Up Next - Sean O' Brien and California Dreaming

Next up is the Sean O' Brien 50 Mile in the backcountry trails of the Santa Monica Mountains.

The good news is that I get to spend some time in sunny CA and get out of the cold (this morning's run was 0 with a -22 wind chill).  I also get to spend some time with friends Melissa Pizzaro, Jeff Moss, Cory Feign and Kevin Kwilinski.  I hope I get to see one of the most inspirational people I know - Jimmy Dean Freeman (View his Blog) and run with the SoCalCoyotes.  I'm also hoping to preview some parts of the Angeles Crest 100 Course (my "A Race" of the year).  See this Beautiful Blog for an example.

I love LA, I love running in LA.  And I am travelling equipped with a GoPro Camera for the first time, so you can expect some great video/pictures.  Keira Henninger is a great RD and this is going to be a great event!

The Bad News:

This one is going to hurt. Click here for a course preview  This race was put together to replace the Ray Miller 50 that I did last year.  (See, Race Report)  That race left me in tears.  I made some mistakes and learned a lot.  How much?  We will see this weekend!  I put this race on my schedule because it was tough.  I find that doing tough things makes training and runs close to home seem easier.  I'm not going to lie....just finishing this race will be hard for me.  But I intend to put my head down, plug in some good working music and get her done.  My hope is the hills of POT150 will look quite small after this.  Well, at least for the first few loops!

This is the deepest field of runners I have ever been in an event with.  The field includes: Mike Wolfe, Jimmy Dean Freeman, Michael Aish, Chris Vargo, Chris Price, Jorge Pacheco, Dylan Bowerman, Timothy Olson, Jesse Haynes and Dominic Grossman in the men's field and Meghan Arbogast, Cassie Scallon, Michelle Barton and Sally McRae in the women's field.  I am looking forward to seeing them on the out and back and perhaps at diner afterward.  If I got to meet one or two of these people I would be thrilled.  Unfortunately, they will likely be in bed when I get done!

Great race report and video (hopefully) to follow!

#yourmindmakesitreal

Reflections and the year ahead.

On top of Pinnacle Peak, AR

2013 is in the books.  Although I did not accomplish my goal of running in the Hardrock 100, I took some major steps toward it.  Looking back and looking ahead, there is a lot to be happy about.

Potawatomi 100 Finisher! - April

I don't know exactly how many miles I ran because between Dailymile, Garmin and Strava a lot is missing.  I'll guess that I ran more than ever before.  I had some hamstring issues and a broken toe, but I made it through the entire year pretty much injury free.  there really wasn't a period of time when I was unable to run.

Ray Miller 50 - February

I think I finally got my everyday dietary issues down.  A low Carb whole food diet with little or no refined sugar, carbs, potatoes or corn seems to work best for me.  After only a few days of eating that way every major aspect of my life improves.  In 2014 I hope to eat that way the majority of the time.  Special thanks to Phil Maffatone and Tim Noakes for the education.  If you are looking to change your diet or you have any struggles in this area you should check out Dr. Phil's Big Red Book.

I also got my racing nutrition down, which is in stark contrast.  Justin's Nut Butter for gells, Vitargo for carbs Ensure+ for extra calories and burger king cheeseburgers for filling seem to do the trick.  No GI issues or bonking in the entire second half of the season have convinced me of this. 

I went 2-1 in 100 mile races.  I'm not thrilled to have DNF'ed, but it is a fact of life.  I'm proud of the fact that I finished one graduate 100 (Potawatomi) and one post-graduate 100 (Superior Sawtooth).  I raced  one 50 (DWD Devil's Lake) but did three (Ray Miller 50 and Ice Age 50)  and a 24 Hour Race. I did 0 marathons.  I matched my best at a 5K (21:43) and I PR'ed at the 50K (Frozen Gnome). 

Mt. Elbert - the Perfect Storm - August

Most importantly I qualified for the Hardrock Lottery by completing Superior Sawtooth, but I did not get selected.  I am qualified again next year already though.  I have to keep in mind that Hardrock is the ultimate goal.  

I tried my luck at altitude by running at Leadville and up and down Mt. Elbert.  I'm pleased to report that I didn't have any major problems, so this isn't a major Hardrock concern.

I'm most proud of a few of the complete knucklehead training runs and fatass events I participated in.  I did 6 hour and 8 hours fatass runs with new Leaf Ultra Runs.  Some friends and I did some chilly muddy loops at McNaughton to train for the Potawatomi 100, a 29 mile re-taste of Chicago food run with 10 required eating stops, a run from Naperville to the Bean in the early winter greater than 50K and a 91.5 mile world's longest Turkey Trot from the Bean to Milwaukee.  I also got to help crew and pace Shan Riggs and Chuck Schultz in their 410 mile run across Illinois, crew Tony Cesario at Leadville and pace Kathleen Rytman on her 150 mile effort at Tbunk.

Re-Taste of Chicago - All You Can Eat - July

Water Crossing Practice - March

Crewing Leadville - Go Cory!!

Magic Starved Rock Run - Oct.

I think we did plenty.

Chicago to Milwaukee Turkey Trot (Orange you sorry you missed it?)

Superior Trail 100

Now, for 2014?

Sean O' Brien and San Juan Solstice 50 milers.  Each is sure to be one of the toughest 50 milers of the year.

Angeles Crest 100 and the Bear 100.  Two post-graduate 100 mile races.  Each is also a qualifier for Hardrock.

And finally, I am going to take a stab at the Potawatomi 150 mile run.  It seems simultaneously both impossible and stupid.  So it is right up my alley.

My only goal last year was to run 100 miles straight.  I sold myself short.  I made hundreds of new friends, ran hundreds and hundreds of miles with them and achieved more than I ever could have imagined.  In a way I'm glad I didn't get picked for Hardrock yet.....because the journey is most of the fun.  I'll get there someday soon!

World's Longest turkey Trot - Completed

On Friday November 29, 2013, through Saturday November 30, 2013, Alfredo Pedro Perro (a/k/a Moose) and I completed the World's Longest Turkey Trot.  We ran 91.5 miles from the Bean at Millenium Park, Chicago, Illinois:

to Milwaukee, WI:

We started at 7:00 a.m. on the 29th running up the lakefront path.  Our friends Melissa Pizarro, Ed Cook and Kim Fitmiss joined us initially.  We were in great spirits and we engaged in plenty of Shenanigans throughout the day:

Over the course of the day Kim, Melissa and Ed headed back to the city leaving Alfredo and I to buckle down and crunch some serious miles before dark.  We were lucky most of the day because we had the wind at our back and the temperature stayed right around 28 degrees.  We had some very long stops to eat  which allowed us to dry off some clothes as well.  We were not in a hurry.

As the night fell and we approached Waukegan, we were joined by pacer extraordinaire (and KM 100 female winner) Shelley Cook!!  We also had some crew assistance from Alfredo's wife Kiki!

It got a bit colder at night, but nothing major.  We had a few moments.  We also struggled to find places that were open for food and drink. We had a major high when we hit the Wisconsin border:

But then a reality check when we realized we had many sad and dark hours of pounding the pavement to go. 

And then the greatest crewperson in the history of man joined us!  Tony Weyers!!!!!

This man saved our lives.  He crewed us for over 12 hours in the cold dark emptiness of the world's flatest and boringest country roads.  He got us shakes and coffee and (cheap imitation) Gatorade.  We would not have finished without him.

I'm not going to lie....during most of the second half of this run we decided it was a bad idea, too much pavement, completely stupid.  Alfredo started with a injury that kept nagging him.  He was a warrior.  The night hours were cold and boring.  Although we heard Shelley Cook's life story due to an unfortunate overcaffination incident, not much happened until the sun came up the next morning and we enjoyed some Racine Danish Kringle.

This picked us up a bit.  Then we had a rather long debate about where to finish.  The Fourth Base is actually in West Milwaukee, and the prospect of running through Milwaukee wasn't attractive to anyone.  So we decided to run till we saw a Milwaukee sign.  And we begged Tony to find the closest Milwaukee sign.  It ended up being 91.5 miles to the sign....and it was 91.5 miles to the Fourth Base too.  Go figure.

As we got closer our friends and family came out to join us.  We actually raced the last 2 miles.  I have NO idea why.  

I want to thank Tony Weyers.  He carried us.  Shelley Cook kept us from losing our minds at night.  Ed Cook, Kim Fitmiss and Melissa Pizarro - thanks for pacing and joining.  To all our family and friends that cheered, followed us on FB and/or sent us messages, you were the reason we didn't quit.

These types of events are hard.  Set aside the fact that we ran 90 plus miles all on pavement in below freezing temps.  The real challenge is that there is no real good reason why.  We were asked that question countless times along the way.  Eventually we started cracking up when people asked.  We never had a good answer.  "Because we said it out loud" didn't make sense to people.  "Because we can" seemed arrogant.  There was no buckle or medal.  It's not on Ultra Signup.  Most people will never know we did it and we have nothing to show for it.  That's the best part.  We just did that.

I ran the entire distance in Hoka Bondi B's.  Most of the Strava Data can be found here (in parts).

http://www.strava.com/activities/98087221

http://www.strava.com/activities/97793633

http://www.strava.com/activities/97809496

http://www.strava.com/activities/97882272

World's Longest Turkey Trot

My friend Alfredo Pedro Perro needs a 100.  Bad.

So we came up with a crazy idea.  Instead of doing a 5K turkey trot, or shopping till we drop, let's create the World's Longest Turkey Trot!

About six months ago we participated in a senseless and arbitrary run (in the cold and snow) from Napperville, IL to the Bean at Chicago's Millennium Park.  Why?  Because someone said it out loud.

We ran about 32 miles and had a fantastic time.  When it was over we decided that the run would have to be played forward at some point to a new location.  It had to be EPIC.  

Fast forward to this Turkey Trot idea.  We knew we wanted to run FROM the Bean.  But the question remained....Where To?

Well, Alfredo is itching for a 100.  I am from Milwaukee.  A friend of mine once joked that I could run there.  BAM.  Let's go from Chicago to Milwaukee!!  

We will be doing this pretty much unsupported starting from the Bean at 7:00 a.m. on Black Friday.  We are going to have some friends start with us and meet us along the way.  I will be sure to post plenty of pictures. 

We will end at the Fourth Base in West Milwaukee - a bar I used to cook at.  

We should be arriving there between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon on Saturday.  If you live in Milwaukee follow us on Facebook or #worldslongestturkeytrot and come join us afterwards to celebrate.

I guarantee whether we make it or not, we will have a good time.  Who knows...maybe Dovi will join us for some miles.

If you say it out loud you have to at least TRY to do it!

DNF

People are going to call me an asshole.  

I wanted to write about my feelings and experiences with the phrase DNF.  Some people think DNF is a dirty word in the running and/or ultra-running world.  Some people think it means someone is weak.  Some people believe it means the runner "did nothing fatal."  After a post about a DNF on social media you will often see scores of compliments, accolades and encouragement.  Some people are very embarassed about the fact that they DNF'ed.  Some see it as a badge of honor.  Someone I deeply admire once told me that you know you have arrived as an ultra runner when you 1) finish a 100 mile race; 2) DNF a 100 mile race; and 3) throw up during a 100 mile race, and still finish.  So what is a "DNF"?  At its simplest level it is an acronym for a very simple phrase:

 Did not finish.

If you run ultramarathons long enough there is a very good chance you will at one point or another fail to finish a race.  If you start a race and fail to finish a race it is a DNF.  Period.  (and if you just doubted this "BUT....." please know...everything after the "BUT" is bullshit).

I'm going to state the obvious.  Running Ultramarathons is hard.  A lot can go wrong.  The race may last a half of a day or several days.  It may be 31 miles or hundreds of miles.  During the course of these events many people routinely: get lost; stop having fun; feel immense amounts of pain;  get stuck in snow/rain/extreme cold/extreme heat/extreme humidity/rain storms/hail/sleet etc.  Moreover, people get Injured (meaning they suffer an objective and identifiable trauma to their body that generally requires medical attention)(i.e. took a header and are gushing blood).  Or sometimes they get "Injured" (meaning something hurts in the moment which is generally normal when you run for ultramarathon distances but no medical attention needed)(i.e. "my knee issue started acting up").  We also get tired.  We give up.  We quit on ourselves.  We get sick.  We decide "we're not having fun anymore"  We get pulled from the course by race officials for taking too long or appearing to be injured.  

If you run ultramarathons long enough you will experience one or more of these phenomena.  Depending on how you feel on any given day you might seccumb to these and make the decision to stop running.  Conversely, you might fight through them and continue and hopefully finish the race.  A race official could make the decision for you and pull you.  Each and every one of these can result in exactly the following outcome:

You did not finish.

I've DNF'ed twice.  Once I was a complete wimp, didn't respect the distance and gave up on myself.  (KM 100).  In the other, I broke my toe (Farmdale 50).  In both instances I did not finish.  Neither felt good.  One felt humiliating.  Life went on.

I can promise you that if you run for a very long distance a voice in your head might try to convince you to give up.  That voice can be extremely convincing.  What might seem like a soreness can turn into a "possible stress fracture."  It's not hard to decide that you "don't want to jeopardize the rest of your racing season."  If you run long enough every single adverse condition listed above will hit you.  Whether or not someone seccumbs to them and DNF's is a personal decision.

Nonetheless, know this.  If you get on the start line and attempt to run an ultramarathon you are attempting to do something most people can never imagine doing and that is admirable.  You are, to some extent a badass.  If you DNF you aren't a wimp, or a loser, or a failure.  You're no better or worse than anyone else.  You just couldn't finish today.  There's no better reason.  Don't try to justify it.  Just take it for what it is:

You did not finish.

PRODUCTS I USE

PRODUCTS I USE

I have several go-to products that I use for racing and heavy training that I want to promote.  They really helped me and I want you to know how, and what they can do for you.  I haven't received anything in exchange for doing this.  (though I would love to in the future).  I will continue to use these products even if the company in question makes fun of me.  (I am talking about you HOKA). 

1.     Hoka One One Shoes

I run almost exclusively in Hokas.  I have been for a little over a year.  The first time I saw them was at the North Country 50 last August.  My niece pointed them out to me and said "you should have shoes like that!"  I bought a pair of Stinson Tarmac's (shown above on the left) for the Chicago Lakefront 50/50 which I was going to run the 50 mile option, all on pavement.  I was shocked at how soft they were.  I should caution than for the first few weeks while I was breaking them in I was sore in the hips in a way that I had not been previously sore before.  Nonetheless, my legs, knees and hips felt great.  I ran a 8:22 at that race.

I had originally decided that I would keep a pair of Hokas "in my toolbox" for long races.  That was a lie.  Once I ran in Hokas I couldn't go back.  With very rare exception I always run in Hokas.

I use the Stinson Tarmac for road running and very easy trails.  They are my favorite shoe and I wear them whenever possible.  I can get around 500 miles out of them, after which I still use them for short dog jogs until they scream out for retirement.

For medium trails, or for easy trails in snow or mud I wear the Stinson Trail (pictured above right).  I wore these exclusively for the Superior Trail 100.  I can get around 700 miles out of these shoes.

I also have a pair of Bondi B's which I wear for shorter road races and a pair of Mufate's which I wear on gnarly trails and in deeper snow.  I enjoy both, but the two pictured above are the ones I must have.

I have not suffered a major injury since I started wearing Hokas.  I have run about 3,000 miles in them and so far I can report that I have not noticed one bad thing about them.  If you ever want to be my best friend for life buy me a pair of Hokas:)

2.  Injinji Toe Socks

I have ugly feet.  (See previous blog entries).  I am prone to black toenails, calluses and other conditions.  It is a constant struggle to try to keep my feet in a good running condition.  The best solution I have found to date is the use of Injinji toe socks.  I know that they feel weird.  They are hard to get used to.  The are also hard to put on and take off....especially after running for several hours.  Nonetheless, I swear by them and they are worth every penny.

3.  Vitargo

I try to eat as low carb as possible.  I also avoid refined sugar when I am following my eating plan.  Nonetheless, when I run more than 50 miles I use Vitargo.  When added to water it makes a very thick drink that is a little unpleasant to get down the first time.  It is also a little tricky to mix.  This video helps with that:

when I drink a Vitargo it feels like I have been awoken from a death march (which is usually the case).  I have a sustained boost of energy, but most importantly, it feels like I have new legs...or at least revived muscles in my old ones.  I drink a Vitargo shake every ten or so miles after 50 miles.  I have never thrown it up and it has always helped.

4.   Justin's Nut Butters

I became very tired of Gells and Gu's while I was still running marathon distances.  The sugar and the sweetness didn't really agree with me.  To this day I avoid them unless I have no choice or I am in a strange circumstance.  When I am following my standard eating plan I avoid refined carbohydrates and sugars.  As such, I spent some time looking for a food that I could use like a Gell or Gu that was all natural and tasted good.  When I discovered these 1.15 oz. packets of almond butter I was in heaven.  They come in several flavors if you have a sweet tooth (chocolate, honey, maple and vanilla).  They also make a peanut butter and hazelnut butter.  This is good clean fuel that makes me run better and feel better than sticking sugar in my system.  As an added bonus Dovi LOVES them too....so if we get lost I have nutrition for him as well.  I highly recommend trying them, even if you are not on a carbohydrate restrictive eating plan.

5.  Arc'teryx

I use Arc'Teryx base layers, jackets, gloves and hats.  Their products are a little more expensive, but every single thing I have bought from them is awesome!  I especially like their cold weather gear.  My Arc'Teryx jackets have saved my life on the cold winter trails.

SUPPORTING OTHERS

My blog has been quiet for some time because I have been recovering, taking it easy and because I have had a lot on my mind.  I recently proposed some changes to my ultra running group and I was a bit surprised and disappointed by the responses of many of them.  This weekend reminded me of one of the main things that attracts me to ultra running as opposed to road running.  We support each other.

This weekend I had the opportunity to run in the Farmdale 50 in southern Illinois.  Due to the government shutdown the race had to be changed to a new location at the last minute.  An unknown course.  Bow hunters near the race.  7 loops instead of 5.  No one cared.  People actually showed up to register on race day in spite of these "complications."

My friends Katerina Claiborne and Tony Silvestri were going to be attempting their first 50 mile race at Farmdale.  It was a blast to ride down with them and listen to their concerns, fears and excitement about tackling a new and challenging distance in unknown conditions.  I got to share my pre-race podcast with them and work out a good race strategy.  They both rolled with the punches, they didn't get psyched out, they dove headfirst into the unknown.  They impressed me greatly.

The vibe at Farmdale was unbelievable.  Good people, good friends and a great trail.  My friend Paul Wilkerson spent the day manning the only aid station (often by himself) and I know that without him neither Kat nor Tony would have made it to the finish.  It was a bit warm and and trail seemed a bit difficult to me.  I had a three-fold tragedy involving some late night Olive Garden, some friends (and RD's) who kept me up wayyyyy too late and a toe that went black and blue.

Ouch.

I pulled out at mile 30 with a  DNF.  It did not bother me one bit.  I kept true to my promise to myself during Farmdale - no more suffering in 2013.  I located my bag of Cheetos, my M&M's and my lawn chair and I plunked myself at the finish line to spend the next five hours cheering for other runners.

Let me digress for a second to tell you about my last DNF.  Kettle Moraine 100 in June 2013.  I quit that race (purportedly) because: 1) I wasn't having fun; 2) I had nothing to prove; and 3) I didn't have a good enough reason to finish.  This is of course all total BS.  I was a selfish wimp.  To add insult to injury I committed one of the cardinal sins of ultra running.  I left.  I missed seeing my friends finish.  Some of them finishing their first 100 mile race.  I can tell you honestly in retrospect that the second biggest regret in my running career was pulling out of that race.  The biggest regret - was not being at that finish line.  I don't think I will ever forgive myself for that.

Some of the friends I abandoned at KM 100.  

Tony and Kat both had heroic performances.  They both finished their first 50 miler.  I am so glad I was there to help and to cheer.

Tony Silvestri - 50 Mile finisher

Katerina Claiborne - 50 Mile finisher!

 You both knock me out!

Sunday I spent watching the Chicago Marathon.   I had a total of 37 people on my list to cheer for.  I did not see them all, but I was glad to see as many as I did.  I am proud of all of those who tried, who finished and who couldn't because of injury.

I am extremely proud of my best friend Aaron German.  He has been training his ass off for a year on the lakefront path with the hope of finishing sub 3 hours.  I was reading a book by Tim Noakes the week of the marathon which took the position that telling someone they CAN do something increases their chances of doing so.  On Friday I did the unthinkable.  I told Aaron he would run 2:50-2:55.  He ran a 2:53.  Although I  didn't run one step I am still calling that an assist.  Good job Aaron....you knock me out.

I still have a lot on my mind.  Many people didn't bother to go out and cheer for the runners.  Many people finished Farmdale, picked up their award, and went home.   I saw a lot of litter on the trail.  We cannot turn into a sport for the selfish or the self-absorbed.  What I love about this sport is that we realize that we can't do it alone.  The race doesn't happen without the RD's.  No one could finish the distance without the AS volunteers.  We need pacers, and crew members and donations and volunteers.  We need people to stick around and cheer.  We need to teach newcomers about the traditions and culture of this sport.  We are a community and a family.  Once we lose that, everything that is special about this sport is gone forever.  These is nothing more disappointing to me than a self absorbed runner.  ESPECIALLY when it is me.