Life after a hundred....

Well I added the loop splits link to the previous post and now have rested up a little.  Funny how not having an immediate race on the horizon changes your focus.  I've taken a couple days off and even the days that I have run, I haven't gone faster than a 10 minute mile.  Next week I'll ease back into high miles (maybe 50-60), because I don't want to lose my edge before Across the Years 24 Hour Race.  I really think 100 miles is a realistic goal and I plan to hit it again.  Here is a picture from the 100 mile race.

There was a cool article in Runners World about the race here.  Also lots of cool race photos can be found here!  It is amazing so many people could wear cool costumes.  I had to focus only on getting through the race.  I also hear people say they get easier after your first one.  I can't wait for December 31st for my next attempt!!

Century Man JJ100 - 26:04:17 (ave pace 15:26)

Really happy to finish the JJ100 in 26:04:14.  I'll have a lot more to write later because I am still trying to recover.  Put in the pace calculator and see that the pace of 15:26 was what I was able to keep over the entire 101.4 miles of JJ100.  The first 62 I was able to "race", but the final 40 miles was all fast walking and just keeping from not dropping out of the race. 

JJ100 15.4 mile loop splits; last loop was 9 miles:

2:45:30

3:24:37

3:54:05

4:10:35

4:42:46

4:40:37

2:26:02

26:04:14

ave 15:26

I'm writing this part of the post several days after the big race.  I've had time to think about the race and really think about what the race meant, as well as digest what was going on mile by mile. 

I had to drive up from Sierra Vista right after work and made it to the packet pickup/pasta feed around 4:30 pm, and immediately got into the groove and felt excited to get the race on the road.  I set up my cot and chair in order to save my spot for transitions, then took off for the reserve unit for some nice sleep in doors. Many runners chose to sleep in tents or in their cars, but I felt very thankful for having a place close by to sleep because I didn't have a tent and didn't want to deal with the temps that were expected to be in the high 50's or low 60's.  So I got to sleep around 8pm and was up by 1:30 am to shower then get over to the race site before they stopped letting people park at the race start area.  It was nice to park nearby and I even had about an hour to sleep before final race prep. 

At about 0545 I made it out of my car and got ready for the start.  I chose not to use a headlight due to about 265 starters that I could mooch light off and due to the sun coming up in just about thirty minutes.  Like with all ultras the start is sureal!  The gun went off and we took off out of the starting gates at a blazing pace that must have been around 10 minutes per mile.  That may seem funny because it is so slow compared to road running, but when you are looking at up to 30 hours on the trail, that is plenty fast. 

The first 15.4 mile loop went as planned and felt great. I came in at about 2:45 and spent just a few minutes grabbing some food and off for the next loop that took us in opposite directions.  I had fun running with a couple beautiful female runners that chose great outfits.  One was in a superwoman outfit, that was nothing more than a small bikini and she had the body to motivate all the guys around her.  Another girl that I think is beautiful was a local Phoenix runner that I see all the time; Paullette.  I usually find myself running her pace for a short time, but she always ends up putting hours on me and making me feel like a slow old man. 

So besides the incredible costumes laps two and three went well and without much suffering.  I hung out at the main aid station after lap three for about 15 minutes when one of my friends told me that I needed to get out of there.  That was actually the voice of much wisdom.  You can easily blow a race by spending too much time at the aide stations or worse yet chosing not to go on.  So I took off and started my fourth loop which was my big goal of the day and what would assure me at least the wimp out belt buckle (100K). 

I made it through 100k and had some thought off stopping, however, I got a lot of energy and support from a great friend Manoj, who had never ran further than 50K and who was with me at the end of the fourth lap.  We ended up running much of lap six together (with a great guy Brian Soto, who was Manoj's pacer).  I owe much of the race to those two gentlemen!  By the end of lap six I had made it 92 miles in just under 24 hours and by then I knew I would make it.  I did not let myself spend much time in the aid station and headed out for the last lap in the dark. I was thinking of waiting the short 30 minutes before the sun came up so I wouldn't have to carry my light, but the threat of something happening was hanging over my head and I wanted to finish the race, or at the very least have the maximum time to limp it in if anything went wrong.  So with six hours left before the cut off time I took off for the final 9 mile journey.  With a lot of luck, my legs held up and I was able to finish the 9 miles in about two and a half hours.  It felt so great to come across the finish line and finally realize a goal that I had been working on for over two years!

Less than 40 hour now -- JJ100

Really getting excited now about the 100 mile run that is less than two days away.  I'm really looking forward to making my goal after so much training and thinking about it.  No more excuses.  The weather looks like it will be great and I've had a great couple of months with great training/no injuries.  Soon I hope to be writing on this blog that I'm a Century Man.  I don't care about the time, I just want to make this goal. 

Big news on the Don't Ask Don't Tell front.  It looks like it may be in its final days.  Also, it looks like continued changes/pressure on the Afghanistan front.  Here is a great graphic depicting what we face; Counterinsurgency.  I'm in the running for a Command of a Company that will be deploying early next year.  I'm really excited, but it seems like I have my dreams crushed everytime someone says they need a Captain for deployment, but then they can not come through with orders. 

I can not wait to know, one way or another, where I will be stationed next! 

Mount Lemmon Marathon 5:26:34

Lot of fun this weekend at Mt. Lemmon Marathon. It was not what it was propped up to be, but it was still pretty hard. At the end I was feeling good and picked it up, but at 8000ft, something happened and I started to get tunnel vision.  I've never had that before.  Anyway, I slowed it down and was fine, but after the race I had a very upset stomach for about two hours.  Good fun!

More pictures are here search for Mount Lemmon race and lost and found. 

I placed 182nd out of 394 and the time of 5:26:14 (average pace of 12:28 per mile) was good enough to put me just faster than the average pace.  It goes without saying I'm a very average guy.

Here is a picture of me celebrating the end of the race and doing the YMCA hand motions along with the music. Just before this point is where I got my upset stomach and tunnel vision.

Anxious for the races to begin.....taper leaves me with too much energy.

Couple of days into my taper now.  I've only gotten about 8 miles in this week and feel very strange.  I can not wait to get Mt. Lemmon under my belt and to head off and get JJ100 under my belt as well.  I'm feeling very confident now and hope that my mental state holds up to the expectations that my training has done for my body.  Now it is time to get the job done; two years in the works are coming to fruition within the next 10 days! 

Let us do this!


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Here is where we will be staying then having to drive to the race start. I'm surprised it is about an hour away, but that is ok especially since it is on the Muscle Milks dime. I can't wait for the next few days!