Rocky Raccoon 100

Back in October as I was running the Arkansas Traveller 100, I kept asking myself what the hell I was doing.  I didn’t have to pick a 100 miler to qualify for Western States.  I could have taken the “easy way out” and picked a 50 miler or a 100k.  I whined to myself for a while and then just got my ass in gear and finished the race in a personal best time, dropping my PR from 23:50 (Antelope Island) to 23:37.  I told myself that I was going to lay off the 100’s for a while and do 50’s until I qualified and was drawn for Western States.  Yeah, that lasted all of about a couple of days.  Shortly thereafter, I developed kidney stones and had to have surgery to remove them which shut down my running for a few weeks.  I then got to run a bit during the last week of November, and knowing that I would be able to train well in December with a good portion of the miles being back home in Boise on awesome trails, I decided to register for the Bandera 100k. After a very solid month of training in December, I felt very confident about racing Bandera but during the week of the race I got bronchitis.  It took a lot of self- restraint to bow out of the race, but I am sure it was the right decision.  After Bandera was over, as I sat on the couch pissing and moaning about missing the race I came across a post by Joe Prusaitis on Facebook discussing the possibility of re-opening the registration for Rocky Raccoon which had been filled for quite some time.  Without thinking, I sent an email to Joe requesting the opportunity to register.  After a short while, I came to my senses and thought, “what the hell did I just do?”  I then basically thought that I wouldn’t get in anyway, so no harm no foul.  I was definitely wrong about this.  Joe sent me a special invite link the next morning and again without thinking, I signed up.  This happened 19 days prior to the race.  Taking on a 100 miler with little more than 2 weeks’ notice, after being sick, run down from work and no runs in the 20+ mile range in over a month?  What did I get myself into?

I typically set three goals for each race that I sign up for.  Each goal is a threshold for the next.  If one is achievable, move on to the harder one.  And then on to the next hardest one, and so forth.  For this race, my goals came in this order:

  1.)   Finish the damn race

2      2.)    Continue my streak of sub 24 hour finishes at this distance

3      3.)    Break my PR

I didn’t want to set my goals too high, considering how undertrained I felt.  I’m happy with my choice for this race.  Knowing that Rocky Raccoon is classified as one of the easier 100 mile courses gave me some additional confidence about finishing, but not that much.

Loop 1: Mile 0-20

I lined up at the starting line with far more people than any of my previous 100’s.  Antelope Island had 34 finishers (Not sure how many started) and Arkansas Traveller had 101 starters of which 80 finished.  I didn’t worry about placement in the group, and I still don’t know if I wish I did or not.  The first 5 miles were so congested that I was worried about stepping on others and also being stepped on by them.  As the pack thinned out I began breaking into a comfortable pace without paying any attention to my garmin.  I ran for a while with a guy named Juan who said he used to be a pretty serious 100 miler, having run Western States, Leadville, and a few others.  He was just getting back in to running this distance again and seemed to be moving along pretty well.  It was really good conversation but we parted ways I think around mile 8 or so.  I continued running down the trail getting a little more gutsy as the sun rose and I could negotiate the rooted trails with little concern.  At some point probably around mile 14, I met up with another runner named Cory who was running his first 100.  He had been a pretty accomplished athlete completing several Ironman triathlons in all distances.  At one point after about 3 miles, he said “holy shit, we have been doing 9 minute pace!  I am going to hammer back a bit and save what I can for later”.  I then saw that my average pace for the loop was right around 10 minutes per mile which didn’t seem too out of the ordinary so I wished Cory well and kept on down the trail clicking off miles until I finished loop 1 in 3:11:45.  I felt like it was too risky for me to run this pace so I decided that I would take the next loop much easier.  I took my time at the main aid station going through my drop bag for supplies before heading out for my next loop.  I got to talk to Christy for a few minutes which was a nice boost and then I took off, back out on the trail for more looptastic fun.  (I hate loop courses)

Loop 2: Miles 21-40

It was a little after 9am when this loop started and it felt like the temperature had risen a lot already.  I had changed from a long sleeve to a short sleeve at the start which was definitely the right choice.  The first few miles were pretty uneventful, aside from dodging oncoming runners who were on their way in to finish their first loop.  As with pretty much all of my ultras to date, I began to feel like death right around the marathon point at 26 miles.  Knowing that I could expect this, I planned to eat extra food the next aid station to try and avoid the worst of it.  I kept pushing forward, clicking off mile by mile and listening to some Skrillex on my mp3 player.  This helped break me out of my funk until around mile 33.  At this point, I began hating everything about what I was doing.  I began looking for excuses to bail on the race.  No matter what I did, I could not manage to shake the negative shit that was going on inside my head.  Needless to say, the next 4 miles were some of the worst for me during this race.  At about mile 37, I bumped in to Christy on the trail which was a nice boost for me.  We didn’t get to talk long, but it was nice.  Around the same time, I caught up to a runner that I had been playing leapfrog with for most of the loop.  His name was Alex.  He had seemed strong all morning, but at this point was hobbling gingerly down the trail.  I asked him how he was doing and he said he was struggling with some pain in his hips and groin, apparently an injury he had been dealing with for the last few months or so.  I tried to give him words of encouragement, especially when he told me that he had already made up his mind to drop at mile 40.  This helped to turn things around for me.  I decided that I would keep pushing and I had no intention of my first DNF being on an “easy” course like Rocky.  I finished loop 2 with a split of 4:05:54, which was much more in line with what I felt was much more sustainable for me.  I feel bad for Alex dropping at mile 40, but he certainly helped motivate me to keep going so for that I thank him.

Loop 3: Miles 41-60

When I left for loop 3, I had intentions of pushing really hard to get to the 50 mile mark in a PR time.  I reached the 50 mile point at AI in around 10:45.  I further improved this time at AT, in about 10:17.  I felt like I should be able to break 10 hours without doing anything too stupid.  My legs were feeling strong.  Actually, a lot stronger than I expected them to feel.  What was lacking was the desire to utilize how strong they felt.  I tried switching songs, singing, yelling and so on to try and snap me out of my funk.  Nothing seemed to help until I latched on to a runner (didn’t catch his name) who seemed to be cruising along really well.  His pace was quicker than I had been running, but not so quick that it was impossible to keep up.  Leeching off his pace, I finished the first 50 miles in about 9:35.  This is a bit of an adjustment actually, as my garmin fritzed out a bit cutting 2 miles off the first loop.  Whatever, I finished the first 50 in sub 10 which was a victory for me.  I tried to piggy back off of this success for the next several miles, but I started to realize that my feet were really starting to hurt.  This was the longest continuous run for me in minimalist shoes (MT110) and my feet were letting me know that I was an idiot.  I decided to forget about it until I got to mile 60 and could change into something with a little more cushion, like my Brooks Pure Grit.  The remainder of the loop was pretty uneventful really. I walked a bit more to take it easy on my sore feet and also to not risk injury by tripping over the many tree roots on the course.  I think this was a wise choice.  I ended up finishing the loop in 4:30:16 which seemed pretty damned respectable.  I looked for Christy, but she was nowhere to be found at the start/finish line.  I continued to replace my supplies for a few extra minutes after I changed my shoes and was off for more fun.  Except fun was (unbeknownst to me) a long way off.

Loop 4: Miles 61-80

I was able to run only the first couple of miles without having to turn on my headlamp.  Once the sun went down, so did my mood.  I really felt like I struggled with this loop.  Every single person that I encountered running toward me was a hated individual in my eyes.  In my head, all I could think was that they were about to finish and I was stuck out here doing 2 more damn loops.  I guess this lasted until I ended up at Dam Nation.  Very few words were spoken at the aid station 3 miles in, but the folks at Dam Nation had so much positive energy that it was infectious.  Early on in the race, I think it was Juan who told me that Dam Nation was like an oasis.  He wasn’t kidding.  My attitude slowly improved although my pace slowed.  I didn’t really care a great deal about my pace at this point since I was still in for several more hours.  That is unless I could get myself to drop for the first time in my (short) running career.  I found myself searching for excuses and justifications to drop.  Issues with my kidney, the odd knee pain that I hadn’t ever had to deal with but had started and was worsening each step, blah blah blah.  Reasons that could be realistic, but altogether nothing bad enough to get me to do so.  I hate the idea of giving up and failing at anything.  My feet were feeling better after the shoe change and I adjusted my approach for the remaining miles.  I decided that I would walk all the uphills regardless of how steep and that I would run the downhills and flats no matter how bad it hurt.  The only exception would be the areas that were very rooted. I would walk these sections carefully.  I wanted to lessen the chance of injury so I would make no exceptions for these rules during loop 4.  I wasted a fair bit of time at the aid stations eating and sitting.  There is not much more to say about this loop except for the fact that I finished in 4:55:37.

Loop 5: Miles 81-100

I took my time putting on tights, which I hoped would help shut down the knee pain that I was feeling.  I was hoping that I would bump into Christy since I hadn’t seen her since mile 37 or so.  I filled my bottle, stuffed the remaining gels I would need into my vest and I was off.  I knew that I was in good shape to finish and achieve all of my goals, but I would likely slow quite a bit and get drowsy.  I decided that I was going to have to stick to the same rules that I did in loop 4, except for hike the uphills harder, run the downhills and flats harder and spend only enough time at the aid stations to fill my bottle and grab food to eat as I walked out.  My legs were holding up ok, but getting heavier and heavier which would cause me to trip over the rocks and roots on the trail.  Just before I tripped for really the first time in the race at mile 89, I was thinking that I just might get through a 100 miler without losing the toe nail that had just grown back in.  Then I jammed my right big toe on a tree root…..HARD.  I stumbled, caught myself and kept moving forward.  I was generating some pretty impressive strings of curses that would have made even my Grandpa proud.  It was also right about this time that I dropped the handheld light I was carrying to supplement my headlamp and it broke.  Fortunately, a couple of runners helped light the way as I salvaged the batteries and exchanged them for the dying batteries in my headlamp.  It was just enough to light my way for the next 10 miles.  As I moved along the trail, I suddenly realized that this was not only about to be my 3^rd 100 mile finish, but my 3^rd finish in less than 12 months.  I felt a sudden rush of adrenaline and I began running as hard as I could.  I refused to look at my watch and only listened for the beep that reminded me that I had clicked off another mile.  I ran harder and harder.  During the last couple of miles, I passed several runners who cheered me on as I did the same for them in return.  My lungs burned but my legs no longer hurt.  As I came into the final straightaway leading to the finish chute, I screamed as loud as I could.  I got closer and closer to the finish and saw that I was going to finish in less than 22 hours.   I heard the beep as I crossed the timing mat in 21:46:16, a personal best by nearly 2 hours.  I was so happy and relieved that I was laughing out loud and nearly crying at the same time.  I received my buckle, handed in my timing chip and called my day complete.

Post- Race Thoughts:

I am still quite surprised at how this race shaped up.  I am really pleased with my pacing, except for going out too fast on the first loop.  I guess I have no way of knowing if it was more of a benefit to bank the time in the first loop, or if I could have made up the time over the course of the remaining loops.  I am disappointed in myself that I sat down frequently at Dam Nation during loops 3 and 4.  If I had not done this, I might have been able to finish closer to or even less than 21 hours flat.  I am still having some knee pain that doesn’t feel like residual soreness.  I hope something isn’t torn. Aside from that, I have recovered really fast.  The race was organized incredibly well which is no surprise considering the other races Joe has put on.  Course markings were very clear as well.  Very good food offering at the aid stations. I really enjoyed the course, though this likely isn't a race that I will seek out doing again.  Flat loop courses definitely aren't my preference.  I do need to figure out my race schedule for the rest of the year though.  I would really like to get 2 more 100's in this year.  Possibly one in May or June, followed by one in October or November.  Gotta heal up first though.

Happy Running!

Antelope Island 100 Miler

Antelope Island Buffalo Run: My First 100 Miler

I will try to recap this with as much detail as possible, but who knows how well I will do at it. 

Wednesday, March 21

I had to get to work early to try and get some things handled before I could take off early for the day and make it to the airport in time.  I had packed all of my gear two days prior, so I threw everything in the truck and worked hard until 2:15 when I absolutely had to leave.  After some wrong turns, I made it to the car lot and parked, thinking I was going to miss the shuttle to the airport.  Fortunately, the driver was right there when I locked the doors.  When I checked in for my flight, there was a prompt saying that I would get my seat assignment at the gate.  I immediately panicked, thinking that I was going to miss the flight and would be screwed.  Long story short, at the gate I was given an alternate route home, First Class accommodations,  meal vouchers and a $400 dollar travel voucher  just for being willing to leave 2 hours later, get home 30 minutes earlier and have only one stop instead of two.  Win.  I got home and had the best night of sleep I had had in the last month.

Thursday, March 22

I woke up early and did some work from home.  After that, we went and picked up food, S-Caps, and some other things and hit the road.  Christy, Linda and I ate McDonalds on the way, and made it to Layton with no issues, and great time.  We went to Striders for packet pickup and then out to the island to check things out.  The island was beautiful.  We saw some buffalo rolling in the dirt, fighting and crapping.  We snagged a geocache for Christy, and then we headed back into town for some dinner.  We ended up eating at the Olive Garden, which turned out to be pretty decent fuel wise.  After that, we went back to the hotel and I nervously fidgeted with all of my race gear, either ignoring or entertaining Christy and Linda.  I crashed out at about 10pm, but I woke up at least 3 times throughout the night to go to the bathroom, pace around the room or recover from nightmares.

Friday, March 23

Race day was upon me.  We got up and ate some breakfast downstairs.  I ate blueberry muffins, and bananas.  Nothing else sounded appealing to me.  We went back up stairs and I had to go to the bathroom probably 4 times.  All I could think of was “Good, get it all out now so there are no problems on the trail”.  Sis and Tyler showed up at 10:15 or so which was a relief and we were on our way out to the island.  I got to take some pictures with Tate and Christie, and before I knew it, we were on our way.  I had kind of thought that Tate, Christie and I might run together for a while, but I think we were all just in our zones and following our own grooves.

Base to Elephant Head Out and Back/Loop Section – 19 miles

I really tried hard to walk the uphills in this section, but it was really hard for me after not really being able to run trails for the last month.  In my head I was thinking that I needed to do all I could on the uphills because I expected my IT band to act up on the downhills and everything later in the race.  I took it as easy as possible.  There were really only a couple of memorable things about this section in the race.  The first was when I was returning from the out and back section (3 miles total, from 5.5 – 8.5 or so) and running into Karl Meltzer.  I was shocked, because I realized that he had down the loop portion first which meant that he was already like 6 miles ahead of me.  Ridiculous.  The next was how shocked the aid station attendants were at how fast I moved in and out of the aid stations.  I made it a goal to get in and out, only filling bottles and grabbing a handful of food on the way.  I am certain that I spent less than a minute in the station for all three times that I passed through it.  As I descended down I was feeling good, so I opened up my stride and cruised down to the base in 3:20 minutes.  I didn’t have a plan for this section, but I was feeling great at the bottom.

Base to Mountain View/Out and Back/Mountain View – Mile 19-23

From base, you run less than a mile down the road to the next aid.  They attendants actually just wave you on through the OAB and catch you on the return.   I remember not liking the OAB section.  Not sure why, but oh well.  At Mountain View, they had peeled oranges which I was very grateful for.  I filled my bottle and pushed on. 

Mountain View to Lower Frary – Mile 23-27.4

I hated this section with a passion.  The trail is in poor shape for a good portion which had me worrying that I would injure myself by rolling an ankle or something.  My pissy attitude was a prelude to my worst attitude of the race which came exactly at the marathon mark, 26.2.  I emerged from the trail to find Sis telling me about a charging buffalo and runners fearing for lives and she told me to cut across the field to dodge a surly hairy bastard.  My stomach started bothering me really bad just then, and I felt like I was being stabbed in the lower abdomen and then rectum with a giant knife.  The pain was actually pretty excruciating, which says a lot considering my pain tolerance.  My legs then began to feel really weak and unsteady.  As I hiked across the field and over the ridge, I was wondering how I would be able to finish the race if I were feeling like this after only running for 27 miles.  At that point I met Christy on the trail who was taking my picture and I wasn’t really happy about it.  I checked in at the aid station and immediately sat down in the portapotty for what felt like 20 minutes.  Not sure how long it really was, but I know that my legs were shaking terribly, and my stomach was not behaving well.  I kept hearing people outside the door needing to use the portapotty, so I got out and took a chair for what felt like another 20 minutes.  I decided that I just needed to get up and quit bitching about having stomach problems to everyone around me and get down the trail. 

Lower Frary to Ranch – Mile 27.4 to 33

During this section, was the only time that I ran and had a conversation with anyone.  I met another 100 mile first timer named Shawn and we ran together for probably 4 miles.  We crossed the 50k point at 6:20 and it was a PR for both of us.  We made it to the aid station and ate some broth and other things.  Shawn was running barefoot or with harachi type sandals for the previous section and was tending to his feet.  I told him that I needed to get a head start and I was sure he would catch me.  This was actually the last time I would see him for probably 15 hours.

Ranch to Lower Frary – Mile 33-38.7

I changed my music before leaving the aid station and it couldn’t have been a better move.  I threw on some Skrillex and when “Bangarang” come on, I was like a brand new runner.  I didn’t have to run/walk very much anymore, and I just felt like I was flying down the trail.  Before I knew it, I was cruising in to Lower Frary, and I felt like I made up a ton of time.  My family was surprised at how fast I made it in, so I was pleased.  I used the bathroom again here, and then I was off to finish the first loop.

Lower Frary to Mountain View – Mile 38.7-44

I was really pissy again having to run this section in the dark.  I made it though, and sat down for a bit at the aid station to enjoy two cups of broth and some oranges.  I found myself just admiring the stars and realized that if I didn’t get moving, I might sit for too long and have troubles.  I got up and on the road. 

Mountain View to Lakeside TH to Base – Mile 44-50

I feel like to steepest climb is about a 50 yard section coming out of Mountain View.  I wasn’t stoked, but I hiked the hell out of it.  Just as I got to the top, there were several people cheering me on which was a nice treat.  I pushed on.  I made it to Lakeside rather quickly and filled my bottle up and grabbed some foodstuffs and pressed on.  I tried a boiled potato, but it tasted like crap so I avoided it the rest of the way.  Lakeside Trail is a pretty fun trail and I am sure I would like it even more in the daylight and on fresh legs.  I jammed my right big toe on a rock really damn hard at around mile 47.  I think I almost pissed my pants from the pain.  I kept pushing and got startled by a little bunny rabbit maybe a mile later.  I cruised into the halfway point at about 10:35.  I couldn’t believe that I had shaved nearly an hour and a half off my PR for the 50 mile distance.  I walked into the tent, and didn’t see my crew anywhere, which upset me a bit, but I shrugged it off and sat for a bit to drink chocolate milk and eat some broth.  The entire aid station was remarking at how well I looked.  I was feeling pretty awesome really, but I couldn’t help but wonder where my family was.  I finally decided to go look for them, and I found them taking a rest in the cars.  I grabbed my bag and headed back to the tent to change clothes and put on my ankle braces.  I visited with the family for a short bit, and then took off into the night to begin my journey again.

Base to Elephant Head Out and Back/Loop Section – Miles 50-69

I found myself running a lot more hills in the second half of the course than in the first.  I was feeling really good, and decided to keep pushing the pace as long as I was feeling solid.  I was having a ton of fun and I ended up making it up to the first base relatively quickly. (At least it seemed that way)  I was feeling really energetic all night until around 3:30 to 4:00, when I started to get really tired.  Before I knew it, I was staggering all across the trail.  After some time, I found myself sitting on a rock nearly falling asleep.  I think I may have dozed off but I can’t be certain.  I heard some footsteps and looked up to see some headlamps coming toward me.  It was just what I needed to shake myself out of my daze, and get moving.  I pushed really hard and cruised down the mountain for the last 4 miles.  I made it in to the base where I was treated to some chocolate milk and pancakes.  I would have never thought that I would be eating pancakes and syrup in the middle of a 100 mile run. Apparently, I was the only one who could handle pancakes and syrup.  After some time, I decided I needed to get a move on.  I think it was about this point where my sister said; “hey, you only have 30 miles to go!”  I think I followed this up with a very sarcastic laugh, and headed out into the darkness.

Base to Mountain View/Out and Back/Mountain View – Mile 69-73

I didn’t like this section any more than I did the first time that I went through. 

Mountain View to Lower Frary – Mile 73-77.4

I really took it slow as I navigated the trail in this section.  As I was running this section, I was trying to decide if I wanted a pacer.  It was definitely lonely.  I hadn’t encountered a runner in a very long time, and I was dreading the last mile before Lower Frary.  It was dark, and I was nervous about running into the heard of buffalo that had charged the runners the night before.  While I would have liked the company, I decided that I wanted to get through this on my own without having someone having to push me down the trail.  I made it in to Lower Frary and had some broth before I headed off down the trail.

Lower Frary to Ranch – Mile 77.4-83

It was during this portion of the run that the sun came up, and I felt invigorated.  After several miles running at 12-13 minutes per mile, I decided to pick up the pace a bit.  I hit a couple of 11 ish minute miles and then the last mile into Ranch was sub 10 minutes.  It is funny to think that that felt like the equivalent of running a 6 minute mile.  My legs were starting to get pretty tired and energy levels were dropping.  Either way, it was a small victory in my book.  I didn’t sit down at the aid station.  Just grabbed a couple of orange slices and peanut butter and jelly sandwich and got right back out on the trail.

Ranch to Lower Frary – Mile 83-88.7

It felt like I passed quite a few runners in this section who were on their way out to the Ranch.  I did see Tate, and it was really cool to see that he was still on the move and looked like he was hanging in there.  I remember getting really hot with about a mile until Lower Frary so I took my shirt off mid run.  I started laughing actually, because I was thinking about how impressed I was that I didn’t trip and fall while stripping and running.  I also thought that it was a good idea that I come in to the aid station ready to get out and get moving.  I knew that I was still able to finish in less than 24 hours, but I knew it was going to be close.  I came in to the station and everyone was surprised that I had my shirt off and that they didn’t even realize it was me until I came up to them.  I changed my shirt, filled my bottles and pushed on.  I think I was in the station less than 2 minutes.

Lower Frary to Mountain View – Mile 88.7 – 94

Coming up and over the little hill out of Lower Frary, I saw that the buffalo were back in the same spot that they were when they charged the runners the previous day.  In fact, one was standing right on the trail I was supposed to run on.  I ended up cutting across the field, and ran on the road to avoid them.  After I crossed the street and got on to the trail, I ran in to Christie, Connor and Jeremy.  Christie was still moving and I was happy to see it.  She gave me a hug, and I told her to keep on keepin’ on and that she could do it.  At about this point, I started to encounter all of the 50 mile and 50k runners.  It really sucked actually.  I kept having to step off the trail to let them pass.  They seemed kind of pissy that I was coming in the opposite direction.  Oh well, occasionally one of the runners would step aside and tell me that I was looking good. At mile 91, my Garmin died, and I switched over to my backup.  Unfortunately, the data wouldn’t be saved.  Lame business. I made it in to the aid station and wasted no time getting out.  Just filled my bottle and thanked the aid station volunteers and took off.  6 miles to go.  6….miles…. to…..go.

Mountain View to Lakeside TH to Base- Mile 94-100

At this point in the race, I started to realize that I was going to finish, and I was sure of it.  Before this, I kept thinking that something bad was going to happen to prevent me from finishing.  It had felt like to this point, it was easier than it was supposed to be.  I kept moving and as I hit the short road section, I looked back and I saw that there were two ladies behind me and I felt like Gordy Ainsleigh when he got it in his head that no horses were going to pass him in the last section.  I picked up the pace and pushed through the prairie and down to the Lakeside TH aid.  I screamed out my number as I was approaching, and they asked what I needed.  I yelled out “Nothing!  I gotta keep moving!”  They told me to go on and I blazed through.  (Yeah right)  Occasionally, I would like back and it seemed like no matter how hard I ran the ladies were right behind me.  I was navigating the trail as best as I could trying not so stub my toes on the rocks.  As I came out on to the road with 1 mile to go, and old man gave me crap, saying that I shouldn’t be walking in a race.  I laughed and started running.  I did not stop until I crossed the finish line.  As I turned the last corner, two guys told me I was going to break 24 hours and I was so happy.  As I neared the tent and the finish line, I saw my Dad and the rest of my family and I tried to hold it together emotionally as I crossed the finish line.  100 miles.  The announcer said this to the crowd and tears welled up in my eyes.  I was given my buckle and was swarmed with hugs from my family.  I sat down and enjoyed some chocolate milk and buffalo stew.  As I write this, it sounds like a terrible combination.  After I took my shoes off, I took the obligatory post 100 foot pics and I was pleased and disappointed at the same time.  I was happy for taking good care of myself, but upset that I didn’t end up with more battle scars.  We hung out at the finish line for a while, but when I realized that I was getting sunburnt, I decided that I wanted to go back to the hotel.  We packed up everything and took off.  I fell asleep in the car, but woke up when we got back to the hotel.  It was at this point that I really realized that my ankle was hurting.  Bad.  I took a shower and then tried to eat the Panda Express that Christy and Linda got for me.  One thing I have noticed about me is that after ultra runs, everything seems to be too spicy for me to eat.  It is ridiculous that I can’t eat orange chicken after a race.  I ate 2 bites, and went to sleep.  I remember sleeping off and on for the next few hours and visiting with Christy Linda and Sis in between naps.

The Aftermath

Well it is two weeks post-race, and tomorrow I will get back to training.  Not sure what I am training for, but I am finished with my self imposed running exile.  I had noticed that my ankle was more swollen than when I injured it years ago.  Kind of ridiculous really.  I also have my first black toenail from jamming my toe on the rock at around mile 47.  Other than that, no troubles.  I am really pleased that I was able to complete the race and I am still in awe that I was able to finish based on the amount of time I have been running.  I started running on May 3, 2010, and in less than two years I earned my first buckle.  I can’t wait to see what else I can achieve with my running.  I was thinking that I might lose the desire when I finished, but I find myself just as motivated as ever.  Unfortunately, it looks like I will have to stick to shorter road races for a while.  I am already missing the trails in Idaho.  I would like to run some more of the ITUS this summer, but I don’t know how I would be able to train properly for it while living here in Texas.  I guess we will see.  I am very grateful that I was able to have the support of my family through all of this.  I really appreciate the sacrifices that they make to allow my follow my dreams and I know that it would be very hard if not impossible to do this without them.  I love you all.

Wilson Creek Frozen 50k

I remember being very excited about this race when it was first announced a while back.  I remember being excited about having a race early in the year to help keep me excited about my training.  Thinking that this race was only the beginning of what I imagined would be an awesome series to fill my year with races was something that has kept me excited since I finished my race season last year.  Then, I decided to accept the job in Texas and that changed everything.  This race would likely be the last race in Idaho for me for a while.  I was happy with my training, and I believed that I could have a nice result.  Then...  I got sick.  And then....  the weather got shitty....  really shitty.

I decided to run this race no matter how bad I felt.  "Quit" is not in my vocabulary.  I told myself that I just wanted to finish, and I would be happy with it.  I stood in the crowd of anxious runners who had the guts to show up and I suddenly realized how much I would be giving up running wise in order to take the job in Texas.  It sucks to think about.  As the shotgun blasted, we all took off.  I basically walked for the first mile, as I was stuck in a tight group.  I figured it wouldn't be a problem and that I would be able to catch up later.  This wasn't really the case, but I kept a steady pace of walking when it made sense and running when I could.  I was happy that I brought my trekking poles, as they made it a lot easier to keep steady in the mud and slippery conditions.  The trails were in worse shape than I could imagine.  I thought that the Dry Creek Half Marathon was bad, and it had absolutely nothing on this.  I made my way up to the summit at Wilson Peak and it was snowing.  Pretty hard actually.  I remember getting pelted in the eyes by hail which was annoying.  I just kept thinking that this was the type of race that builds character.  I would need races like these in order to build the mental toughness that I will need to finish at Antelope Island in March.  I reached the summit and turned around immediately and started the descent and I quickly realized how much extra energy I had expended slogging up the mountain.  My legs felt heavy and nearly worthless to me.  I just kept repeating in my head..  "Relentless.....Forward.....Progress".  Then, my knee started acting up which is typically what happens to me on the downhill portion of the 20 mile loop.  I had hoped that with my training, the trekking poles, and being taped up would keep that pain in check but I was wrong.  It began to hurt worse and worse, to the point that I started to consider dropping at the end of the loop.  I just kept pushing, knowing that one way or the other, I had to get down off of the mountain on my own two feet.  My energy levels were down, my knee was killing me, and I felt like I couldn't breathe.  Even so, I kept moving forward repeating my mantra over and over.  As I entered the aid station at mile 18 or so, I realized that the worst of the race was over.  I left the aid station with a smile on my face and a renewed confidence.  I ran nearly the rest of the way into the aid station and was greeted by Holly and Brian from the Pulse who filled my pack and gave me oranges.  Then some guy came over and started asking me if I was ok and hassled me about whether I was delirious or not.  It pissed me off then, and pisses me off now.  I am sure that I was lucid and able to go on, and I am also sure that he was just doing his job and caring for me.  I just can't imagine that I looked that bad.  With my pack replenished, I headed off to finish my race.

I started off down the trail feeling pretty strong, and just waiting for the trail to turn to shit.  It didn't take long, as the next 4 miles were nothing but lame slogging up trails.  As I reached the Rocky Road aid station, I was excited to see Christy and Linda.  I felt my pack and knew that I had enough water to go on.  I got a sandwich and some peanut butter balls and tried to get a hug from Christy but she wasn't having it, so I just took off, knowing that I could damn near smell the barn from here.  I felt like I started making up some time on the next section, but I was a little uneasy on the trail that was littered with rocks.  I decided to play it safe and walk a lot of the way until the trail mellowed out.  When it did, I looked down and was running at an 8:00/mile pace.  My knee hurt and I couldn't breathe, but I didn't care.  I saw the last aid station, and when I entered, I was once again accused of being delirious and got a little more pissed off.  I grabbed an orange, thanked the staff and took off for a nice run in the canyon.  As I was running through, I almost wanted to walk just to enjoy the scenery.  I walked more than was necessary, but I didn't really care.  As I was exiting the canyon, Tony Salazar scared the shit out of me.  I think I literally screamed like a girl.  Seemed like we came out of nowhere.  We walked together for the next .75 mile and he left me behind as he was able to run better than I could.  I didn't mind.  I was on my way to my first official 50k finish, and I was just pleased that I was able to gut it out and finish.  When I saw the finish line, I was elated.  I crossed at 8:30 with a final pace of 16:10 ish.

I can't say that I am happy with the time of the result.  It really felt slow, and I was disheartened when I saw that the winners of the race were more than three hours faster than me.  Conditions or not, I should be stronger than than that.  Hopefully, I can overcome these issues in my races later this year...  whichever they may be.

WIFMER

Well, where to start.  It has now been 2 weeks since the Wild Idaho Fifty Mile Endurance Run, and I am trying to compile my thoughts from leading up to the race, during and after.  I have more mixed emotions than I expected and writing this entry is way for me to get them out of my head so that I can move on from this experience. 

August 5, 2011 – Grandpa’s Birthday

I woke up very early on this day, and certainly did not feel like myself.  I felt like I didn’t know what to do or how to function.  This is generally common on these dates of importance, but this day was just different.  I decided that I had to get out of the house so I grabbed my discs and went and threw them at the park for a few hours and just tried to get my mind off of things.  When I returned, Linda showed up and we chatted about this and that and then went to the store to get the supplies that we needed for the weekend.  Shortly thereafter, Sara showed up and we finished packing up the CRV and waited for Christy to arrive.  We got some sandwiches and started the drive up to Silver Creek Plunge.  We decided not to be campers this weekend.  I always tend to do a lot of walking and working with camping chores and I wanted to be sure that I would have fresh legs for the epic race the next day.  After checking in we set up our stuff and headed down to Boiling Springs to meet with Sis and the kids before the pre-race meeting and then hang out a bit and hopefully talk with the other runners.  I still have a hard time talking with other runners.  I feel like I need to justify myself to them and I really shouldn’t.  Some people were commenting on how I appeared nervous, restless and uneasy.  I really didn’t feel like this, but I kept finding myself having these conversations in my head with Grandpa.  He wasn’t talking back, but I felt like there were a lot of things that I had to say to him.  One of them, apologizing for never saying goodbye to him the last chance I had before he passed away.  I was just in my own world for a while.  I finally snapped out of this and found myself talking with Mike Blessing and Emily Berriochoa and Mike was talking to me like I was going to do really well in the race and when he walked away, I told Emily that I thought he had me confused with someone else.  She then said I was hardcore and I made some comment about them not having seen me even run before, but she saw right through it.  After a little more visiting and watching the 100 milers begin their epic journey, we loaded into the CRV and headed back up to the Plunge to eat and rest for the next day.  After some dinner, pre-race prep, and some Phase 10, I got some sleep.

August 6, 2011 – Race Day

Part 1: Start at Boiling Springs Campground, finish at Boiling Springs Campground. 23.5 Miles - 6,466 feet of gain. 4:47

Lining up for the race was a very surreal feeling.  I had been preparing for this race since December, and to be moments away from the start and listening to Ben play the national anthem and to look over and see my family standing there at 6 in the morning to support me gave me chills.  Nobody seemed to want to line up at the front of the pack so I toed the line at the start with Tony Huff and I think Jeremy Humphries.  I had absolutely no plans to run with these guys, but I wanted to pump myself up and remind myself that I had taken what this course had to offer and that I was strong enough to conquer this race.  I kept a conservative pace and made sure to take my 30 second walk break every 5 minutes and it felt really good for the first 4ish miles until the first aid station.  The next couple of miles is a bit steeper, and I chose to run for .10 miles and walk for .05 miles and it worked really well.  I got up to the Silver Creek Lookout at nearly the same time as the 3^rd place runner which was surprising.  I started the decent and opened up my stride and it felt great to run downhill.  I did have to stop for a bathroom break, but I was nervous about offending someone on the trail so it was a very quick stop.  The decent back down to the Saddle was pretty uneventful, but I was looking forward to running the ATV trail down to FSR 671.  Still feeling good, I made it down to the aid station and got some nice laughs at the signs that were lining the road to the checkpoint.  I was still doing well on water and fuel, so I turned around and started back up the hill, once again adopting my .10/.05 run to walk ratio.  I didn’t feel like I needed it, but I wanted to be sure and conserve.  After all I planned on having to run for 13 hours straight.  On my way back up the trail, I encountered Wayne Rancourt who was the eventual 100 mile winner and he passed me with ease.  I still don’t get how some runners can crush these courses like this, but I remain confident that I can do so with more time and experience.  When I got back up to the saddle for the last visit, I checked in, filled my water, grabbed some gummi bears and was on my way.  I was feeling really great and ahead of schedule, anticipating an arrival at the Boiling Springs campground after around 4 hours and 25 minutes of running.  Unfortunately at around mile 18, I found myself not paying attention to my footing and I somehow rolled my ankle.  I immediately stopped running and walked very carefully for a bit to try and assess how bad off my ankle was.  I am no doctor, so I just started running and tried to ignore the pain and made it into Boiling Springs at 4:47 running time.  I passed Christy, Linda and Sara on my way in and then found my sister and dad all set up for me when I arrived.  My sister iced my ankle while I ate some Oreo’s and drank some more fluids and replenished my pack with water and fuel.  Fortunately, I remembered to get some sunscreen on.  I was definitely going to need it on the miserable journey that was ahead of me.  I decided that I was going to just keep going on my ankle and reevaluate after the initial climb up to the Skunk Creek aid station.  After a few hugs, and my Dad trying to comb my hair and I was off.

Part 2: Boiling Springs to Skunk Creek Summit. 7.7 Miles – 4,072 feet of gain - 3:10:20

In the beginning of this section, I was feeling pretty decent.  Ankle aside, I was not hurting, not feeling overly tired and was doing very well with hydration.  I think I could have been better about eating some more solid foods, but oh well.  I bumped into Ben Blessing a couple of miles up and he told me that I was in 5^th place and I was really shocked.  For a split second, I thought that I might be able to finish well, but after he left, I realized the truth. I was able to manage up the climbs in the section, but I wasn’t worth a damn on the downhills.  So much for making up any ground time wise.  When I made it up to Skunk Creek, I didn’t see what I expected.  Instead of an aid station, I saw Wayne Ebenroth and he directed me down a road that I wasn’t familiar with.  In my training, my GPS took me in a different direction so at first I was kind of rattled or pissed or something, but then I realized I was hungry and was just being a pansy.  When I got to the aid station I was happy to see my sister.  I didn’t know if she was going to be able to make it to the aid station but I’m glad she did.  She wrapped my ankle and took care of my feet.  My pack was replenished and I decided to press on to the next aid station to see if my ankle would hold up.  There was a lot of climbing to do which I knew that I could handle, but if you go up, you must come down.  I was hoping that the wrap on my ankle would provide me some comfort and let me run a little on the downhills.

Part 3: Skunk Creek Aid Station to East Mountain Lookout. 7 miles – 2,400 feet of gain – 3:00

Pressing on, I was happy to have some music to listen to.  For the majority of the race, I hadn’t talked with anyone except for at aid stations.  The music helped drown out the thoughts of doubt that were lingering in my head.  At one point, I found myself asking Grandpa for strength but I realized that it would be a futile request.  He would just tell to me to keep going and not complain.  When I got tired of hearing the same songs, I would stop the playback and reminisce on old times with Grandpa.  He had a lot of those “Grandpa” type of sayings; the statements that you would only hear him say.  At one point, when I stopped for a bathroom break, I remembered that when something went wrong, he would say: “Well shit, and fall back in it!” Given the circumstances, I finished up kept moving.  Another of his sayings was: “Don’t worry about the mule, just load the wagon.” Grandpa was the guy who could take everything that you could throw at him and more.  He would work incredibly long shifts doing physically intense work until he was in his seventies, and very few (if any) people could keep up with him.  If several big jobs kept coming his way, that would be his response.  As I was making my way up to the summit, I realized that the race was not going to let up.  It wasn’t going to get any easier.  In my head I thought; “don’t worry about me, I’ll take whatever you can throw my way.” After all, if this was easy, kids would be doing it.  (Another Grandpa saying)  When I started to see the other 50 milers, my spirits were bent but not broken.  I kept pushing and pushing through the roller coaster and the tree graveyard until I made it to the summit at East Mountain lookout.  When I got there, I re-wrapped my ankle and enjoyed a fantastic grilled cheese sandwich and questioned whether I would make it back to Skunk Creek.  I figured that I wasn’t going to get back down the mountain any way but on my own two feet, so I thanked the aid station staff for the hospitality and took off.

Part 4: East Mountain Lookout to Skunk Creek Aid Station. 7 miles – 1,500 feet of gain – 2:00

On the way down I passed Emily, who was only about 1 mile behind me in the race.  We talked for a minute or so and then it was time to keep on down the road.  I was listening to music again which gave me a little boost and after wrapping my ankle really tight I was actually able to run a little bit here and there.  I had been passed earlier by Charlie and Sam and I kept wondering if I might be able to catch up to them and maybe have some company or even pass them in the race.  Sam had mentioned that he was having some problems going to the bathroom which is a bad thing.  I hoped he was ok.  I was still feeling strong and my body was holding up well.  No cramping issues or anything.  I was very surprised after a bit to hear the voices of two men coming up behind me.  At first I thought I was starting to get delirious or something because I didn’t understand who it could be based on the people that I had already encountered on the trail.  The 50k runners didn’t have to do this section so I thought I was starting to hear things.  I then reevaluated my physical and mental condition to see if I was missing something obvious.  I was eating, drinking and taking s-caps on schedule, so what could be my problem?  It turned out that there was nothing wrong with me, but it was Sam and Charlie who had taken a wrong turn on the course and were catching back up to me.  We talked together for a bit before they took off and left me in the dust.  All I wanted was to be able to run again, but it wasn’t in the cards for me.  I ran when I could, and power walked the rest.  When I made it back to the Skunk Creek aid station, I was surprised at how well I was feeling and I decided that since I had come this far it would be stupid to quit now.  I ate some food, Sis rewrapped my ankle, and got ready for the last section of the race.  As I was getting ready to leave, Emily entered the aid station and suggested that we finish the last section together.  I told her that I would probably be holding her back but she didn’t care which was really cool. 

Part 5: Skunk Creek Aid Station to Boiling Springs Campground. 7.7 miles – 1,335 feet of gain – 2:45

Emily and I figured out that I wasn’t going to hold her back very much in this section.  Well, unless she was just being nice and helping me finish.  Like the rest of the race, I was still very strong on the up hill portions, but suffering on the down hills.  Emily appeared to be the opposite.  She could still cruise on the down hills, but I was able to keep up with her on the climbs.  I would like to think that we kept each other in check at this point.  I believe that she could have left me behind, but it was really awesome that she didn’t.  We shared some stories, griped and complained and talked about future races.  It was dark at this point which was made the list part of the race really cool, but we couldn’t imagine what the 100 milers had to go through, running nearly the entire first loop in the dark.  Even more, we couldn’t imagine how Jon Kinzer did it two nights prior solo and unassisted.  With perhaps 1.2 miles to go, we saw some odd lights up ahead.  To me, it looked like someone in a light suit doing the Party Rock Anthem shuffle.  I was wondering if someone was lost, or maybe if I was just seeing things.   It turns out that it was Charlie who had a pack with lights on it.  We passed him and came across a rubber boa on the trail which I had never heard of until just a few weeks prior.  Such an odd looking snake.  I stopped to take a picture and apparently, almost stepped on him.  The last mile seemed never ending.  I think that this was the only time where I started running out of gas.  Emily and I kept pushing and finally made it to the bottom and we started cheering and yelling when we saw the lights and people who were gathered at the finish.  The crowd cheered us on as we crossed the finish line together and received our finisher’s awards from Ben.  My family was waiting there for me and I took off my bib and held it to the sky to say thank you to my Grandpa.  I was done.

Part 6: The aftermath

Recovery has gone well.  I imagine it was due largely in part to the fact that I power walked the majority of the race.  Because of this, I don’t really feel like I can call myself an ultra runner.  I have decided that I am going to keep moving forward and attempt my first 100 miler in February at Rocky Racoon in Texas.  As long as my ankle holds up anyway.  Grandpa never quit a job until it was finished and neither will I.

Fit For Life Comparisons

was the 2011 Fit For Life Half Marathon, my first anniversary race in the half marathon distance.  The two races each have their own milestones attached and I felt that a blog was in order to compare the two.

Rewind back to July 10, 2010.  I had been running for two months and I was about to test myself in the first race that I actually trained for.  At this point in my running career, I had no clue what I was doing; little or no knowledge in training, eating, drinking or racing.  I set out on that morning running a much faster pace than I had planned or prepared for.  I remember at about 1.25 miles into the race a lady asked me what pace I wanted to run and I said 7:30.  She just scoffed and slowed down and let me run ahead until she passed me 2 or so miles later.  I never saw her again.  I remember wondering where the water stations were as I was running along the river, but only because I had read somewhere that you should drink water as you ran.  I ran by one aid station at around 5 miles and didn't drink but just kept on going.  At this point, I was still feeling pretty good.  Because the course is an out and back, I crossed the same aid station on the way back and got a cup of water this time.  I took a small sip, but felt like I couldn't drink so I just poured the rest on my head and cup on pressing forward.  At mile 10 I started to tank.  My arms were numb and tingly, my legs felt heavy, and my head didn't really feel like my own.  My throat was dry and I remember trying to save the saliva that was gathering in my mouth to try and have enough to wet my throat as I swallowed it.  A mile later, I forced myself into a faster pace and gutted the rest of the race out, finishing in 1:44:32 which is a 7:58 minute/mile pace.  I crossed the finish line exhausted.  I was dizzy, nauseous, and my legs were cramping very badly.  I found a quiet area and collapsed against the fence and tried to rest and compose myself.  When I spoke, I couldn't manage to say what I wanted to.  It all came out like babbling nonsense.  This kept on until I vomited.  Violently.  I figured this was just something I had to get used to in the running world.  I spent the rest of the day feeling like garbage.

Fast forward to July 9, 2011.  I have now run more than 1,500 miles.  I have run 3 5k's, 2 10k's, 5 half marathons, 1 30k, 2 marathons and a sprint triathlon.  I have learned a lot along the way, and I was going to put myself to the test in this race.  I lined up with the front runners of the group and we were off.  I started off at a quick pace, around 7:09 for the first mile, which included a 30 second walk break, which during long distances I take after every 5 minutes of running.  I use this time to force myself to control effort, rehydrate, and center myself for the next 5 minutes of running.  I was feeling fine and believing that all of my hard work was paying off.  Within the first 5 miles, I was already trying to calculate what type of time I could run, and I just tried to force the thoughts out of my head and just focus on proper hydration and form.  At the halfway point, I started to pick up my speed.  and decrease the walk breaks from 30 seconds down to 15.  I kept pushing the pace, as I was feeling strong and I was starting to reel in other runners that were starting to tank.  I knew there would be several, as I was one of those same people in the race last year.  At mile 10, I was was feeling fantastic.  I was keeping a quick pace and I was starting to cut out the walk breaks entirely.  I knew that I would be able to finish with a PR if I could just keep on going.  At mile 11 I started to open up my stride and really attack the course.  I passed Isaac Levi which really made me happy since there is just something about his attitude that I don't like.  I don't even know the kid, but something about his elitist attitude just gets at me.  He was really starting to tank.  As I emerged from the greenbelt, I saw another runner ahead of me, and I really dug in and blew past him with about 50 yards to go.  I was then bottle necked coming into the stadium, but I squeezed around the slower people and sprinted to a 1:31:16 finish. 13 minutes and 16 seconds faster than last year, and nearly 8 minutes faster than my PR from Zeitgeist in November.  I felt like I could have kept going and I knew that there would be no cramping, nausea, vomiting, or anything other than enjoying my 1st place finish for my age division.  I am very proud of what I have accomplished, and I can't wait to see what else I can do in the coming year.

As I write this entry, I find myself looking back at the pictures that were taken last year, and how amazing the differences are.

 Start of FFL 2010.  You can only see my head, but I started in the back of the pack, thinking it would be more respectful to the other runners.

 Finish of FFL 2010.  You can see all over my face that I am just beaten to shit.  I remember my legs feeling rubbery and I couldn't even enjoy the fact that I took 3rd in my division.  All I could think about was getting to some place where I could hang on to something and not fall down.





 I was really hurting here.  If you look close enough, you can see that I have goose bumps on my arms.  Not a good sign after running that hard.  The temp was in the 70's-80's, so it wasn't exactly cold.  I was learning what dehydration felt like.







This picture speaks for itself.  I was really messed up here.  I threw up shortly afterwards.

Start of FFL 2011

At the finish.  Completely different than the previous year.









 Feeling fine!  Like I could go out and do it again.

After receiving my 1st place medal for my division

Weekly Recap 2/27 - 3/6

Well, this has been another big gap in posts.  I actually have something important to post about, so here goes.

Monday 2/28: Rest

Tuesday 3/1: Rest

Wednesday 3/2: I didn't really have a plan for today, but I didn't have a lot of time.  I chose to go on a run around the neighborhood and mix in some surges to wake my legs up.  The surges were around 400m long and I did them occasionally.  1 every 800m or so.
Distance: 3 miles

Thursday 3/3:  I went for a run on Corey's Loop with Colin.  Today was all about just getting a few miles in and not getting too taxed.  Colin did pretty good on his run, but was pretty gassed at the end.  The overall pace was around 9 min/mile.
Distance: 4 miles

Friday 3/4: I took two laps around the park just to get the jitters out in preparation for Saturday's race.  I also added a surge in for the last .10 of each mile.
Distance: 2 miles

Saturday 3/5:  First race of the season.  Les Bois Trail 10k.  I went for a 1 mile warmup, and then got settled in to start the race.  The first have of the race was pretty uneventful.  It was a pretty good climb up for the first half of the race.  My first 5k was around 24 minutes.  I made sure to conserve plenty of energy since I didn't know how hard the climb would be or where the toughest parts were.  The second 5k was around 18 minutes.  I feel very happy with my result in the race which was 41:55.  This is a PR for me by 7 minutes.
Distance: 7 miles

Sunday 3/6:  Weekly long run.  I decided to run from the house to Eagle Island and back.  I have found that I am getting away from taking the walk breaks and I don't think that my performance is suffering.  I just get a little bit nervous toward the end of my run when my knee starts aching.  However, this run came after my hard effort at the Les Bois 10k, so I think I should be sore and achy.  It felt really good to get a full week of running in again.
Distance 12 miles

Total Weekly Distance: 27.22 miles

This week also served as another milestone.  During my long run, I crossed the 1,000 mile mark.  It took me almost 10 months exactly.

Weekly Recap

It's been a bit since I did an entry, so here goes.  This is for the week of January 24-30.

Tuesday 1/25:  Speedwork.  4.25 miles.  Because I am still recovering from some knee pain, I chose to do a very light speedwork session.  I warmed up with one mile at 7:45 pace, followed by 2 miles at 6:38 pace and ending with another 1.25 miles at 7:45 pace.  The warmups were a bit quicker than I normally prefer, but it felt good so I just went with it.

Wednesday 1/26:  Hills.  5.24 miles.  I went out with the TenToes group again tonight.  This week, I chose to push a bit harder to see how I measured up with the rest of the group.  There was a really nice climb of around 600 feet.  It felt really good to crush the climb and hear everyone else whining about how tough it was.  I took it easy on the downhill just to ensure safety.

Friday 1/28:  Recovery/Trail/Hills. 3.75 miles.  I felt like getting up into the foothills today.  I initially planned on doing 6-7 miles, but I didn't follow directions very well.  I ran most of the Red Tail trail off Cartwright.  I feel as though I do quite well on technical trails.  I really like the rush too.  On the loop return, the climb was pretty evil, especially with mud caked soles.  I walked a little bit here and there just to make sure I recovered a bit.

Sunday 1/30: Long Run. 10.64 miles.  I didn't really care where I ran, what I ran or anything.  All I knew was that I did not want to run Rainbow again, and that I wanted to run 10-12 miles.  I ended up driving out to Swan Falls and ran some trails out there.  I attempted to run the Snake River Petroglyph tour from the Boise Trail Guide, but like always, I can't follow instructions.  I just ran in random directions for 10 miles and called it a day.  I had some pretty good elevation gains, which was kinda nice to break up the monotony in my long runs.

Total Mileage: 23.88 miles

I am proud of myself for all of the hillwork I did this week.  I feel kind of intimidated by hills, since it may have been the cause of my knee pain with Zeitgeist and all.  The climbs are definitely a strength of mine, and everything that I do now will be a benefit at WIFMER.  I am going to bump up my mileage this coming week and really test my knee.  I am itching to get back into speedwork so that I can get closer to a sub 5 minute mile.  I want to break 5 minutes by my birthday.