Recently someone asked me what I had to prove after I signed up for Bandera 100k. I think I responded something about just to myself but I've really been contemplating what's driving me right now. I truly love going to the dark places mentally that I experience during an Ultra. The euphoric feeling I get after finishing a race is a high for me that I've never experienced but there is more to it than that. All my life I've never been good at finishing anything. Hobbies, Marriages,Fatherhood,etc. I feel amazing after I finish a run. Some run to win, set personal records,etc. I run for myself and to hopefully help others struggling. Yea I have personal goals. Tejas 300-finish Cactus,Bandera & Rocky was one. I faltered at Cactus but felt I needed a Bandera finish.
Friday I got Monte & Pompillo picked up and away we went to Bandera and to find our friend we were staying with. Saturday AM came early and we had grits waiting on us. I'm not a grits eater so they were great! Thanks John! I planned on running the race with another friend-Dale. If you run ultra's near Texas you may not know him but I know you have heard his Yeti calls during a race. Kinda makes you smile. At the start I bounce around the rear chatting with friends I only see at races and trying to listen for Dale. Sure enough I found him and we went to work on Loop 1-31 miles. There was ice on my truck that morning but the temps felt great. We hooked up with 2 of Dales friends- Kerri&Brittany and shared a few miles. At about mile 10 I left them at a aid station and just enjoyed the rocks,hills and just sticky mud between Chapas & Crossroads aid station. Crossroads I met a guy named Allen and we swapped stories til Last Chance aid station. He's ex USAF & works with vets now. Awesome guy! After Last Chance I was going up Cairn's Climb and ran into a older gentleman and hearing his ultra stories those 5 miles was cool. Everything from Barkley to Hardrock to the races he directs in New Mexico. Loop 1 was done in 9:15 and there was Pompillo waiting to get me fueled up and Dale with the girls ready to go.
Loop 2 started great. The girls dumped us on the 1st climb but we soon caught them right after dark when the rain started. Everyone took turns leading our train as Kerri made the train whistles. It was almost closer to a fun social event than a ultra until about mile 43. I was having a hard time keeping up and finally resigned myself to gutting it out alone. That lasted til the next aid station and Dale was waiting to push me. After Crossroads Aid we picked up a friend from Fort Worth,Ray, and the 5 of us battled on staying within earshot until Lucky's Peak. This little hill is relentless and the rocks just bite you. After that climb I was spent and the girls pushed on without us. The last 5 miles were dang tough. Id get to a low point, eat Gu's n be okay in a few minutes. The sticky mud turned to muddy soup and we gave up trying to dodge standing water. We rolled into the start line about 6am Sunday am. I was battered and bruised but on an emotional high of course!! 62 miles done and Joe P was handing out the buckles. What did I prove to myself? I can fight back everything that tells me to quit. Did I prove anything to anyone else? That's not even on my radar. My race- My pace.....
Short version- loop 1- cold,wet,rocks,hills,mud
loop 2-repeat but colder wetter & more sloppy mud
#RunStrong
Monday, January 12, 2015
Friday, December 26, 2014
A New Year....
2014- where do I began or end? I have no clue! Looking back to the last week of 2013 the one thing that sort of sticks out in my mind is just really wanting 2014 to be better than 2013. I'm far from perfect but I wanted to avoid going totally off the rails and doing dumb stuff...... 2013 was just craziness with people left hurt and my life pretty much in shambles. If I could get through the year without cratering I was going to be golden! The last 12 months have been pretty even keel personally for me and that's a huge improvement. Had love, lost love,etc but no major hiccups and I've gained a coupla personal friends through that. Running has been the one thing thats been consistent. I wish I knew how many miles I ran this year..... I know its over 2000. 2015 I am logging every one just to push myself. The people I've met through running have just been incredible. Life changing to say the least. Sure the running exploits are cool and I conquered some things that many will never do in a lifetime but going into 2014 it wasn't about that and still isn't. I just wanted control of my life and my behaviors. That's still a work in progress.
Career wise- I couldn't be happier. I left a industry I still love but needed to grow as a person and am now in one that's real parallel to what I was doing but with new challenges. I'm very blessed! I hope people who read this can take away that anything they choose to do in life is possible. Everyone has their excuses for not taking control of their destiny but if one really has the desire and the fire in their soul than anything is possible. I've learned that the human spirit is tough. The body is simply a tool for the mind. I've let go of many fears in 2014 and its helped me grow as a person. During a race- no matter the distance- my focus is getting to the next aid station. I dId this during my 1st and only marathon (I sucked) and every race including my 100 mile finish. Life is like that. Sure huge goals are great but in order to reach them I have to focus on the next leg of my journey to my ultimate goal. It's taken me 47years to figure this thing called life out and I'm still working at it but it's really simple once I found a system that works for me.
2015- man o man- I cannot wait to do this in all facets of my life. One of my biggest priorities is working with a couch to 5k group. More details later but I want to encourage others to take a chance and see if a running group will impact their life as it has mine. I don't know enough to coach nor do I have the desire to but I do plan on mentoring people who want to try running a 5 or 10k and doing things that just a small fraction of our country does. My running- I've already signed up for Bandera 100k and plan on dropping at the 1/2 way mark but we will see... No promises! On the advice of my coach and another mentor I'm sitting out Rocky Raccoon 100 but will be there to probably pace someone 20 miles and help them get their 1st 100 mile finish. The last loop is slow n I could use the time on my feet. I'll run Possum Kingdom 52 miler and train hard all spring for a 100 miler in May. My long term goal is to run Hardrock 100 and a finish in May would get me in the lottery for The Rock. September- another 100 in Arizona that finishes on my birthday. A buckle for my 48th would be kinda cool. October- I have a rematch with Cactus Rose and I hope to be done under 26 hours. As you can see, I want to spend less time in races and more time training, helping others and of course volunteering. I've been a taker for many years and 2015 I plan on giving more than I take. Personally just a balanced life as I have now is great. Life has its ups and downs but if you keep moving forward it gets easier.
Thanks to everyone who had a part in making 2014 a success. Many people I see on a regular basis and others inspire me at races as they blow past smiling. Some people I follow on social media but we've never met but your desire to succeed does help others and I thank you for sharing. There are people from my past - some I've hurt- but they have a part in making me push hard to be a better person and I thank them as well. Things happen in life that put us at certain places in certain times and it's up to us to seize that moment. May your 2015 be better than your 2014. Go be Awesome!
http://youtu.be/WO0keYA21oI
Career wise- I couldn't be happier. I left a industry I still love but needed to grow as a person and am now in one that's real parallel to what I was doing but with new challenges. I'm very blessed! I hope people who read this can take away that anything they choose to do in life is possible. Everyone has their excuses for not taking control of their destiny but if one really has the desire and the fire in their soul than anything is possible. I've learned that the human spirit is tough. The body is simply a tool for the mind. I've let go of many fears in 2014 and its helped me grow as a person. During a race- no matter the distance- my focus is getting to the next aid station. I dId this during my 1st and only marathon (I sucked) and every race including my 100 mile finish. Life is like that. Sure huge goals are great but in order to reach them I have to focus on the next leg of my journey to my ultimate goal. It's taken me 47years to figure this thing called life out and I'm still working at it but it's really simple once I found a system that works for me.
2015- man o man- I cannot wait to do this in all facets of my life. One of my biggest priorities is working with a couch to 5k group. More details later but I want to encourage others to take a chance and see if a running group will impact their life as it has mine. I don't know enough to coach nor do I have the desire to but I do plan on mentoring people who want to try running a 5 or 10k and doing things that just a small fraction of our country does. My running- I've already signed up for Bandera 100k and plan on dropping at the 1/2 way mark but we will see... No promises! On the advice of my coach and another mentor I'm sitting out Rocky Raccoon 100 but will be there to probably pace someone 20 miles and help them get their 1st 100 mile finish. The last loop is slow n I could use the time on my feet. I'll run Possum Kingdom 52 miler and train hard all spring for a 100 miler in May. My long term goal is to run Hardrock 100 and a finish in May would get me in the lottery for The Rock. September- another 100 in Arizona that finishes on my birthday. A buckle for my 48th would be kinda cool. October- I have a rematch with Cactus Rose and I hope to be done under 26 hours. As you can see, I want to spend less time in races and more time training, helping others and of course volunteering. I've been a taker for many years and 2015 I plan on giving more than I take. Personally just a balanced life as I have now is great. Life has its ups and downs but if you keep moving forward it gets easier.
Thanks to everyone who had a part in making 2014 a success. Many people I see on a regular basis and others inspire me at races as they blow past smiling. Some people I follow on social media but we've never met but your desire to succeed does help others and I thank you for sharing. There are people from my past - some I've hurt- but they have a part in making me push hard to be a better person and I thank them as well. Things happen in life that put us at certain places in certain times and it's up to us to seize that moment. May your 2015 be better than your 2014. Go be Awesome!
http://youtu.be/WO0keYA21oI
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Brazos Bend 100
WOW! I'm not sure where to start putting my emotions and feelings in words on completing my 1st 100 mile race. I keep going back to a conversation I had with Janet in January when she said I had told her I ran but she hadn't seen it. I didn't want to be "that guy." She didn't run but wanted to try it. Together we ran our 1st 5k the next month with my sister Paula. It was cold & crowded and lasted forever. My 3/3 walk run strategy got us through in like :43 or so but we had just conquered the world! 25k at A-OK a month later was colder n icy but me and Janet trudged through it. ALL of the Dallas Dirt Runners pushed me on to higher goals through the spring. I heard of people running 100 miles in March this year and secretly I knew I had to do it. I creeped on FB following Jason B & Aaron C finish their 1st 100 milers and one of Janets co-workers also ran a couple as well. At Possum Kingdom I met my future coach- Jennifer as well as Matt Crownover. Matt said something about a card carrying badass Steven Moore that ran 100's. I knew then if there is another Steven Moore doing it then I could sometime. At Jemez I was blessed to become friends with Steven Monte and I set my sights on Cactus Rose 100 as my goal. Jenn wrote the schedule and I put in tons of miles. Monte was my sounding board all year when I wanted to complain. Cactus was a DNF due to a few mistakes on my part. It dang sure wasn't running the Hot Chocolate 5k! 65 mile training run was good and so the next day I entered Brazos Bend 100. Coach Jenn probably wasn't happy but Monte was willing to pace for 50 so I thought why not? After Big Cedar 100 Monte was eligible for the Texas MegaSlam (run 3 100's & Bandera 100k) so he had to enter the race as a competitor but he insisted on us running the entire race together. What a gift he gave me! Jeopardize his chances at a huge goal to help some guy that just started running......
Loop 1
After giving my front running friend Pompy a quick hug I went to the back and we were off. My strategy was just to grind it out and finish. We ran near Dale the first few miles at a steady pace laughing at his jokes. Well that and giving nicknames to people to identify them later. I had a 6hr goal for the 1st loop. There was 12 water stops so I handcarried water and used my gear for nutrition. The loop was great until 17 and the water stops were empty..... Monte spotted me water until we could get back to the start line.
Loop 2
I was afraid of going too fast after having 8 miles without water so we settled into a 3/3 walk run. Mile 27 stomach issues hit me hard. The Tailwind I drink for calories as well as the Cliff Bars wreaked havoc on my stomach and I was off in the woods before continuing commando. Near mile 37 we picked up a older lady to run with us. She was doing her 1st 50 miler and just wasn't sure. It was awesome having her. I'm sure my stomach issues will make her stay off trails in the future but we got her to the finish. We laughed a ton and just made the best of a crappy situation. Embrace The Suck! That's all you can do and keep running.
Loop 3
We wasted alotta time. Changing clothes, aid stations, etc. my stomach was wrecked and all I could eat was Gu's,a little coke and water. Every aid station Id just load up on Gu's and try not to throw up whatever food I tried. In spite of all this we were still laughing.... We finished that loop at 3am.
Loop 4
The 1st 3 miles I could still walk/run and maintain a decent pace. After that we were just waiting on the dawn of a new day and walking. It was Steven's fathers birthday and we were finishing this race. We laughed and cried a lot during these 25 miles. LOTSA stuff is between us but I'll take this loop to my grave. Just a real emotional gut check. Mile 87 aid- we were told we were in last place and might not make it. I called BS and started back running. I think we made up close to a hour until mile 98 and I got in a dark place. Monte was patient and let me sort it out and we pushed to the finish. He wanted me to cross 1st and I wanted to cross together but he won that arguement.
This year has been a crazy ride. Dallas Dirt Runners have helped me soooo much. There is just too many to name individually. Everyone I met at a race this year had a hand in this. Janet got me going. Jennifer Kimble & Steven Monte believed in me 110%. I had a few naysayers along the way. I didn't have a running base, blah blah blah. They were probably right but I pushed on. A lady named Chris told me in March that you have to want to run a 100. You can't do it for anything else. Dang she was right! It's hard and not something you can push people to do. Everyone who has been a part of this journey I thank you. God has blessed me with great friends and supporters and all of you were on my mind during this run. Runners & Non Runners alike. What's next? Ehhh I dunno yet but it'll be a distance with 3 digits. I guess I really like to suffer as John Sharp would say. LOL I want to help others. Not just to run 100 or even a 5k but to help them take control of their lives. 5k to 100 miles in 11 months has shown me that the human spirit is capable of anything it wants to do. Til next time- Run Strong
Loop 1
After giving my front running friend Pompy a quick hug I went to the back and we were off. My strategy was just to grind it out and finish. We ran near Dale the first few miles at a steady pace laughing at his jokes. Well that and giving nicknames to people to identify them later. I had a 6hr goal for the 1st loop. There was 12 water stops so I handcarried water and used my gear for nutrition. The loop was great until 17 and the water stops were empty..... Monte spotted me water until we could get back to the start line.
Loop 2
I was afraid of going too fast after having 8 miles without water so we settled into a 3/3 walk run. Mile 27 stomach issues hit me hard. The Tailwind I drink for calories as well as the Cliff Bars wreaked havoc on my stomach and I was off in the woods before continuing commando. Near mile 37 we picked up a older lady to run with us. She was doing her 1st 50 miler and just wasn't sure. It was awesome having her. I'm sure my stomach issues will make her stay off trails in the future but we got her to the finish. We laughed a ton and just made the best of a crappy situation. Embrace The Suck! That's all you can do and keep running.
Loop 3
We wasted alotta time. Changing clothes, aid stations, etc. my stomach was wrecked and all I could eat was Gu's,a little coke and water. Every aid station Id just load up on Gu's and try not to throw up whatever food I tried. In spite of all this we were still laughing.... We finished that loop at 3am.
Loop 4
The 1st 3 miles I could still walk/run and maintain a decent pace. After that we were just waiting on the dawn of a new day and walking. It was Steven's fathers birthday and we were finishing this race. We laughed and cried a lot during these 25 miles. LOTSA stuff is between us but I'll take this loop to my grave. Just a real emotional gut check. Mile 87 aid- we were told we were in last place and might not make it. I called BS and started back running. I think we made up close to a hour until mile 98 and I got in a dark place. Monte was patient and let me sort it out and we pushed to the finish. He wanted me to cross 1st and I wanted to cross together but he won that arguement.
This year has been a crazy ride. Dallas Dirt Runners have helped me soooo much. There is just too many to name individually. Everyone I met at a race this year had a hand in this. Janet got me going. Jennifer Kimble & Steven Monte believed in me 110%. I had a few naysayers along the way. I didn't have a running base, blah blah blah. They were probably right but I pushed on. A lady named Chris told me in March that you have to want to run a 100. You can't do it for anything else. Dang she was right! It's hard and not something you can push people to do. Everyone who has been a part of this journey I thank you. God has blessed me with great friends and supporters and all of you were on my mind during this run. Runners & Non Runners alike. What's next? Ehhh I dunno yet but it'll be a distance with 3 digits. I guess I really like to suffer as John Sharp would say. LOL I want to help others. Not just to run 100 or even a 5k but to help them take control of their lives. 5k to 100 miles in 11 months has shown me that the human spirit is capable of anything it wants to do. Til next time- Run Strong
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Out of the Darkness
Why do I try and run ultra's? People ask me that constantly and the only simple anwser I can give them to avoid a weird long conversation is to simply tell them it's the journey I'm on right now in life. This weekend I was blessed to be asked to help a guy Id never met before on his 1st attempt at a 100 miler.
Flashback to last month at Cactus Rose 100- The night before the race, the eventual winner, B Jones gave me some advice. When you want to quit, go 5 more miles before making that decision. Well I heard him but still dropped just 10 miles before finishing my 3rd loop. Yea I hurt bad for 3 days afterwards but the hurt to my pride still lingers. I was ready for that race and when my mind got dark and I struggled I wasn't strong enough to survive. My coach told me later that I should have made them pull me instead of dropping and damn she was right....
Back to Sat night/Sunday am. I drove out to Big Cedar in boots n jeans but packed my run gear in case my friend Steven struggled. If he was ok then maybe I could help someone else. At 3am my coach called the start line looking for me to help out a guy that was sleepy. It had been raining and the trail was in horrible shape. At that point less than 1/2 the field was still out there battling. I met my runner, Servando at mile 59 and was asked to get him to 75 by 9am. We started out at 5am n I thought 4 hrs, 16 miles. We got this and he has another pacer waiting for the last 25. I've ran this course many times but never in ankle deep muck and never with another runner. I run alone 99% of the time. Soon the battle with the mud became 2nd place and the battle of the mind started. By 7:30am I knew the 9am cutoff was not in reach but I didn't want to see him quit. We talked and talked and talked. Fortunately I have a sales background and he does too so we chatted quite a bit. We had 7 miles to the next aid station and it was tough. Pretty soon my runner started seeing benches and just wanted to sit. After the rain and both of us soaked I knew if he sat he wouldn't get up and then the shivering sets in. I finally just started ignoring all the benches he was "seeing" and told him they were bitches. Yea sorry but we are on a trail and the political correctness and everything is out the window. Walking sticks I helped him find helped more than anything I think. I dunno if it helped him walk or just got his mind off his legs screaming and being tired. I finally relented after he took a hard fall on a bridge but caught himself from falling 6 feet into the water and after I caught him from tumbling down some rocks. Yea I let him nap for 5 minutes and of course I timed it. That 5 minutes made Servando into a new man and the dude still had some run in those legs. He thought he had a rock in his shoe so I took it off and after seeing his feet I quickly put the shoe back on before he saw it. Yea I told him I got the rock out. Blisters heal in a few days but healing your pride takes longer. We continued and the aid station volunteers were incredible getting him in and out quickly. Not once after his nap did he sit down again. We finished the 3rd loop around 3pm and he was I think 18th overall. Sure it shows a DNF but the man was pulled from the course. He never quit. I learned so much from this experience. I had 18 miles on my schedule and I got it but I also walk away from this with a true anwser to why I run ultra's. I run to bear my soul and to push myself to the breaking point mentally and when I get there, the wall comes down and I am a stronger person because of it...... 22 days til Brazos Bend 100 and Servando taught me so much yesterday about how to be a stronger person and I am grateful for that.
Flashback to last month at Cactus Rose 100- The night before the race, the eventual winner, B Jones gave me some advice. When you want to quit, go 5 more miles before making that decision. Well I heard him but still dropped just 10 miles before finishing my 3rd loop. Yea I hurt bad for 3 days afterwards but the hurt to my pride still lingers. I was ready for that race and when my mind got dark and I struggled I wasn't strong enough to survive. My coach told me later that I should have made them pull me instead of dropping and damn she was right....
Back to Sat night/Sunday am. I drove out to Big Cedar in boots n jeans but packed my run gear in case my friend Steven struggled. If he was ok then maybe I could help someone else. At 3am my coach called the start line looking for me to help out a guy that was sleepy. It had been raining and the trail was in horrible shape. At that point less than 1/2 the field was still out there battling. I met my runner, Servando at mile 59 and was asked to get him to 75 by 9am. We started out at 5am n I thought 4 hrs, 16 miles. We got this and he has another pacer waiting for the last 25. I've ran this course many times but never in ankle deep muck and never with another runner. I run alone 99% of the time. Soon the battle with the mud became 2nd place and the battle of the mind started. By 7:30am I knew the 9am cutoff was not in reach but I didn't want to see him quit. We talked and talked and talked. Fortunately I have a sales background and he does too so we chatted quite a bit. We had 7 miles to the next aid station and it was tough. Pretty soon my runner started seeing benches and just wanted to sit. After the rain and both of us soaked I knew if he sat he wouldn't get up and then the shivering sets in. I finally just started ignoring all the benches he was "seeing" and told him they were bitches. Yea sorry but we are on a trail and the political correctness and everything is out the window. Walking sticks I helped him find helped more than anything I think. I dunno if it helped him walk or just got his mind off his legs screaming and being tired. I finally relented after he took a hard fall on a bridge but caught himself from falling 6 feet into the water and after I caught him from tumbling down some rocks. Yea I let him nap for 5 minutes and of course I timed it. That 5 minutes made Servando into a new man and the dude still had some run in those legs. He thought he had a rock in his shoe so I took it off and after seeing his feet I quickly put the shoe back on before he saw it. Yea I told him I got the rock out. Blisters heal in a few days but healing your pride takes longer. We continued and the aid station volunteers were incredible getting him in and out quickly. Not once after his nap did he sit down again. We finished the 3rd loop around 3pm and he was I think 18th overall. Sure it shows a DNF but the man was pulled from the course. He never quit. I learned so much from this experience. I had 18 miles on my schedule and I got it but I also walk away from this with a true anwser to why I run ultra's. I run to bear my soul and to push myself to the breaking point mentally and when I get there, the wall comes down and I am a stronger person because of it...... 22 days til Brazos Bend 100 and Servando taught me so much yesterday about how to be a stronger person and I am grateful for that.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Cactus Rose 100
Where do I began??? Many terrible life decisions got me to the point of running as a way to find who I am. Many more wonderful people stepped in and inspired me to live a better and fuller life. My friend Janet got me off my butt in January and got me to run again. Nikki Davis and all the Dallas Dirt Runners group helped me along and still do. The trip to Jemez I bonded with Steven Monte and he has been my sounding board for months. Jennifer Kimble took me on as a student and her coaching has pushed me further than I've ever dreamed. My move to Odessa was tough on my training but good for my soul. I still got my miles in and have met even more great friends.
My friend, Pam from Midland agreed to go to the race with me as support as well as my baby brother Max. I wanted 2 people to help me when it got tough. The race began and as usual I went to the back and kinda just felt myself out and got lost in my thoughts. The race set up was 4 25 mile loops but changing directions each time. I knew the last 10 was dang tough and I immediately had to do it again on loop 2. My goal of 7:30 per loop was fine and I conserved as much as possible. I had my calories and hydration spot on but I knew it was going to get hot later. My 1st loop was 7:10 and I was okay with that but decided to power hike throughout the hottest part of the day. That worked fine til mile 40. I had a minor foot pain so I decided to change shoes to a new pair of Hoka Tarmac and get through the easier part of the course. That was fine for 15 miles til I felt a large blister burst and then the balls of my feet started throbbing. I finished loop 2 in 9hrs and knew I was going to have to push things on loop 3 without a pacer. When I got to the start line there was a man waiting to pace me-Sean Broadbent. He was there to pace someone else and when she got hurt he graciously stepped in and helped out. Him and John Sharp got my blisters taken care of. We started loop 3 and I was ok for awhile but the further we went the less I could walk, much less run. We picked up my friend Ben at mile 54 who Id been with all day and the 3 of us trudged on. At 60 Ben was done but he gave me a Coke and that got me a couple of miles and we were chasing the clock on the cut off for loop 4. At mile 65 I had 2.5 hrs to get through the 10 toughest miles that Cactus Rose had to offer and then Id hafta do it again. I knew I was done and after apologizing to Sean I called it for me. Pam and Max were instrumental in getting me that far. My legs and heart were fine but the balls of my feet couldn't hold up to the pounding of the rocks. I got to the 100k distance in time to make the cutoff if it was Bandera 100k so I walk away happy. My mind, heart and legs were ready but the rocks kicked the bottom of my feet pretty hard. I loved the course and i think it'll be a must do in 2015. Reflecting now on it, I'm taking away that I just had one hellacious training run. Everyone says that a mile walking or running is the same distance. It is but this was pretty brutal. I see a easier 100 miler in my VERY near future......
My friend, Pam from Midland agreed to go to the race with me as support as well as my baby brother Max. I wanted 2 people to help me when it got tough. The race began and as usual I went to the back and kinda just felt myself out and got lost in my thoughts. The race set up was 4 25 mile loops but changing directions each time. I knew the last 10 was dang tough and I immediately had to do it again on loop 2. My goal of 7:30 per loop was fine and I conserved as much as possible. I had my calories and hydration spot on but I knew it was going to get hot later. My 1st loop was 7:10 and I was okay with that but decided to power hike throughout the hottest part of the day. That worked fine til mile 40. I had a minor foot pain so I decided to change shoes to a new pair of Hoka Tarmac and get through the easier part of the course. That was fine for 15 miles til I felt a large blister burst and then the balls of my feet started throbbing. I finished loop 2 in 9hrs and knew I was going to have to push things on loop 3 without a pacer. When I got to the start line there was a man waiting to pace me-Sean Broadbent. He was there to pace someone else and when she got hurt he graciously stepped in and helped out. Him and John Sharp got my blisters taken care of. We started loop 3 and I was ok for awhile but the further we went the less I could walk, much less run. We picked up my friend Ben at mile 54 who Id been with all day and the 3 of us trudged on. At 60 Ben was done but he gave me a Coke and that got me a couple of miles and we were chasing the clock on the cut off for loop 4. At mile 65 I had 2.5 hrs to get through the 10 toughest miles that Cactus Rose had to offer and then Id hafta do it again. I knew I was done and after apologizing to Sean I called it for me. Pam and Max were instrumental in getting me that far. My legs and heart were fine but the balls of my feet couldn't hold up to the pounding of the rocks. I got to the 100k distance in time to make the cutoff if it was Bandera 100k so I walk away happy. My mind, heart and legs were ready but the rocks kicked the bottom of my feet pretty hard. I loved the course and i think it'll be a must do in 2015. Reflecting now on it, I'm taking away that I just had one hellacious training run. Everyone says that a mile walking or running is the same distance. It is but this was pretty brutal. I see a easier 100 miler in my VERY near future......
Saturday, October 11, 2014
T Minus 14 days......
Wow! I just realized this morning as I was putting in my miles that Cactus Rose 100 is here! My mind quickly went back to April 30,2013 and all the events that have led me to today. Some have been negative but many positive things have happened to transform me into hopefully a better person. Hell I'm not a angel and I don't really recall at any point aspiring to be one. The move to Odessa sort of rounded out the changes I feel I needed to make. It's been great! A new town, new friends, and a new career always does a gypsy soul like mine good! A little over 17 months ago I NEVER dreamed I'd be here today with my career OR my running. Running wasn't on my radar then. My significant other at the time had tried to get me to but I was pretty much stuck in my dark little world of drinking and self misery. It's been a long damn road.... about twice during every run I get lyrics stuck in my head from Dierks Bentley's Long Trip Alone....
It's a long trip alone over sand and stone
That lie along the road that we all must travel down
So maybe you could walk with me a while
And maybe I could rest beneath your smile
Everybody stumbles sometimes and needs a hand to hold
'Cause it's a long trip alone
It's a short piece of time but just enough to find
A little peace of mind under the sun somewhere
So maybe you could walk with me a while
And maybe I could rest beneath your smile
You know we can't afford to let one moment pass us by
'Cause it's a short piece of time
This has been a long trip alone for me and 75 miles of Cactus Rose will be alone but I kinda like who I've become so I don't mind the company now! So many people have helped get me to where I'm at today and I'm grateful to every single one of them. My family has stuck beside me, my friends (runner & non-runners alike) have inspired me to keep pushing not only my body but my mind as well. I'm taking my baby brother Max to crew me. Nope he's never ran a race or been to one but I trust him and I know he will be there at the aid stations when I come stumbling in. I'm sure there will be plenty of others there to help so no worries there. My pacer from mile 75 on is one tough dude. He's been through the battles and there is no quit in him and the man will get me to the buckle..... Most of the work is done and now it's getting stuff together. Gu,Tailwind,Bonk Bars,Duct tape,coke,oreos, n etc plus a few beers for when I finish.............
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Life Changes and New Chapters
The last 16 to 17 months has been the craziest roller coaster I've ever experienced. Going from knocking down over 6 figures but living a life with zero quality due to my own weaknesses to income cut in 1/2 and struggling with that but hopefully becoming a better person to my family and friends through support of a fantastic running community. Prior blogs cover all that life craziness n I'm not up to living it again... LOL Most everyone knows by now that I took a position in Odessa,Tx back in sales. Not management or anything like that but out seeing customers and doing what got me to where I was career wise before the train wreck. Everyone in the DFW metro and in Odessa asks me why there??? Back when I was in the truck tire business I went out there weekly selling tires n I developed a great attraction to the people and the country. I am kinda a loner of sorts and the wide open roads I like. Plus I'm closer to the mountains n plan on spending time in Carlsbad n Santa Fe VERY soon! AND of course it was a financial decision. The last year I've been working to get me right and now it's high time I get myself in a position to get that part corrected. There was one other glaring reason to me but that's just something for on down the road. Anyway---- I needed the change.
I'm viewing this as a new chapter. Career wise, personally but also with my running. I am blessed with a great coach in Jenn n super friends all over the state but now my miles in a new town are up to me to get done. It's kinda scary rolling into Cactus Rose 100 at the end of October n it'll be harder now but still I believe very doable. Friday night I had to drive towards Dallas and wound up spending the weekend with my parents. I had a bad ear ache and finally went to the doctor and it'll get better in a few days but the weekend with Mom n Dad is pretty awesome. I can't run til Sunday night per dr so this is a much needed break for my brain as well. Oklahoma City next week for work stuff and spend time with my son Dakota. I'll get my miles in there and I'll roll into Rough Creek 40 in 13 days ready to knock it out.
Life is funny and takes us down paths we never could envision but as long as we just keep trying to improve things do get easier. A friend and life coach I will be using as soon as I can once asked me- What do you want people to say about you at your 50th birthday party? I hope it's just a great hard working dude who's trying to do better n maybe help someone else out on the way. If you're ever out west and wanna go run a mountain or just have a chat hit me up! Til next time RunStrong and if you can't run then WALK with a purpose in life!!!
I'm viewing this as a new chapter. Career wise, personally but also with my running. I am blessed with a great coach in Jenn n super friends all over the state but now my miles in a new town are up to me to get done. It's kinda scary rolling into Cactus Rose 100 at the end of October n it'll be harder now but still I believe very doable. Friday night I had to drive towards Dallas and wound up spending the weekend with my parents. I had a bad ear ache and finally went to the doctor and it'll get better in a few days but the weekend with Mom n Dad is pretty awesome. I can't run til Sunday night per dr so this is a much needed break for my brain as well. Oklahoma City next week for work stuff and spend time with my son Dakota. I'll get my miles in there and I'll roll into Rough Creek 40 in 13 days ready to knock it out.
Life is funny and takes us down paths we never could envision but as long as we just keep trying to improve things do get easier. A friend and life coach I will be using as soon as I can once asked me- What do you want people to say about you at your 50th birthday party? I hope it's just a great hard working dude who's trying to do better n maybe help someone else out on the way. If you're ever out west and wanna go run a mountain or just have a chat hit me up! Til next time RunStrong and if you can't run then WALK with a purpose in life!!!
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