the Chicago area who will be running in the race, he has been at Badwater crewing or racing the last 4 years. Two years crewing two years running, last year he buckled which means he did the 135 miles in less than 48 hours.
As I write I should have been up on South Mountain doing my last long training run but I did not have time to prepare for it this week as I had to much to do after work all week because of being gone on vacation. So I will have to do the long run tomorrow which then only gives me one day of rest before the Canyon hike. Oh well I should be able to handle it, it will just be part of the training.
Well the training continues for the Javalina Jundred and Saturday night was another chapter in this years training story. There was a great turnout and the Race Director went above and beyond in organizing a training run. Although there were no aid stations there was plenty of great snacks and treats available at Javalina Jeadquarters where the timing station is located. My good friend Gilbert came out in attempt to do two loops which would more than double the farthest he has ever run. This would be interesting to see.
Gilbert and I met at 5:00pm or actually a little after because I went to go scout out the camping places for the RV we are planning on setting up for the race next month. We promptly began getting out gear together and talking about how much fun this was going to be. It was really neat for me to have a friend who I really enjoy being with do a run with me. Gilbert was absolutely convinced that he could do the two loops, although he did know he was going to struggle and it would not be easy. He was so sure he could do it that I even believed he could do it.
We continued to gear up and make adjustments both of us would be carrying Camelback hydration systems. I would carry my old faithful M.U.L.E and Gilbert had the backpack system which he upgraded with a 100 oz bladder replacing his stock 70 oz. We loaded up with gel packs and lighting systems for the quickly approaching darkness.
We soon found ourselves at the starting area eying the competition trying to figure out who were the runners that would give us the most competition. We figured based on build and there supply system that we would have no problem, there were few that could compete with us for the DFL position. Being that this is a public blog I cannot be specific about this acronym but the first letter stand for “Dead” and the third letter stands for “Last” so you might be able to figure out what the middle letter stands for.
So the horn blares at exactly 6:00 pm and we begin a brisk walk then a light jog. Within a mile the group of eighty runners strings itself out and we claim our spots near the back of the pack. Gilbert maintains a good pace and we chat and laugh and continue our forward progress. The weather temperature is good but it is rather humid from the rains that pounded the valley earlier in the day. By now the desert has soaked up all the water and all that remains of the rains is a slight change in color in the otherwise completely dry soils.
We continue our clockwise route and begin our journey up the south end of the course in the area I call the “Devils Alley” because of the large countless rocks that are scattered throughout the trail. I was happily surprised that there seems to be a change, and the rocks are not as prominent and seemed to have been clean out some over the year. At about 3 ½ miles Gilbert asks about how far we have gone. He appears to be holding up well still and I look at my Garmin and see that it shows almost 3 ½ miles. We are running the downs and walking the ups. At times Gilbert will take the lead position and run on the down hills setting a pace that works for him, which I have to admit is a pretty good one. Then as darkness is beginning to absorb its final ray of daylight the moon crests over the eastern horizon. What a beautiful sight, sneaking itself between the bordering mountain range and a thick band on lingering clouds still remaining from the hurricane that had blown in earlier. Although we did not get hurricane wind and rain we did absorb some of the final energy left in the storm system.
On we went and then about mile 8 Gilbert mentioned that he was beginning to get twinges in his calves that could be signaling that cramps were soon to follow. He also mentions that he may be rubbing a blister in his heel area. We soon reached the northwest section of the course where the trail opens up and begins a 5 mile gradual decent back down towards Javalina Jeadqarters. As we begin running at a slow comfortable pace Gilbert begins experiencing cramping more frequently and more intensely, but he is determined to try to run and after walking a while he will start up a run for a ways then is forced to stop with cramps again. I tell him that we should just walk I am fine with walking this just a training run and I need to train to walk as much as I need to train to run. Nevertheless he gives running a couple more tries but is quickly reduced to walking with the cramps. Finally he resigns to the fact that his body is telling him that if he wants to get back he is going to have to walk. He suggests I go ahead and run and he will be in behind me but I do not need to run because this training is all about time and distance not speed and running. I just have to expose myself to being out on the trail and moving forward. To me it does not matter whether I am running or walking because I need to train for both.
Eventually we reach Javalina Headquarters and we are greeted by Jamal, the Race Director and other spectators and volunteers. We completed the first loop in about 4 hours and there is an abundance of food and drinks at the timing counter. There is also a screen behind the timing recorder playing movies about other ultra marathons. We both enjoyed the snacks and treats then went to our vehicles. I had been extremely happy with my new Gaiter system my wife and I made,which kept all of the rocks and dirt out of my shoes. Gilbert went to the medical tent to get his blister looked at and I decide to try out my new Adidas Supernova Riots. Only the second pair of Addidas I have ever owned. I usually run with Asics or Muzzuno’s. I also changed out my Injini socks which worked great and decided to try the Drymax trail socks that my friend Kelvin gave me at Badwater. I reloaded my camel back and stashed another round of gels in my fanny pack. By this time Gilbert came limping back and said he was done. His legs had had enough and he did not want to push it any more than he had. I thought it was a wise decision although I would miss his company on the next loop.
Because I had done so much walking on the first loop my running legs were fresh and ready to get moving. The second loop now would be in a counter clockwise direction. I decided to remain conservative and only run the flats and downhill still and walk any ups. I also was aware that my new shoes would take some miles to start to break in. The Riots were obviously a lot stiffer because they were new and just a little heavier than the Asics I had done the first loop with. I continued on soon found out that we had not been DFL I crossed paths with at least 5 other runners on the way back out. After about 45 minutes I caught up to the girl with neon rabbit ears and her male running friend. They asked about Gilbert and I told them that he was done for the night.
With this reverse direction the great gradual down hill of the clockwise direction now becomes a long long gradual up hill. I resorted back to walking and it took me and hour and forty minutes to reach the top. I thought I would never get there. On the way I had been listening to my I pod a thinking about a lot of things when I suddenly did not recognize the trail and convinced myself that I had taken a wrong turn somewhere. So I ran back about an 1/8 of a mile to where I recognized the trail and started back. This is when I realized that I was on the right path all along.
After arriving at the top of the northern trail section I started heading south and was able incorporated running back into the plan. I felt great and really felt good when I ran at this point I had over 20 miles in and still felt fresh. My shoes were giving a bit of a problem with my right toe which is always an issue no matter what I do. The arch on the left also felt like it was a little high and was slightly pinching the nerve at the bottom of my foot. I continued on at a good clip and finished the second loop in about 3:40. I checked in at the timing table greeted the people that were there watching “The Steve Prefontaine “ movie as if they were at a drive in theater. I loaded up on snack and saw that Gilbert was still there. I went over and talked to him, he said wow you really made some time on that loop. I still felt really good and could have done another loop but I did not want to push it so I called it a night. We both packed up our equipment and said out fair wells, my third Javalina training run was in the books.
The next morning I felt great although I only got 3 hours sleep, I went for a 12 mile bike ride with Toni and Zorro. Zorro one of our yorkies rides in the basket and loves it. Then I came home and did yard work for several hours. I am feeling good about my trainings and am confident that I will finish Javalina in time this year. I have some unfinished business out on that that darn trail.
So as usual I am trying to come up with reasons to avoid doing my next training routine which is riding my bike home from work. It is a 16 mile trek on a mountain bike primarily through a canal dirt trail. The temperature is about 105 moderate humidity and clear and very sunny. I am planning on riding my bike home for the first time since I started training again and am not quite sure if I really want to go back out in the heat because of my recent heat exposure experience, which went as follows.
Going back to this past weekend I decide to do more heat training and get about a 20mile light run in. My wife has to work all day, so I have all day to run. By the time I get going it is noon, no big deal it is only suppose to be about 103-105 degrees today so I should be good. I mean I was in Death Valley 3 weeks ago at over 120 degrees and I was at Lake Meade Nevada where and did Run with the Devil Marathon where it got up to 116 in some portions of the coarse. So I take off and run fairly conservatively for about 6 miles. I am one mile from where I planned to turn around when I really start feeling the heat. The difference for me between tolerating the heat and getting slowed down and effected by it is that my head starts to feel really hot and I cannot cool it down. If I do not get it cooled down somehow then it escalates to stomach problems and nausea. Then I start to feel light headed, weak and shaky with more severe stomach problems. Anyways on the way back I get to different stages of each of the previously mentioned symptoms. I manage to continually recover by finding some shade, stopping and cooling down.
I have experienced these issues before but not very often, knowing that heat stress and exhaustion can very quickly escalate into heat stroke I decide to take my time getting back to my vehicle, the new problem is that with under two miles to go I run out of water. For a veteran desert runner, I am encountering some real novice issues. I have come to the conclusion that what has helped contribute to my situation is the higher than normal humidity and the presence of absolutely no breeze which drastically reduced and even eliminated the possibility of transferring away heat by convection and minimized heat loss by evaporation. With about 1 mile to go I stop and rest under a bush, you have to remember I am in the desert so the few shade spots there are, are usually rock ledges or bushes. I wait until my heart rate is down in the 130’s before I take my final push to the Jeep which has a cooler with cold Cytomax, water, bananas and yogurts. There is no shade for the next 1.2 miles but I am confident I should have no problem. Although I have had no water for a while I don’t feel excessively thirsty yet. I decide to walk the rest of the way to the parking lot which keeps me from overheating as much and is less stress on my system which is now operating at a deficit. Eventually I make it to the Jeep open the cooler and chug down some ice cold Cytomax and a yogurt. Unfortunately that ended my training for the day, comiing up short 6 miles. There was no sense pushing my body anymore than I had to that day. I have found once the system has been stressed out of whack like that then it just needs time to recover. Trying to train any more would just break it down rather than build it up.
So anyways back to the story I originally started with, so I can’t find a good enough excuse to keep from riding my bike home other than it is hot. So I take off from the office and head out to the canal, which goes to within a half mile from my house. It also keeps me off the main roads except for about 3 ½ miles 1 ½ at the start and 2 in the middle. So I am going on the canal I have about 4 miles in when I look in the water up ahead and see something floating/swimming in the canal. As I get closer I see that it is a little dog somewhere around 8-10 pounds, like a big Chihuahua, white in color. The canal has shot crete type sides that are too steep for an animal or even a human to climb out of and the little dog is just swimming around trying to figure out how to get out. So I promptly stop being the animal lover that I am especially a dog lover. I quickly get off my bike take off my camelback and start to figure out how to get the dog out. The canal has emergency exit steps on each side about every 50 yards so I take off my shoes, helmet, gloves and anything else I don’t want to lose of or get wet and I go down the very narrow step and start calling for the little struggling dog. I can see he/she is getting tired and is trying to climb out the steep sides. So I call again and it starts to swim downstream toward me, the current is probably about 5 miles an hour and the canal is probably about 6 feet deep.
Every year you hear of people drowning in these canals for some reason or another. I always think. “what are the idiots doing in the canal”, now here I am standing precariously on the edge of one. Luckily a couple happens to be walking by and see what is going on. So I feel now that at least if something goes terribly wrong because I have to jump in to the canal, at least someone will be able to tell the authorities where to find my body. The little dog swims towards me and I am trying to time it so that it does not get by me, because I know if it does I am going in after it. There is no way this dog is drowning today. As it comes up to me I can sense the trust and hope in its eyes as it stares into mine. When it gets to me I manage to grab it by its collar and pull it up to quickly up to the safety of the bank. By now the couple has stopped and the woman quickly grabs the little dog and hugs it and holds it. I get back on the bank as the couple and I briefly celebrate the rescue and notice the collar has no tags or address. Then they begin to walk and the dog follows behind them, I put on my gear and head back on my way home. As I pass them with the little dog at their side I say “It looks like you have a new friend” and the woman says, “that is ok, it is better than the alternative”. Last I saw all three were walking together down the canal.
I continued my ride home thoroughly enjoying it until the derailleur broke 4 miles from home, I thought about calling Toni to pick me up but figured this was an opportunity to either run with the bike or figure out a different way to do 4 miles. I ended up scootering the bike home. I would get off the seat and push off the ground with my foot until I got going about 9 miles an hour and then would get on the seat and coast. It was a good calf and upper body workout and I still made it home under 2 hours. Just another day training- each day is an adventure and an opportunity.
Time to try it Again
Going for the 100 Mile Buckle
Last year, right after only completing 92.4 miles,( 28 hours and 14 minutes) of the 100 mile Javalina Jundred Costume Race, I swore that I would never ever try such a stupid thing again. I sat on my back patio with my wife as she helped me lance several large blisters on my toes and feet. I e-mailed my boss Marie and told her I would never try this insane race again. I probably said something like “this race is for crazy people”, I don’t think I said “shoot me if I ever sign up for it again” but I should have .
Anyways I am signed up and training like a mad man. This year is different from last year where I did very little training prior to the race, this year I will have no excuse for not finishing other than I am a wimp.
By now most of you know that I have competed in many different endurance events and so it is not uncommon for me to be signed up for crazy events like this. The Ironman was not even closs to being as hard as this race was. I did train 10 times more for the Ironman than I did for Javalina that could have something to do with it.
I do have to say the 100 mile distance really pushes my limits when it comes to endurance events. I have several friends who run a number of these races a year and they don’t seem to have any problems with completing them. The challenge for them is not completing them it is completing them in an acceptable time. Usually 24 hours or under is considered a good time and is often rewarded with a special 24 hour belt buckle rather than just a regular one or a medal, (I will be happy with a medal) I am here to say that I always had respect for these athletes before I tried my first *consecutive 100 miler but now that I have given it a shot it is a whole NEW level of respect. I don’t think I have to say that there is no easy way to push your body 100 miles in one day or even 30 hours. It is a challenge to every aspect of ones being. Yes, some may not find it as hard as others and some races are actually harder than others nevertheless it is still a mega challenge of mind, body, spirit and soul.
This year’s race is taking place on Halloween day which is appropriate because it is advertised as a Halloween Costume race. So this makes the race all the more interesting and difficult.
My nemesis last year was the blisters created by the fine sand and dirt that infiltrated my shoes and created a hell on earth in them. I know it sounds a little dramatic but without exaggerating it felt as if my shoes were filled were razor blades and every single step caused the blades to inflict more damage to my toes and feet. (Why am i doing this again?) Oh yeah because.........
This year my wife, Toni has designed me the latest and greatest military style gaiters ever seen in the Western Hemisphere and they are going to protect my fragile baby soft feet long enough to allow me to cross the finish line before 30 hours is up. (More on this remarkable product later). The prototypes will be put the test next weekend at the South Mountain proving grounds. Until later my friends and family.
Toughing up and outlasting opponents is the all of Ultra-marathons. Ultra-marathons are not about speed, Ultra-marathons are about Endurance, Depraved focus. "You run the first 50 miles with your legs " goes the ultra adage. " You run the last 50 miles with your mind. "
Mike Sweeny Ultra-marathoner
*A consecutive 100 miler is usually a run with no sleeping or long periods of rest although it is allowed as long you make the cutoff time.
Stage races have distances of over 100 miles but the mileage is done in specific distances per day with usually a nights sleep in between the next section or stage of the race. At the end of the race all the times are totaled up for each racer which determines there finish position.
Life is Boring?
Well I am sitting here in front of my computer finally getting a little time to write. It has been one hell of a month since I last posted on this blog. Since then I have help complete an F-16 fighter runway, finished laying out pavers and remodeling my front patio, trained and run an extreme heat marathon at Lake Meade NV, had my bathroom remodeled, remodeled and painted my bedroom, run and crewed across Death Valley 135 miles to Mt. Whitney, bought a condo and helped with some moving into it for my daughter, I turned 50, had two birthday parties, flown to and from Vegas, my wife has flown to and from Minnesota with a short stay at her sisters, and soon we will be going to Italy. Of course there are all the essential things that go along with life in the everyday matter of things as well that are not part of this list. For those that don’t believe I have done all this I have photos of almost everything.
Below is a photo of the first plane to try out the new runway, I think we may have placed a speed bump in the wrongplace. Hey it could happen to anyone we fixed it.
(not an actual accident, training in progress)
Then there is the front patio I think it came out good.
Marathon at Lake Meade, tough run, first event since hernia surgery, completed and felt great afterwards. Very hot and all on asphalt 116 degrees in some area's.
Repainted Remodeled bathroom
Photos of me at in Las Vegas sitting on crew van
Me in Death Valley next to the crew shuttle vehicle
Needless to say I have packed a lot of life into a short space of time. There is no sense wasting a precious second, we will never get it back again. I wasted a lot of time when I was young I cannot afford to waste anymore. Time is one thing we all have as long as we are still alive, how much we have no one knows, it is the one thing, money, power or prestige cannot buy.
Crossing the Finish line with my Australian friend Kelvin and the Badwater Crew. Kelvin set a new Aussie record at 37 hours and 36 minutes, a record that has stood since 1993.
A Big Congratulations to my friend Tom Russell of Minnesota who just completed 160 tough miles on a Wisconsin trail. Tom announced in February that he was planning on putting the boots to the ground and taking an Endurance Hike on the Ice Age Trail. Now I have to mention that although Tom has served our country in Viet Nam and was and is an avid outdoorsman his training time was minimal for this endeavor. He got down to business, researched and trained, purchased all his equipment and got out on the trail. Tom did not waste much time from “talking the talk to walking the walk”, Tom is a man of action and a good ole Irish lad.
Tom’s trip amounted to 13 days of wildlife of all types and beautiful wilderness with all its glory and mysteries. At one point it even included a run in with a curious bear which he probably could have done with out. Tom’s original goal was to complete 400 miles of this magnificent trail but was forced to scale back the distance primarily due to foot problems caused by lack of arch support from his hiking shoes. Nevertheless, Tom’s accomplishments are to be recognized and celebrated. He has been enjoying retirement from 3 M for about 3 years and spend lots of time with family and friends at home and camping. What is remarkable about this story is that Tom is not an endurance athlete per say, he does not run marathons on a regular basis as far as I know. What he does have is the will to challenge himself physically in the search to better understand what he is made of, to find out who he is and to confirm what he is still capable of. For those who have to ask “why would someone want to do that’ they will never understand. I believe it is a primal instinct that is buried deep in most of us that longs to come out and be recognized. Individuals may explore in many different ways using different approaches both physically and mentally.
When put through an extreme physical challenge, in particular with one’s own self as company, for an extended period of time a person has no escape from one’s own mind and thoughts. Mix in the raw temperament of the jungle (forest), the true nature of the spirit, the steel of the mind then heated with the fire of the soul to mold a new person in the crucible of the extreme experience. The man that started at the Ice Age trailhead on June 3rd is not the same man that emerged on June 15th. Not only has he changed physically but in every other way and he has been transformed forever. Tom succeeded in his endeavor, although the miles were not what he hoped for the inspiration and positive energy created from the experience can be shared by all who know him . Good job Tom, you did great!
It’s another Sunday afternoon or evening which ever you wish to call it. This Airfield Project is never ending, another weekend eaten up by work and no training. The plan is to take a half-day off on Tuesday and get a long run in before “Race with the Devil” at Lake Meade comes up.
For those of you that don’t know yet I am announcing that I have jumped into the fire literally and signed up for a run in the Desert in June. It’s just a Marathon but still it will be a challenge for me. It will be my first long run after the beginning of the year surgery for a hernia. Then there is the little thing of minimum training due to a hectic work schedule. This run will be more using my head than my body to complete. The temperature 2 years ago at Lake Meade was 116 degrees; last year it was only 112 degrees. This race includes a 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon and a 50 miler. I had actually planned on doing the fifty miler back in January but circumstances have forced me to opt for the marathon. Your ordinary everyday marathoner does not enter races like this; those of us that have gone over the edge and are a few beers short of a twelve pack enter these races. Anyone can run the Sissy City Marathon run in March, 70 degrees, all down hill, in the shade with 30 aid stations and live entertainment at every turn. What fun is that? Give me, triple digits on black asphalt, 112 plus heat with half the aid stations and buzzards for spectators. Now we are talking. It’s not about can you better your time it’s about can you even get a time. Will you even get half way through, did you heat train, can your body adjust to such heat stress for a sustained amount of time?
Don’t get me wrong I have nothing against a regular marathon and often enjoy participating in them myself and have many times. It is just the lure of doing something you are not sure you can complete gets the endorphins going. This race is also a training run for the Badwater 135, which if you have read my blog before you will know is a 135 mile International race in Death Valley in July. I will be crewing for an excellent runner from Australia named Kelvin Marshall. More on this later. The neat thing about "Race with the Devil" is that Kelvin and Matt Mundy from Los Angeles are also going to be their (more crazy people) We were all part of the Kelvin team last year along with Ian Stevens of Chicago and Steve Hanes from Pennsylvania. Steve was actually selected for this year’s race. There are only 80 to 90 runners selected from around the world so be selected is quite an honor.
This year we have really cool signs to place on the crew vehicles. Unfortunately I can’t seem to copy them at this time to my photo album. I am having some minor difficulties. I will figure it out and add it to this post. Last year we drove to Pahrump (spelling ?) and bought washable spray paint and graffitied the vehicles. The numbers looked really cheesy but it worked. Well time to hit the sack and prepare for another day. Adios
Recent Comments
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Steve Ochoa said:
Thank you for the kind words, it is a little soon for planning or even thinking about another hundred miler.... read more
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Haliku said:
[esto es genial]Way to go! A big Congrats for the planning and execution of your race. So too soon to think about... read more
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Ultra'thoner said:
[this is good]You will DO it! This year will be the year. I wish I could be there. I look forward to... read more
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Steve Ochoa said:
Your well wishes are greatly appreciated and most insightful. I will give it my best. read more
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on Javalina Jaccomplished!