San Diego RnR recap.

A few weeks back I was looking at my training scheduled and I needed a long 25+ mile run and so it turns out I received a couple for registration for the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon and thought it would be a good idea to go run it. I had never ran this event before, it was a Team in Training national event, I knew several other people running, and it would be a great time for Dez and I to slip away and enjoy San Diego. It also turned out that my great buddy of all time ZardO, from Houston was going to be there running so it made it even better!

I elected to stay at the cheapO Motel 6 in Hotel Circle about 3 miles from the finish at Sea World, about 3.5 miles from the Starting ling at Balboa park, turns out the location was great but the motel sucked ass! Okay, Okay, I know, its Motel 6 right, but come on we have all stayed at them and some are not bad but this one was way off the side of old and run down. Dez is really good about staying anywhere and can handle cheaper hotels but this one she was not impressed with at all. It was just old, musty smell, and run down, not ever at this place again! 

We arrived on Friday afternoon and hit the closest Chick-fil-A I could find, I miss that place from Houston and then checked in early to the crappy motel. Then picked up ZardO and her son and we all went to Little Italy where they grabbed some lunch and then we went over to the Expo. It was a smooth transition through the expo, although on Saturday it was a crazy nightmare as we had to swing by there for a short time, luckily I just drove around the block and waited but traffic was crazy. The expo was great with all the classic vendors and being as I had lost my HeadSweats bandanna at the Grand Canyon run a couple of weeks back I was eager to find there location to replace it. After walking though all the vendors and grabbing my Headsweats we dropped ZardO off back at there hotel and then Dez and I went over to the beach area to see the ocean and catch a sun set. 

We walked along the beach side for a while and then found a great roof top bar where we sat and watched the sun go down. It was a great bar and seemed to be a more locals spot than tourist location, which was cool. After some beers and nachos we went back to the lovely motel. In the morning, we were up early and picked up ZardO and her son and basically headed to Sea World after the short expo stop where Zardo ran inside quickly to check on gear drop bags. Sea World was great, the weather was looking to be overcast and cooler so it would be perfect. After parking and waking in, all which moved pretty fast we were soon inside and heading our way to the newest Sea World roller coaster called the Manta. After about 15 minutes Dez and I were on the 1st cart and ready to blast off on this coaster. It was great smooth ride and had some quick switch backs and drops and short bursts where it slowed you down then blasted you a little faster. I was pretty impressed with the ergonomics of the seat as it really held you in and didn't bounce you around and make my low back jolt, like most do when I ride coasters. Definitely, 5 Stars for this coaster. Good thing we got it done early because when we got off the line was a 45 minute wait. We then moved to the dolphin tank and after patiently waiting for about 20 minutes I was able to touch a Dolphin! The first time in my life!! so cool!!!!! Of course we then hit all the other animal exhibits, Turtles, Whale Show, Sharks, Penguins, Polar Bear, Walrus, Starfish, etc..etc.. pretty cool day at Sea World since I haven't been in many years and with me getting a ticket as part of my race registration was even cooler!

Once back at the hotel we basically ordered some food and I got my race stuff ready. I would be running from the hotel to the start line, which was about 3.5 miles. I was all set and ready to go but couldn't really sleep that well, as I was worried I would miss the alarm to start early. 

Finally, I was awake and getting ready and out the door I left. The run to the start was pretty good as I just took my time and being as I had one big hill to climb about 1/2 mile long. Once at the top of the hill, mile 1.5ish it was all pretty much flat to the starting line. There was lots of traffic and cabs taking people to the starting line. I made it there about 45 minutes before the official start time so I sat down and text a few people then decided I better use the bathroom so I got in line and wait about 30 minutes!!! Seriously! So now for the second race I have found myself in the bathroom line as the gun goes off, yup, I was about 10 people from the front when the official gun went off for the race. Of course I wasn't even worried about it as I was in assigned to corral 26 but meeting some TNT peeps in 20, so I had plenty of time. I finished up my bathroom duties and got to the corral and after about 30 minutes we finally reached the starting line!

Now we were off and running and as I had told everyone I was on a training run so I would most likely take about 5 1/2 to 6 hours to finish as I was in no hurry. The first couple of miles are always the same in big races, dodging people in front of you, no place to run consistently, rubbing elbows, etc. Almost similar to a swim start of a triathlon! haha. Finally, around mile 3 the road opened up and I think that is because this is where the half marathoners and fulls split for the time being. Although early in the run, my mile 6 already I was feeling some tired legs and was thinking it was going to be a long day and 6+ hours at Sea World the day before had set me up perfectly for running on tired legs. I was soon dropped by Carmen, who said she was going to run with me as she had not been training consistently and didn't want to run too fast but by mile 4 she was no where in site! By mile 6 I was passed by two other TNT peeps, Donni and Angela just as we were passing PetCo Stadium which was pretty dang nice to run next to. Also running through Balboa Park was nice with all the churches and great gardens. At about mile 7 I had to dash into a 7-11 store as I was having some nipple chaffing starting, a totally rookie mistake for me! I was wearing my older Ink n Burn ultra shirt and for some reason I didn't think this would occur but I was not thinking about the slightly higher humidity in SD vs. Vegas so that played a role. After some band aids and a brownie I was back on the course and heading to mile 8-12 uneventful.

I finally had to stop somewhere and wait for the bathroom as I had been drinking lots of Nuun and water due to the increase humidity and sweating factor. It must have took about 5 minutes or more cuz when I started running again I felt like I had cooled down. I remember looking at my Half marathon time per my garmin (remember started earlier) and thought wow, that's a steady pace and if I keep this up I may finisher earlier than 5 1/2 hours but didn't think much about because I was only at the 10 mile-ish mark of the course, long way to go still. I pretty much just ran and looked around not really paying attention to the miles on my garmin or the course for that matter. By the time I came to the out and back section of the course, mile 14-17 I could finally start looking for peeps on the other side and see how far behind I was. I first saw Mike Duran! Bartender I yelled out! he was looking good and we stopped and chatted briefly and moved on. Next I saw Carmen, who I marked and timed how long it would take for me to reach the mark which would be about 13 minutes ahead of me. Then I saw Chris who was about 8 minutes ahead of me. I was struggling through here and just couldn't seem to find a rhythm so I took some caffeinated gels and bag I was on the move, especially at the turn around and it was slightly down hill. I had turned my sights on Chris and thought lets see if I can catch him. I was running good and consistent and then I noticed that if I kept up a certain pace I would break 5 hours on my garmin for marathon distance! so I stayed steady and pressed on, attaching the slight down hills where I could and minimizing my times at the water stops. We finally were inside Mission Bay park and running on the sidewalk which was not really the best as it was narrow and some points just full so passing was difficult at times, then I am now on a mission and moving a lot faster than everyone else. I finally calculated that I would be 4:50-4:55 for marathon distance on my garmin so stayed on the gas and just then, about my mile 23 1/2, I saw Chris around the bend and so I stepped it up going completely out of Zone to catch him. In my mind I had to catch him, slow up shortly to chat briefly, and then step on it to get back in the game or else I would slow up too much and not break 5 hours and that is exactly what I did. I chatted quickly and moved on heading towards that last 1/2 mile on my garmin. When I hit 26.2 miles at 4:55 I stopped quickly and took a picture it! HELL YEA! I had gone under 5 hours and that was with 2 stops. 

I thought okay great now you can relax a little and run slower but then realized I was at course mile marker 23, so resting too much would only prolong my finish and if I kept running 11 min/miles I would would be done sooner than 15 min miles so I kept on it. There was a short loop on the Mission Bay park we had to run around and I found it was a little warmer now and since I was running faster I was heating up quicker so I had to use the aid stations more for putting water on my head than anything. Its here where I also caught Angela, who passed me at mile 5 but she was struggling and having some issues so taking it a little slower. I moved on and thought Carmen has to be close so I kept looking but didn't see her. The last mile was actually kind of tough mostly because mentally I was ready to be done and it was coming up on my mile 29 and with the pace I had been running my legs were ready to stop. One of the best things about the last 3 miles were simply that I was though lots of people! We all know the feeling of the last 3 miles, especially if you are a new runner and are struggling, walk/running to get to the finish, and this race was no different. Lots of walks and runners struggling to make it to the end and so being able to run though all of them and still feeling good was a great feeling. The last 1/2 mile is lined with spectators and the energy is great heading into the finishing line so I turned off my music and enjoyed the cheers of many people running till the end. I saw some guy coming up on my left and wanting to beat me but I pushed it and made sure he didn't. 

I was done! 29.35 miles on my garmin and an official 26.2. My garmin time for 29.35 miles was 5 hours 33 mins and official time for SD RnR 26.2 miles 4 hours 59 mins, 12 seconds! ha!!! talk about close. If I would have known my closer clock time I would have worked a little harder the last 3 miles to get closer to my 4:55 garmin time :-)

I got my medal, took my picture and found dez. It was then a 1.4 mile walk to the Trolley to take about the stadium where she parked. A long 1.4 mile slow walk! After changing clothes, some food we were heading back to Vegas. I drove for a while but then switched off with Dez so I could rest. 

San Diego was a great race and fun event, especially since it started out as training run for me. I guess when not thinking about time and just running has its advantages. The city of San Diego was great and the weather was awesome for running, great conditions for me despite a high humidity. We will certainly go back to SD to enjoy the city and see the zoo!

Next up, Angle Fire 100!! June 30! New Mexico! wish me luck!

rockon'

R2R2R finish! 100miles for Dennys

Once at the top of the North side rim it was much cooler and to finally sit down and enjoy some food! PBJ Sandwich, chips, a Isagenix Shake, and a Pop Tart! Yes, I ate all that and love it! I only wish I had a soda of some sorts to go with it. The water refill was super cold here and Bill had earlier told me to dump all the water out of my camelbak and refill with cold water and that is exactly what I did. I took about 20 minutes here resting and eating simply to fuel as much as possible because I knew the run back down to Phantom Ranch would be great and since it was all downhill it would be enjoyable as long as I didn't push the down and blow my quads out.

I looked at my overall time here and I was just over 8 hours so I knew I would not complete the run in 15 hours so then I thought, well, maybe 17 hours. I took off down the hill heading back to South Rim! It was a great run going down and since I had been working on my downhill running I was moving quite nicely. After I passed the lower water refill stop some guys were on the way back to South rim too and were at the North side eating lunch too and were quickly coming up behind me so I let them pass and said, "hey guys, you are making this look way too easy!" little did I know that I would soon catch up to them and pass them simply because they blew up running that fast downhill. 

I soon came upon Molly and Cynthia who were taking a break on the side of the trail. I stopped to chat and then noticed Molly was not feeling well, and in classic fashion, as in ever race I have been with Molly, she had a puking episode, haha. It was perfect, like she was waiting for me to show up or something, but as soon as she did, she was feeling much better! I poured some cold water over her head and Cynthia's to help cool them down and then refilled Molly's handheld bottle with the rest. They were going to take a few more minutes and then move out, so I continued on down the trail. Soon I came upon a Team in Training gal wearing her jersey from Kansas City! She was out hiking with another gal and I stopped and chatted with them and off I went. I finally came into the next water refill area where I had to use the bathroom and the guys that passed me earlier were just getting ready to move out. I refilled, used the bathroom and moved out. The next stop was the Ranger's Station and here is where I caught up to the guys sitting on a table resting and refueling. I refilled by bottle again and sat for just a couple of minutes. I decided to move out first as they seemed to be in no hurry and were talking about an ankle hurting, legs hurting, and something else hurting but I had to get moving before I joined in on the hurting party. 

After leaving the Rangers station heading to Phantom Ranch is about 7 miles and since it was later afternoon there was some sunny/hot areas that were exposed so I took it easier in those areas. I also started running/walking with another guy, who I thought was a part of the guys at the table but turns out he was just running himself and ran into those guys and had been staying with them all day, now that we both had dropped them we were running together. His name was Chris and from Salt Lake City, he was on his was to New Mexico for a unexpected funeral in a couple of days. Once we cleared the sunny part it was pretty much easy going into Phantom Ranch but we both were slowing down and doing some more walking. 

Finally, at Phantom Ranch I took some time and ate some more food and sharing with Chris since I had plenty! I was careful not to overfill my pack as I knew there were 4 other stations heading back up so I didn't want to carry more than I had to. We left Phantom ranch, crossed the Silver Bridge at the Colorado river and I was pretty exciting know there was only about 4.5 miles let to finish, but not too excited knowing that those 4.5 miles would take 4 hours! My garmin had died out long ago and know I was just using the time on my iphone to gage the pace between mile markers of the water refills. 

It was getting dark now and the sun was clearly behind the mountain ridge. Chris did not have a light as his broke early in the morning but luckily I had two, my flashlight and my head lamp so when it was dark he took my head lamp to use. By the time we reached the 3 mile water station, our pace was about 30 minutes/mile! ouch! but not only was it just steep going up, night time, and simply just wore out tired! We sat a few minutes at the 3 mile station and chatted with some other hikers heading back up from Phantom Ranch who had dinner there, they said they had reservations 13 months ago for that dinner! Yikes! 13 month wait!

We all left together but the hikers took out in front of us which was okay by me as I was moving pretty slow.

You could see the head lamps of others either coming down the trail or heading up on the switch back. You could also see the store/lodge bldg. at the top of the trail head which was somewhat annoying because it looked so close but at 3 miles it wasn't! By this time I had cell service and had text Tim, who finished in 15 1/2 hours and told him what my projected finish time would be, which was looking between 11-11:30pm. 

I was in a serious rut here and feeling so sleepy at times I just had to sit down and take a break but then I would quickly start falling asleep! This was the same feeling of sleepiness I experienced at Labor of Love 100 during the night and since I pulled a rookie mistake by not bringing any caffeinated gels I was in sleepy land. Knowing the more I sat around the tired I would get and the longer it would take so I tried to minimize that as much as possible, especially, since Chris was leading the way and was waiting for me. With 1.5 mile left we sat down at the water refill area on the bench and just took a few more minutes, then pushed off to finish out the trail.

The last mile was just as hard as the last 4 and maybe even more so because knowing that I was so close to being done I just wanted to get there. Making the last couple of turns at the top of the trail head was quite the enjoyment thinking that I just went from one side of the Grand Canyon to the other and BACK! Holy Shit!! I did it! I hit the top of the trail head where we all started 19 hours earlier! Tim and Bill were there and we all chatted and high fived! Amazing, Simply Amazing. Now we all wondered and talked about where Molly and Cynthia were what there finish time would be, but we knew it would be much later into the morning of the next day. We dropped Chris off at his truck in the visitor center and drove back to the RV where I showered up and then Bill got cleaned up. It was about 12-12:30am and since there was nothing open in our area to eat we decide to drive 50 miles to Williams to eat breakfast at Dennys! Crazy huh!

But sure enough that food at Denny's was pretty damn good and then Tim slept while I drove back 50 miles! Guess we all don't do anything normal, it's always extreme! hahaha.

We got a couple hours sleep and then I went with Bill to the trail head about 6:30am just to make sure we were there when Molly and Cynthia finished up. About 9:30am, as I was resting in the car Tim called and I went back to the RV to pick him up and when we returned to the trail head a few minutes later, Molly and Cynthia were in site coming up the last mile or so of the trail! They reached the top and all was exciting but they were seriously hungry so we went straight to the lodge to eat breakfast, again! 

After hearing there story, stomach problems, sleeping on some rocks and running out of food it was a crazy experience but we all finished the Grand Canyon Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim crossing! 

I was glad to have experienced it with all my friends, some of the greatest people I have come to know and race/train with. I had mixed emotions while on the trail and even suffered in my own pity party for a while, had no caffeine boosts, learned more patience's and seem to find another stop in my mind where you can dig from to push through, those are the things that make this ultra-running special to me. 

The Grand Canyon crossing will definitely go down as one of my all time Best experiences in Ultra running. With 48.5 miles and 17,000ft of climbing it has to be!

Stay tuned to for the San Diego Marathon recap and PR!

rockon'

R2R2R part 2.

When we arrived at the Grand Canyon park at 4am it looked quite different than the 12 hours prior. Interestingly though there were several other head lamps moving around and come to find out it was others that were preparing to enter the canyon either on and rim to rim crossing or like us, there and back. Once we were all set we quickly chatted, all started our watches at the same time and off we went!

It was 4:15am and I had just entered the Angel Bright trail head heading down into the Grand Canyon. I could see some other lights farther down the trail and thinking, We're Late! they already got the jump on us. Tim and I were running together with Bill, Molly and Cynthia behind, we all had prepared for a little colder temperature but quickly the temperature in the canyon was warming up as we were descending and it didn't take long before I had to stop and take my jacket off, as well as, Tim took his off. Soon we were past the 1.5mile water stop and being as we didn't need to refill on we went but by the time we got to mile 3 we had to refill some and strip another long sleeve layer off. It's here where I think I lost my small absorbent towel, boo! Good things its from REI and I can get another one.

The Sun was starting to rise and the light into the canyon was pretty amazing, I had to stop a few time and just look around and take some pictures. This is when Tim would start pulling away from me and then I would work to catch back up but after a few times of doing that I realized it may not be a good idea to work that hard this early in the run so I backed off and just let him go. He slowed up a couple of times and waited but then he was gone. About half way down I was passed by two other runners, guy and girl, who were killing it! They zoomed by me and kept on going, saying that they too, were heading for a full crossing. Being as I was good on water when I hit the 4 mile mark, I just kept on going and soon was the Colorado River! This part of the trail is nice too because it runs along the river for a while, then on to some sandy beach super soft sand, then your basically at the foot bridge. This was super cool and I took my time going across, not only that I happened to be the ONLY one crossing in either direction so I thought that was pretty cool especially because a huge group had just come across and I was passing them head on ever since I got the the river. When I was fully across the river, there was a small water refill and bathroom spot so I refilled and took into the women's bathroom simply because the guys seem to not know how to clog the shitter and over flow it so it was disgusting. I was just glad there was not any ladies around and I was able to get in and out before someone came! BTW, Ladies, nice job on keeping the bathroom clean! 

While I was refilling my pack and grabbing a snack from the buffet Bill came running up and we quickly exchanged words and he ran off heading to Phantom Ranch which was 7 miles away. I made sure to fill most of my pack just to make sure I didn't run out and after drinking an Isagenix shake I was off and running. The run to Phantom ranch is nice too because there's a couple of small foot bridges you have to cross, these must have been used in the mining days as the bridge was build with a center raised portion to most likely keep the carts from rolling left or right on the bridge. I quickly noticed that since crossing the river the grade was slightly starting to climb and would do so all the way to Phantom Ranch. Arriving at Phantom was pretty cool as there was many camp grounds, small cabins and of course the mule station and general store, which was closed, opened at 8 am but it was only 7am so I kept moving. 

Running from Phantom Ranch to the Ranger Station was about another 1-1.5 miles and when I got there I refilled my pack because I couldn't remember how far the next station was and thought it was at least 7 miles. As I left here more and more hikers/runners were coming head on and this would continue until I reached the top of the North Rim so sharing part of the trail was a continuous thing the remainder of the morning. Not that I mind but some people just have no clue and walk side by side blocking the whole trail and expect you, (me) to get out of the way or step aside, I did for a while but when it became more and more I finally got tired of being nice and started standing my ground and we either bumped shoulders, or you moved, especially, if I was running!

The trail started to go in and of straight up rock faced walls and I could tell the grade was starting to get steeper. There was some small rollers along the way and a few more of those cool bridge crossings. Then there was a great small stream crossing which was great because I wet my head and hat as the Sun was pretty much up. I soon entered a water refill just before Roaring Springs, and several people were here so it took a few minutes to fill but that's okay because I sat down, rested and grabbed a snack. It was about mile 18.7 or 4.7 miles from the top. Some how I underestimated how long it would take me to get the top and I had dumped some of my water out so I wouldn't have to carry a heavier pack. This just turned out to be a bad mistake because the last 4 miles was nothing but climbing for me and just took me a long time to get to the last water stop about 2 miles from the top.This part of the climb was pretty dang steep and the switch backs were just wearing me out! The Sun was also shining on this part of the trail so it was warmer. A couple of times I almost caught up to Bill but then he just pulled away. I stopped a few times on the switch backs simply because I was out of breath, the elevation is also increasing as we climb up to 7000+ feet, by the time I reached Supai Tunnel I was just about out of water and conserving for the last hour was not fun. Once through the tunnel the water refill was just around the corner and when I got there I sat down and took a several minutes to refill and catch up.During this time Tim came running in, already down from the top of the North. I yelled out to him and he came over, we chatted a couple of minutes while he grabbed a drink from the refill and then told me, "Stop screwing around and get moving" haha.. soon after I got up and moved along. I was cramping some in my quad coming up the last mile but I know that was from conserving my water. Now on the last 2 miles up I was feeling much better other than the moving out of the way for Mule Train coming down and stirring up tons of dust and leaving lots of poop and pee on the trail. As I was about .6 miles from the top Bill comes running down and tells me how much we have left to go, I was walking with some people I had met that were from New Mexico so we all stayed together the last 1/2 mile up. 

It was great reaching the top! NORTH SIDE!!!! and it was so much cooler here! I was tired of sweating so it was pleasant to sit down and eat. I ate a sandwich, drank a shake, pop tart and chips. I took about 15-20 minutes here as I knew the run down was going to be non-stop and fun so I wanted to be fueled and ready for a few hours. The water at the North side was super cold and refreshing! I dumped all my pack and put cold water in and my hand held. I was then off and running back down on the Return to the South Rim!

to be continued... 

rockon'

Grand Canyon Rim2Rim2Rim Run. Part 1

Since I got into ultra running I have heard others running the Grand Canyon and it always interested me but every year when people started to plan and announce there runs I was not able to join in as my schedule just didn't allow it. Earlier this year, I got it in the back of my mind that I wanted to complete this run no matter what and it would just take planning and putting into action!

On May 20, 2012, myself and 4 others; Tim, Bill, Molly and Cynthia all started at 4:15am from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on the Bright Angel trail for an epic adventure run! Here's how it went down.

When told a few other a couple months ago I wanted to run Grand Canyon and got some details from the web on others that have run it, the only person that seemed upfront interested in running was Tim. He said to keep him posted on the dates/plans etc. Molly was interested but didn't know if the timing would work out. Finally, I just decided the date had to be in May and I was open to two of the weekends in the middle of the month and bound and determined to go by myself or with a group, luckily, the date worked out for everyone and now here we were driving to the Grand Canyon on Friday, May 19, in Tim's RV motor home. We would have a RV camp site in the small town of Tusayan, AZ, just about a mile from the entrance to the Grand Canyon. Tim tried to get a site inside the park but they were all booked. 

Once we got to the RV site and Tim set up the RV we grabbed some food and then drove to the Grand Canyon park and to find the Bright Angel trail head where we would be starting. The park was naturally busy and we had to walk just a ways to get to the trail head but once there it was amazing to see the Grand Canyon itself let alone think that we would be running it in less than 15 hours! After a few pictures and walking down the trail about a 1/4 mile we made our way back to the car and returned to the RV where everyone started preparing there run gear and snacking on light food/dinner.

Pretty much everyone went to bed by 8:30pm but for some reason I was not tired but knew I had to get some sleep, it took me a while but I finally feel asleep, but tossed and turned all night in anticipation of the alarm clock at 3am! I was actually glad when it did go off as everyone seemed to wake up quickly and the coffee started brewing and soon everyone was dressed, ready to go and last minute bathroom breaks were being taken care of. We rolled out in the darkness and at the RV site it was quite chilly, 39* according to Tim's thermometer.

I had a few plans in mind and things I wanted to accomplish for this run. 1) Have fun and enjoy the Grand Canyon's views; 2) Continuous movement, 3) stay hydrated/fueled 4) fine tune some gear I was using. Overall, I accomplished all of those goals, yes, I did want to finish in under 17 hours but overall time was not a major concern as I knew it was going to be a long day. I knew when I hit the North rim climbs that 17 hours would be out the window and was hoping to just finish under 20 hours. Now you think, damn, 20 hours for 48.5 miles and that's what I say but the climbing of 17,000ft just wears on you after a while and slows you down.

For my gear, I was using my Camelbak Octane pack, which I love/hate. Love because it definitely holds plenty of water and has a huge carrying capacity for all kinds of junk! and Hate because after a long time it just wears on my shoulders, especially, my left. I have adjusted and played with the straps for a different fit but just doesn't work, it is what it is. I would be also be carrying my handheld bottle. For food/fuel I had 2-peanut butter sandwiches (totally smooshed by the time I ate them) 2 Pop Tarts, 2 bags of Beef Jerkey, 4 snack packs of Pringles!, 2 Paydays, 1 Snickers, 8 Isagenix shakes, 1 cup Sweet Potato Chips, and several Luna Bars, Peanut Butter Crackers, and Cheese Crackers. I was a moving Buffet!
I had no gels, which would prove to be a bad deal later on in the run, and totally spaced out on taking anything caffeinated! I would use my handheld to mix up my Isagenix shakes and also just carry more water as sometimes I get tired of drinking from the bite valve.

There are water stops/refills at mile 1.5, 3, 4.5, Phantom Ranch once on the other side of the Colorado river, about mile 7, Cottonwood campground, mile 14, Roaring Springs-Rangers Station mile 16, and then about mile 19 but this one is only open during the summer, May15-Oct15. and the same for the top of North Rim. So overall, I had 8 water filling stations along the out and back route, which was great! The longest being 7 miles.

Leona Divide 50k recap.

Saturday April 28, 2012 was the running of the Leona Divide 50/50 (50k and 50mile) I was in for th 50k while Tim Duffy was in for the 50miler. Heading into this event my longest run was 17 miles so I was a little behind on the longest part but I had some consistent 40 miles weeks and was feeling good about that. Not only that, training with Tim at Boot Leg Canyon out near Boulder City, NV. proved to be well worth it.

Since I have been back in the running game and working 2-3x per week on the TRX Suspension trainer and adding in RIP Training along with Plyometrics my leg strength has been feeling good and I have been experiencing less and less irritation in my hamstring and glute, but it's still there a tiny bit.

We left for Lake Hughes, Ca. on Friday, about a 4-5 hour drive stopping for Starbucks along the way. Once we were in Palmdale, where the hotel was located, there was time to grab some lunch, get checked into the hotel, rest up a bit and then head out to packet pick up. The start of the race was about 25 minutes away and when we arrived it was well organized and sailing through the packet pick was a good thing. Immediately both Tim and I notice the great Ink n Burn race shirts we received which totally made up for the more plain easy going pottery circle finishers medal we would receive upon completing the race. Tim and I decided to take a walk up the trail from the start line to get an idea of what was in store being as the course immediately started uphill. After a short walk we realized the fire road would be okay and of course there would be some climbing and were more worried about how crowded it might be with all the runners. Of course being slower than Tim he had more to worry about as getting stuck behind a slow pack could eat into time early on.

Once we checked it out we headed back to the hotel area and grabbed some dinner then heading to settle in and prepare for the race. Lights were out by 8:30pm for me as the 3:30am wake up call would come fast. In the morning all things were a GO and after some Isagenix shakes/oatmeal and a bagel with peanut butter we headed out the door to the race quickly noticing how cold it was with the wind blowing. I was wearing my IntelliSkin shirt, with my Isagenix shirt on top and had a zip pull over hoping that would hold me through the colder morning. I decided on carrying my Octane Camelbak being as the first aid station was about 8.5 miles from the start and just didn't want to run out of water if I had just carried my hip belt, turns out I would have been okay all day long with just my hip belt carrier, oh well.

At the race site it was pretty dang cold with the wind blowing and we both made our way to the bathroom. It was nice to be nervous and jitters were flowing but that did cause a queezy stomach which is not fun. I haven't been at race since Javalina on Nov. 2011 on my last dnf at mile 46! so that was in the back of my head that I needed to finish this race. Once the bathroom break was over I headed back to the car to wait for the start but then had to go again so I went back and got in line and I soon heard the sound of 10 Minutes till start time. Based on how fast the line was moving, I figured I may miss the start. By the time I got to the front of the bathroom line there was 2-3 minutes till starting and I said Oh Well, I will miss it by a couple of minutes, TCB first! Luckily, by the time I went down to the start the gun went off about 20 yards from me getting there but then had to dash to the side of the road as 300+ runners were heading right for me!!! I managed to get on the side of everyone and I was one of the last 2 or 3 people to cross the start line! Off we went. UPHILL.

The uphill wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be and the pack moved along pretty steady. The fire road provided plenty of room to pass and move up and so I did. The uphill fire road went on for about 2.5 miles then eased up and short sections where the grade turned up some but not bad. It wasn't as cold as it was at the start and I soon rolled into Aid Station #1 (7.5miles per my garmin) got a quick refill and off I went on a short uphill climb talking with Badwater racer Shannon Farar-Griefer. Then it was soon back to running and making our way on a single track which was nice although the group was still somewhat bunched together so letting others pass was a little tight.

The single track went on for a the rest of the race, well, except the last 4 miles when I was back on the fire road, but the single track dove in and out of corners, over small downs and rolling hills, brush, rocks and grass, it was nice. At about mile 13 I had to make like a bear and find as much woods as I could as my stomach was just not happy. By the time I finished, I managed to have a cramp in my abs and foot from bending over on the side of a hill and had to sacrifice a dirtygirl gator to finish the job, good thing those gaiters are silky soft!! Any back on the run I was feeling much better!! and came flying into Aid Station mile 15ish.. I refilled my bottles, grabbed a couple of snacks, my Red Bull and off I went. I looked at my time leaving the aid station and I was at 3hrs 22mins so I figured being half way I would make to finish about 6:45-7 hours.. little did I know!

As soon as I left I crossed the road and back on the single track and it immediately started going up!! and UP and UP!!! shit, for 4 miles it climbed with just a slight level the last 1/2 mile into the turn around aid station at mile 20. It was a long grind it out climb, steep in sections but definitely no letting up till the aid station. I knew my finishing time of 7 hours was slipping away and would be much long, and on top of this climbing, I had all the fast 50kers and 50 MILERS coming at me so I would move over.

Finally, reaching the top I refueled, took a seat for about 5 minutes and then headed off back down the climb which was great because it was all down hill! I got back down pretty quickly and was feeling good, tired of course so I grabbed some espresso beans and other chocolates and headed back up the other side. This wasn't as steep but just as much work because I was tired. Finally, reaching aid station at mile 28 ish, I drank about 5 cups of coke because my stomach was feeling a little weird and coke always seems to help, weird! I then headed off for the last mile climb and then all downhill to the finish!

As I was running downhill I was really starting to run out of gas and stopped to walk a couple of times but then would hear other runners behind me and one even yelled out "come on, we're almost there! it's all downhill, you can do it!" So I took off running with her as she passed but I only lasted about 1/4 mile and walked again. I then recalled how far I was from the finish, about 1/2 mile so I sucked it up and just ran, coming into the finish line was great because there was a nice set up of the finish line and tables and lots of people cheering. It was great to be done!

I got my medal and some water and sat down for a few minutes. I then went to get some finishers food, although greatly prepared chicken fajitas, it was just way to spicy for my stomach so I passed. I went back to the Tim's car, moved it closer to the finish line area, changed clothes and drank a Isagenix shake, much more enjoying.

I then just took a little nap and waited on Tim to finish out the 50 miler. Once he was done we drove back to the hotel, then went to eat and grab a beer. Later that night some kid pulled the fire alarm and Tim asks "are you going out" I said, No way, dude, unless I smell Smoke or hear the Firemen, I'm staying in bed! haha..

Once morning arrived, we simply packed up and headed back to Vegas. It was great trip and always great to run with Tim. Leona event was definitely a fun race and great support, the shirts from Ink n Burn are Top Notch! and the course was nice!

Next up Grand Canyon Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim training run.

rockon'

Pioneer Saloon Ghost Run..recap..

Back in January I was asked my Molly, owner of DesertSky Adventures to be a co-race director with good friend Brendan B. and take on this race that was scheduled out in GoodSprings, NV about 40 minutes South of Las Vegas Strip as you head South on I-15 to California. After meeting with the owner of the Oldest Saloon and General store in Clark county we decided to set a race date and start/finish at the actual Pioneer Saloon and call it, the Pioneer Saloon Ghost Run 10k/Half/50k. The reason for the Ghost part is simple: There's a Ghost that has been seen there many times by the works and many crazy things occur at random times. The great TV show, Ghost Hunters and Travel Channel have been there to film the place.

The Pioneer Saloon was built in 1913 and known for having wet many a thirsty miner's whistle. It's also known for its patterned tin exterior and interior walls, some resembling bricks. The Pioneer Saloon is one of the nation's oldest stamped-metal building still standing, its thought to be one of the last if not, the last of its kind in the United States. The famous screen legend, Clark Gable, waited for three days at the bar for word on his wife of less than two years Carole Lombard. She was lost in a plane crash near Mount Potosi just oustside of Goodsprings. There are actual shirts from the Saloon that say, "Where the Hell is Goodsprings?"... funny.

After seeing this place it was great and I knew I wanted to take it on. So we got a date set, submitted for permits, traffic plans, porta-janes, GPS'ing the course, finishers medals, shirts, food, prize donation, and many other behind the scenes things in preparing for the event. 

The race course would be through the small town of Goodsprings, with approx. 3/4 mile of asphalt, then on to dirt road leading on out and back course. A gradual incline would find all the runners making there way till about mile 6 when the course drops down and had a long 9 mile gradual drop all the way to the California State Line! Yup, Run to California from Nevada on this 50k turn around, cool huh! 

We only had one minor hick up, okay, it was Major. A date Change! Long story short, we had to change from a Saturday date to Sunday due to a motocross event taking place the same day and with almost 200 motocross bikes on and around our running area it was deemed unsafe and we were forced to move, but all worked out great as we picked up a couple more runners. The race was small, only 36 for such a short planned event of 5 weeks!

Come race morning, also happened to be Day Light Savings time forward to not only was I waking up early to meet Brendan/Kendall to drive out to Goodsprings we were losing an hour, so 1am came super fast. Once we hit the race course, weird things and noise's were occurring at the Saloon as we started set up, guess the Ghost knew we were there! Brendan and I took off setting/marking the course while it was still dark outside, dropping aid station set ups and supplies and getting back to the start before the event went off at 7am. The Ghost made his presence known when our 2 mile sign/marker came up missing from the course, turns out some yahoo that we saw out there now has it hanging in his garage. We blame him because one, we never saw the Ghost and two, there was only one vehicle driving around in the middle Where the Hell is Goodsprings at this time of the morning!

Once everyone was checked in and ready to go we lined them up, went over the brief description of the course, let Noel, the owner of the Pioneer Saloon give the count down and everyone was off!! all 36 of them, 2 others would show up later missing the time change and take on the 10k, so 38. I quickly headed out to my aid station, I was manning the Half Marathon turn-around and mile 24 on the out and back course of the 50k. Come mile 24 on the 50k course runners would be looking to see this aid station as they made the turn around at the State Line and made a 9 mile gradual to building climb back to me. Then there was 3/4 mile steep climb to mile 25, then all down hill back to the start.

The day seemed to go by fast as the Half Marathoner's arrived with the 50ker's and those turned around and  others pushed on to the State Line. Then I was alone and eating all the snacks at my aid station for about 2 hours. Once the 50k's came back through they moved on quickly to get to the top of the hill and hit that last 5 miles down hill. Once the last runner past, who, had just ran a marathon the day before, I started clean up and Brendan showed up from his mile 9.6 mile aid station. We chatted for a while and then headed towards the finish picking up gear along the way. I eventually passed the last runner and Brendan stayed behind to follow behind at a long distance as to not make him feel pushed. The course was open for 10 hours and this guy was slated to finish in about 7 so plenty of time. Back at the finish line I hung out with some of the runners, chatted and heard nothing but great things about the race and the Pioneer Saloon, where Noel, was cooking up Burgers/Hot Dogs and other goodies for the runners and there families. Of course beer was being served and others were hanging out in the back of the saloon lounge area. Also, many bikers/motor cycle riders come here as a stop on there cruising around day and along with a small band playing there was lots going on. 

Soon the last runner arrived and was cheered on by all the race staff/crew and new biker friends, who just wanted to join in and help cheer him in! It was a great time!! Not only that but every finisher received a finisher medal that is also a bottle opener! What better medal than for finishing at a Saloon!

It was a long day but totally worth all the time we all put into it, even the crazy change in the date. We are excited for the Fall event of the Pioneer Saloon Run, Oct. 22, 2012 which will include the 10k/Half/50k and 50 miler!!!! and next Spring will be the 100th Anniversary of the Saloon so we will have a HUGE event! which should include a 100 mile distance! (also we will include more trails other than the dirt road, which by the way is the Original State Highway from NV to Cali.)

I also decided this week to enter the Leona Divide 50k April 28, so its game on for the next 5 weeks! Time to go run!

Rockon'

A race in sight.

Now that Feb. has blown through, just like January soon July 28th will be here and this my friends, is the first race of the season for me! SpeedGoat 50k! Of course I don't pick an easy anything to start back into, that wouldn't be classic JohnnyTri. In all reality I am actually taking my roll over from the race I had last year being as I went to India to help crew Molly.

Now that I am working my way back into running and have a race in site its time to get busy. I am incorporating a LOT more strength training into my legs using the TRX and Rip Trainer by TRX, along with running Stairs, Plyometrics and some general weight training. 

Let me back up just a little and throw in there that I will be heading out Western States course to help out the Big B aka Sweet Baboo in any way that I can and then I will be heading to crew Death Valley to crew my 4th year!! so Excited!! 

After SpeedGoat 50k I will be looking to head over to Rio Del Lago100 and tackle that once again but this year I will be much more ready for the heat and with the help of the race being moved to Oct 6 I may not have as much heat anyway. Then my tentative plan will be to Enter HURT100 and hopefully get picked for Jan2013 in which case that will be the next in line! If I don't get picked I think it will then be Rocky Raccoon 100 in Feb 2013.

The year in advance! Wow that flew by! 2013 already. haha..

rockon'

What February!!

Where in the heck have the weeks gone?
You all probably thought I pulled a Formulaic and no longer blog, or maybe hoping so you don't have to read, haha.. but nope, I'm still around and things are moving right along.

So since Dec. let's see... I have been hitting the gym regularly and working to get my strength and lost muscle back on from all that running last year! I have also been working on functional training and working to rid the nagging pain in the hip/butt, although, its not really pain just something not right. I have taken time off from running but it doesn't seem to get better or worse, its just there. These day's its better as the functional training stuff, more glute work and corrective exercises to fire posterior muscles that have been weakened or simply not working.

I have been liking banging on the weights again although it took me a while to find my groove in the gym with all the other meat heads so now I guess I have temporarily become one too :-) and I get in, move around, stake my claim to this bench, or dumbbell and get to work! Been keeping up the cardio sessions using the elliptical training, rotating StairMaster and versa climber. I

Work has been going good and of course working with Frank Mir continues, which, is always a fun thing as he is a hard worker and overall nice, down to earth guy.

I got my new logo complete and once again had to change business cards but now its officially done and I am setting my mark with it.

So what's next on the run schedule you ask? Well, I am confirmed with my roll over to SpeedGoat 50k on July 28, which is in the Wasatch Mountain range and pretty freakn' tough I am told. I entered it last year but then took the roll over as I went to India for the La Ultra-The High. I will look to take on the 50k and then I am setting my sights on Rio Del Lago 100m again this year, as it's been moved back to Oct. 6, so that will make it a little less hot and I will be more prepared! 

I was looking to do a triathlon, 70.3 but I still have this quest for 100's so I think it will have to wait, or maybe I can sneak one in along the way. Also, this is my 3rd year to enter New York Marathon, and it appears I have the automatic entry but am deciding to roll that over to next year, as travels to NYC is EXPENSIVE! but the downside is that I would have to pay the registration fee of $280 this year and Next! dang..!!

Okay everyone, great to be back!!

Rockon'

Running and UFC!

Wow how time fly's when you're having fun!! Coming off of JJ100 I have been just basically taking it easy in the run world and resting my foot as much as possible. I have been more on the weight training and TRX training plan for the time being along with some elliptical training and other cardio work but running has been far and few between. Now I know that I am losing my cardio fitness for running but overall I think at this time its okay as soon I work to build it back.

One of the cooler things that has been occurring is working with 2x UFC Heavyweight Champ Frank Mir in preparing for his UFC140 rematch with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. I have been stretching and utilizing Chiropractic to help him improve his range of motion and recover between training sessions. Since the fight was in Toronto, Canada he asked me to come along for the days leading up to the fight. This was a totally great experience and I am very blessed to be asked to be a part of his traveling team, Team Mir!

While in Toronto I also had the great pleasure of introducing Fascial Stretch Therapy to Ricky Lundell from University of Grappling, Mike Whitehead, and Danny "DeeOne" Davis Jr. all part of Franks training team. I also got to meet some really great people involved in the UFC world and just experience the world of UFC. Fight night was very exciting with Frank submitting Nogueira in a Kimura and earning Submission of the Century! and submitting a legend in the UFC world, it did end in a break of Nog's arm.

It was a fast fun week and again I am very thankful to all of Team Mir!

Since I got back I was interviewed by Chris Fredrick co-founder of Stretch To Win on working with MMA/UFC fighters and Frank Mir. Check out the video here: http://vimeo.com/33734677

Also, back in the run world, I didn't get selected for the Western States 100, boo!! but I should be in for New York Marathon 2012!! its my 4th year to enter so 3 times prior I have been denied! NYC watch out, JT is coming to town!

rockon'

Javalina got me early

The short story: I dnf'd at mile 46.2, 12 hours 26 minutes. Next Year!

The long story: 

My foot had been bothering me for a few weeks leading up to JJ100 and finally about 3 weeks out I just took completely off from running, with my last long run of 20.5 miles. I did all I could to help relieve it but finally the week of the race I was able to get some KT tape on it and although I have never been a big believe as I have used it before for an ITB issue but didn't notice it helping, this time I noticed a quick 180* on the foot, so it works, maybe better in other areas but I am glad it got my foot under control before race day. Hat's off to Dr. Victor Leach, from Bio-Mechanics of Las Vegas for helping me out. 

Tim and his wife, Catherine and I left Friday morning in there RV and I would pick Dez up later that night in Phoenix as she was flying in late. The ride down was cool as I have never really rode in a 37' RV, its a house on wheels so that was pretty cool. Cynthia and her husband, Tim, were already at JJ100 and had set up a tent/canopy site and gave me the location and save a spot next to them. Once we got into Fountain Hills we unhooked the SUV and I went down to set up our canopy area and Tim/Catherine went to set up the RV at the camp ground site. I came back after setting up and then we all returned to packet pickup where I saw my great friends, Andy and Catra, George V, and Connie and her husband David. The line for the pre-race food was pretty long but that was okay, because we were not staying and heading back to the RV for some grilled chicken and pasta that Catherine was cooking. We got a pretty neat soft cooler but Dez would later say it leaks so maybe it's not that great but looks cool, and of course a great tech shirt. 

Once back at the RV we ate and I chilled out for just a few then I headed off to the hotel room I had reserved for Dez and I on Friday and then would pick her up later. The hotel was an Extended Stay and it was pretty nice with all the kitchen stuff but just a little far from the race site. After picking Dez up and returning back to the hotel it was lights out as I had everything ready to go for the morning and 3:30am would come fast since it was already 10:30pm. 

As I woke up I was already excite and feeling good. I quickly cooked up some scrambled eggs and a bagel and cream cheese and some coffee. I would drink an Isagenix shake just after this on the drive to the race. We had to pick Tim up from the RV at about 5am and get our drop bags checked in. Once all that happened it was preparing for the start, filling water bottles, putting gels and Isagenix bars in my pockets, ipod and a light. I had about 10 minutes and was finally ready to go. I kissed Dez and made my way to the starting line.

The Race: 15.5 mile loop and is run odd # loops clockwise, even # loops counterclockwise for a total of 6 loops and then a short 9ish mile loop to make it complete. This year there would be 3 aid stations. First on 2 miles from the start, then 6.4 miles, then 4 miles then another 3ish and your back at the start/finish. Last year there was only 2 aid stations on the course so it was good to have another one. There was 391 registered to start but looks like 339 actually started.

173 completed 101.4 miles of which 65 were Sub-24 finishers, Tim was 23:26! (the winner Hal Koerner 13:47! wth!! this guy actually lapped me twice) There was 126 runners credited with 100k finish. This course is talked to be flat but it really is not and is quite deceptive. It has many short rollers and is a gradual up and down hill portions depending on which way your running.

With the start of 339 people on some narrow trails almost single track at times it takes a while to thin out the crowd and so I just stayed my easy walk run pace and let people pass as they needed. As we started clockwise there is a section I had remembered from last year about mile 2-5 that was pretty rock and this year it was still rocky but seemed to me a little less or maybe it was just me. As I was in the rocky section I just took my time and being careful not to jam my foot and make it hurt early and once through the section it was back to running the rollers and finally making it to the 2nd aid station which was 8.4 miles from the start. I remember thinking that later on this was going to seem like forever but being as it was early I didn't worry about it. I checked in, found my drop bag and ditched my light jacket as it was warmer now than the start. 

My nutrition was pretty simply, use some Hammer gel's and a few Accel Gels along with Isagenix IsaLean Lemon and a Chocolate/Peanut Butter bar and I would drink an Isagenix Shake at then end of each lap. An interesting twist to all my hydration is that I would be using water, other than from the aid stations, from a Kangen machine that alkalized all the water with at least 9.0ph. I would fill all my bottles each time I came in from the lap and drink some with my all my shakes and just take a few drinks before I left. I actually felt a difference in using/drinking this water and with a task of a 100 miles at hand, anything to help.

By the end of the 1st loop I was feel okay and all was good. I felt a little tight in the legs but I figured that was from lack of running over the last 3 weeks and so I kept things nice and easy finishing up the loop in about 3:30 mins, on track. I started the 2nd loop and remembered what fun it was going counter-clockwise as its a long continuous uphill grind, although not steep just a gradual incline for the next 6 miles and while I took it easy and walked/jogged at times I was soon to the downhill section. All nutrition was going well and I was liking the use of the Isagenix shakes and the lemon bar, the chocolate was not the best and played with my taste buds so I backed off on it for a while. The Hammer gels were okay too for the time being. As I hit the rocky section I really started to run and was enjoying this part of the trail. I started to pass a few people and then I just found myself in the groove and was hammering down the trail through this rocky area and feeling comfortable. Once passed this its the 2mile aid station and then back to the start/finish which seems to take forever to get to because my legs were not happy running this easy non technical portion, weird. I finished up the 2nd lap about 3hrs 45 mins and had to take some time to work on my feet as I could feel some hot spots coming on and needed some BlisterShield. I also ate some sandwich's, another shake and refilled all my waters. Being as my hip was starting to hurt I had mentioned it to Tim, Cynthia's husband and he said he had some Kool n'Fit spray I should use, so he sprayed me down right through my shorts with a bug sprayer. I immediately felt the coolness of the spray but then soon came the warm sensation, similar to a Bio-Freeze but different, I felt good quickly and then I was off for the start of the 3rd.

As I left on the 3rd loop my right leg was bothering although not nearly as much as before I had the Kool n'Fit spray, it had actually been more in my right glute region and I was stopping to stretch it several times during loop 2 but now it has moved to more of ITB/Hip flexor region and making it difficult to run. I started back up the rocky section and quickly settled into a strong power hike and worked my way past some people but once I was through all that and back on the more runnable portion they all passed me back. It was hear where I started to become really hungry and not having the lemon bar was down side, I only had the chocolate one. I took hammer gel and was lucky it didn't come back out. My pace was much slower now and I was just in the total Funk Zone, it was warmer out now too and I knew that wasn't helping. I kept moving but noticed my pace was 18-20 min/miles and so I tried to work a little harder to keep it lower but then my leg was just happy. Getting to the aid station at mile 8.4 from the start finish took what seemed like forever but I had a little goal in mind and that was to beat Tim and Bill Andrews there as I had got a text from Dez as to when the left starting there 4th loop. I was also trying my hardest to get there because I wanted some FOOD! I finally made it there and grabbed Cynthia's bottle of Kool n'Fit she had in her drop bag, ahhh,, but this time I sprayed both legs! Then I made my way to 2 cups of soup, 2 cookies, Mt. Dew, and then I was back on the trail. I knew eating all that food I would need a little time to digest it so I took it easy for a mile or so then I started running and that's when I finally saw Tim and Bill coming, Yes, I had not only beat them in/out of the aid station but even a little farther down the trail. We stopped and chatted briefly and then I started walking again but I noticed my leg was nagging again so I would run for a short distance just to shake it off but then have to walk. The sun was setting and I was behind on my time to arrive back at the start/finish before it got dark and knew I would be in the dark soon. Several other people had passed me while I was walking after eating and it had been about 30 minutes and all of a sudden I got a good song going and started jogging, then I replayed the song 3 more times and was running! It came to me to take advantage of this moment for as long as I could because 1) it would be dark soon and I wouldn't be able to see the trail that good to run safely, 2) I couldn't feel my leg and 3) I wanted to catch some of those people that had passed me. I caught all but one guy before I finished the 3rd loop but about 2 miles out it became too dark to run and I had to stop. I would use the lights from the oncoming runners to jog for a brief time but then walk again and now my leg was really pissed off at me for all that running and chasing I was doing. I was limping now. Looking at my time I would be finishing this 3rd loop in about 5 hours and I immediately knew I was done!

I wasn't even back to the start/finish but I knew my legs just didn't have it in them to go 100 miles, or 64 more miles. Excuse me for saying but I was also not interested in walking the 4th loop for 6 hours and dropping at 100k being as I had finished the 100k last year. I came into the start/finish, found Dez got some pizza and went to sit down. I told her what was going on and that I was going to drop. This is always the toughest part simply because she works hard and is out there for me and to tell her I am stopping is just not a  fun thing, not so much that I am physically just not there but telling her. She supports me and understands to some level and with that, I am done. I sit around for a while and get some more food and then really start to stiffen up so walking like a mummy is very apparent now. Tim and Bill have arrived and Bill has finished the 100k and in a qualifying time for Western States so he is done, he actually took 3rd in the 100k! Tim's stomach is on the blink and finally moves out to start his 5th loop. I calculate he will be back in about 3:30-4hours so we go to the RV where I showered up and slept. 

As I was sleeping the rain started to come down pretty good and knowing that Tim was out there working it was very inspiring because it just makes it that much tougher. He finished and arrived back at the RV where we congratulated him, then went back to bed. 

Dez and I went in the morning to get all of our gear, drop bags and stuff from the start/finish area and grab some breakfast while Tim rested up. We later were packed up and headed back to Vegas.

Overall, the race was a blast and I enjoyed it, even if I did dnf. I knew going into the race that not running the 3 weeks before would have some effect on me. My base for going the distance felt good but just the lack of time on the legs/feet was the missing link. The foot issue leading up to this event was a definitely a factor that changed my mechanics and effected my kinetic chain. Now its time to recover and then get to work on my strength factor and make sure my leg/s are back in action before another big run is taken on. I will enjoy my time off from longer stuff and look forward to getting back to it next year. I will be back at Javalina100 next year, as I know it is a race I can finish!

rockon'