Running With Demons

Trying This Again

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:19:00 +0000

At advice of a friend I am going to try and start writing something at least once a week in my blog. I guess it is good to keep the social media thing rolling. A lot has happened since I last wrote in this but the big thing is that I started Elemental Running & Training. It is my fledgling company that is starting to do ok. I am happy with the progress and the new races on the calender. So check out the website and I will keep writing.

www.elementalrunning.com

Surf City Marathon Race Report 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:53:00 +0000

The Surf City Marathon was a great day down in Huntington Beach, Ca. Coming down from Las Vegas on Saturday it was raining very heavily and we were a little worried that the race might get a whole lot of rain, fortunately no! The turned out to be sunny and beautiful with only a few clouds lingering around from the downpours during the week.

The course started on the Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, Ca. We ran down PCH and turned inland towards the Huntington Library which is surrounded by a very nice park. After circling around the park we headed back down to PCH towards Sunset Beach. Right before Sunset Beach we turned around back towards Huntington Beach. A couple of miles from the start/finish we turned onto the pathway that runs in front of the beach and headed back to Sunset Beach and the turned around back to the start/finish. This might seem boring but it was actually pretty cool to look at the ocean and sand.

I got to start the morning with my friend Lisa who I met at the RRCA class in SoCali a year ago. She picked me up from the hotel which was very helpful. It was cool to have someone I know to talk to before the race. Usually I am standing around talking to random strangers! She is a lot faster then I am and took off at the start. She had a great race and PR'ed with a sub 4 run. I did see her once more out on the pathway so that was cool. She was really moving well.

Overall my race was more of a training run since I have Old Pueblo 50 in 3 weeks. My goal was to run around 11 minute miles which I ended with and 11:03 average. Not exactly a great marathon time but good training for an upcoming ultrarun.

Mileage on the Rise

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:13:00 +0000

This weekend I did the most mileage I have done since summer of last year when I was training for Headlands 50. It feels good to see my mileage back up since I would like to be at 80 miles a week by August so I am ready for Angeles Crest 100.

Friday afternoon I ran 6 miles at the gym because it was still raining here in Las Vegas. I am not a fan of running in the rain and it does not rain enough here to justify me getting out and doing it. I actually ran this at tempo pace because I felt good and it seemed like a good idea.

Saturday I ran 20 miles by myself with no definitive path. I just started out from my house and headed west up into Summerlin. Summerlin is a good community to run in because you can go for a while before hitting a stoplight. I enjoy running by myself sometimes because my brain will shift into a subconscious almost dreaming state. It is kind of weird but it seems to works things out and it is when I come up with some if my best ideas. On the other hand running that much by yourself takes a lot more discipline.

Sunday was a rough morning. I started coming down with a cold and did not sleep well at all on Saturday night. I felt tired for the entire 15 mile run. Thankfully I ran the Red Rock Canyon loop with a bunch of friends which is very motivating and helpful when you feel blah. I was definitely done when we finished!

This morning I am sitting here writing this and outside of an minor annoying head cold I feel pretty good. No aches or pains and all my muscles feel real solid. Today I go see Dr John for my chiro and stretching appt which is always an amazing feeling. He is awesome at what he does.

Now onto another week! Surf City Marathon on 2 weeks and Old Pueblo 50 in 6 weeks!

Making your own way.

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:26:00 +0000

2010 really does feel like a new start for me. I know it sounds cliche and people say that every year but things are really starting a major shift in my little corner of the universe. 6 months ago Molly and I started Desert Sky Adventures (Desert Sky Adventures). We were able to start this company because Norm Klein agreed to sell us the Rio Del Lago 100m/50k endurance run (Rio Del Lago 100m/50k). We were amazingly lucky to get such an opportunity to RD an amazing race and learn for Norm and Helen Klein who are legends in the ultrarunning world. Since we started 6 months ago me and the amazing team of people I have around have put together 7 races for 2010 with more to come in 2011.

Secondly I have been able to really immerse myself in the ultrarunning world and I have met some amazing people. I really love how the majority of the community is just completely awesome. Runners that I totally look up to are now my friends and they are all amazing people and mentors.

So what does all of this have to do with the title of the blog? For a lot of years I really fought the system but never really understood what I was fighting. Sort of a rebel without a cause. Now looking back this really isn't making your own way, it is more just causing problems for the sake of causing problems. Now I really do what I want to do and I don not worry what other people think. This has been a huge shift for me and has allowed me to truly enjoy my life a lot more. This doesn't mean I am satisfied with everything in my little world because that would be idiotic but I do believe that I can be whatever I want and do whatever I want.

Find your way and what makes you happy. Running makes me immensely happy and I will continue to do it as long as my feet will take me somewhere. Ultrarunning is an amazing sport and I look forward to many long races in the years to come.

Race Report: Las Vegas R'n'R Half-Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:27:00 +0000

I have really decided I like this blogging thing because it allows me to get my thoughts down and organized but I am definitely not as prolific or as fast as my good friend Jill (www.JillWillRun.com). It is ok, I am getting the hang of it slowly but surely.

Elite racing finally bought the Las Vegas Marathon from Devine this year, THANKFULLY! So now we have the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon which was pretty good for its first year. Elite was able to get the entire Las Vegas strip closed down which was nice becuase the half-marathon was able to stay completely on the strip. The marathon cut up to the west side of town and then came back down to the strip. Overall it was a good course and I think Elite did a good job.

I didn't actually get to sign up and officially "run" the half marathon as I was coaching 62 runners for Team Challenge ccteamchallenge.org. This is a great organization that raises money for Chrohns and Cholitis research. I did end up running about 15 miles that day up and down the strip coaching, talking, and motivating my awesome team. This actually made the race a lot more fun. I have done plenty of RnR events but most of my runners were brand new so it was awesome to see their reactions to everything.

Overall I think Elite Racing did a great job with the event. My team did awesome and it was a great day. Next up for me is the Surf City Marathon on Feb 6th!

Race Report: 2009 Catch the Gobbler 5k

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:03:00 +0000

I woke up at 5am on Thanksgiving morning to run my second 5k. Considering all the races I have run it is kind of surprising that this is only my second 5k. I guess I did the whole progression of racing a bit backwards but thats ok. I actually enjoy getting out and doing these smaller races, they allow me to do the thing I enjoy the most, RACE!

I did my normal thing I do before every race, shower, eat, go. For some reason I always shower before races. I realize it is an unnecesary practice but it makes me feel good in the morning so the tradition has stuck. I ate one of the pumpkin Clif bars (seasonal) for breakfast, which I have to say are awesome. I got to Bunker Park about 550am and parked right by Jill. It was a bit cold that morning so I jogged over grabbed my bib and scurried back to Jill's car to stay warm. Caitlyn joined us shortly after and we huddled in the car and talked all kinds of nonsense.

Jill and I had planned on trying to run a 24 minute 5k but that didn't quite work out. Our bodies are so attuned to running longer distance that it takes me 3 miles just to get warmed up. I was sucking pretty bad the first mile and my anterior tibialis muscles on both legs were screaming at me. I worked very hard mentally to put myself into a good groove and at about 1.7 miles in I sort of found it and was able to pick up the pace nicely. I still wasn't feeling 100% but I will take whatever the running gods will give. Next time I will definitely run a couple of miles to warm-up.

My official time on the site is 25:17(8:08) which I think is pretty darn good for only my second one. I finished 13 out of 34 in my division and 107 out of 480 overall. The winner of my division finished at 6:24 miles which I feel is very attainable for me. Guess I have some new goals to shoot for around Las Vegas.

The race overall was put on very well and the food after was pretty good for a small race. My complaint about these races is the ugly shirts/sweatshirts they give away. Seems to me of you want to promote your race you would make a shirt that someone might want to wear.

Next up - Las Vegas Half-Marathon with Team Challenge

Tough week and commitment

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:08:00 +0000

This week was a hard week for training even though the training was not particulary hard. I am glad I am at the point in my running life that a bad run does not destroy any confidence in my abilities. I have committed to a lifetime of running and sometimes you just have to smile and take it all in stride. Tomorrow is a new day and my training continues for Old Pueblo 50.

Being committed to running for a lifetime also means knowing when my body has had enough. Today I cut my run short by 5 miles because I was tired and my right hamstring was knotting up real bad. That is a bummer but tomorrow is a new day.

Barefoot Running

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:59:00 +0000

About a month ago now I read Chris McDougall's "Born to Run"

and completely was intrigued by the idea that shoes might actually be injuring our feet. This is of interest to me because my feet are a complete mess. I have very flat feet and it has been recommended by a couple of doctors that I have surgery. The surgery part is not going to happen unless I get to the point in my life where I cannot walk. I enjoy running way to much to have some know it all podiatrist play with my feet like they are some puzzle to be put back together.

Now a month later I have been running barefoot twice a week at a local park here in Vegas. I find the whole experience very liberating and contrary to what the doctors and big shoe companies would have you believe, I feel great. I honestly do feel stronger though after a month it might all be in my head!

I am not sure if this is for everyone. I do believe on a biological level we were never meant to where shoes. That being said I think this a completely personal choice and would never push it on anyone else.

Happy running!

Desert Sky Adventures and a return to motivation

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:54:00 +0000

I seem to have fallen off the planet for a couple of months. After Angeles Crest 100 was canceled due to fire down in So. California I fell into a funk. It was weird to train so much and so hard and then whoosh, nothing! It took me a couple of weeks get over that and then things really started rolling with our new company. Molly and I started Desert Sky Adventures to do what we love to do for the rest of our lives.

Desert Sky Adventures

I am very excited about this. The best part is my motivation to train and run hard has quickly returned. Now I am training for the Old Pueblo 50 in March as well as going back to Angeles Crest 100 in September. Beyond that I have not made anymore decisions for the year. I will probably run a couple more 50's and see where things go.

As this blog is now attached to the company website I will be posting a lot more. Besides I always feel better after putting my thoughts down somewhere.

Running and not...

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:08:00 +0000

The last couple of weeks there has been a serious lack of running in my life. I realize after the 50 miler I needed some time to recover before Angeles Crest in September but I am feel like running has been very hard lately. Last weekend I cut my 18 mile training run short, only by 4 and then didn't even run on Sunday. I am sure this is a combination of multiple factors in my life, moving, work, exhaustion, etc. but I am still feeling a bit nervous about the upcoming 100.

I am sure everyone questions themselves before a 100 or at least those of us that are mortal. I just feel like I am not ready for this and that I could have done more. I guess this is the fine line between over-training and under-training. Well, two more weeks until the race so we will see.

Headlands Endurance 50 miler

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:29:00 +0000

On August 8th I did my first ultra-marathon of what I hope to be many in the coming years. This experience was completely amazing and completely exhausting. It is easy to talk about how you want to do, how you want to feel, what you plans are; and then their is reality. I learned some hard lessons on my first ultra that will make me stronger and better in the future.

"That which does not kill you, only serves to make you stronger." Nietzsche

We started from Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands in Northern California. The area is a beautiful park on the north side of the Golden Gate bridge. Too bad at 7am all I saw for most of the first loop was fog. Though I have to admit seeing the mists roll over the hills in front of me was very intriguing. The course was laid out in a 25 mile loop that the runners had to run washing machine style for 2 or 4 loops depending on your race. In total for the 50 there was 10000 ft up and 10000 ft down for 20000 ft of total change. Definitely not the easiest race I could have picked for my first, or the rest of the Vegas runners. In all there was 6 of us that came from Las Vegas to run this race.

Throughout the first loop I was able to stay on my pace of 13/miles. I actually finished the loop at 12:59 pace so no complaints for the first half. My only issue was that something in the air up there decided to make my sinuses drain the entire day. After 22 miles my stomach started to protest at the accumulation of drainage. This was a bad sign of things to come. One of the things on this loop that I was not mentally prepared for was the severity of the hills. Training in Las Vegas gives a runner no clue what they will get in real mountains.

Coming back into Rodeo Beach I saw Bill Andrews driving up(Bill is a serious ultra veteran). This was a pleasant surprise. Bill said he drove all the way in from Reno just to see me on my first. What a great feeling to see someone familiar. We talked for a few minutes about the race while I changed my socks. After some advice for my second loop from him I was off.

Things continued to go pretty good for the next 5 to Conzelman aid station. I met a couple of runners on the trail and we chatted for a while which helped kill some time and keep my mind off my stomach. Shortly after leaving Conzelman my stomach had had enough! Very violently for the next 8 miles or so it objected to the drainage from my sinuses. I am pretty sure I have not vomited that much in one day, ever. The most frustrating part was that I can say that it wasn't attributed directly to running. I am sure I wouldn't have been vomiting if I had been out for a hike but it also was not because of being tired, hungry, worn, etc. The vomiting pretty much ended any plans I had for the race. At that point I started to dehydrate and fall way behind on nutrition. Really there is no point in eating if you have to taste it a second time!!! Shortly after leaving Tennessee Valley aid station for the 2nd to last time I decided I should try and clear my bladder, bad choice!!! Unfortunately for me there was now blood in my urine. Usually I would have been concerned but considering the number of times I vomited (core muscles clenching hard) and the unstoppable dehydration I really wasn't surprise. I also was not freaked out because my kidney's did not hurt so off I went. Shortly before reaching Muir Beach aid station Bill showed up out on the course just trotting along. This was a huge moral boost for me. At that point I was way off target and just needed someone to talk to. He ran with me down into Muir Beach and back up out for a couple of miles. I am thankful he showed up with some great advice and a cheerful attitude. After he left it was pretty much just a mental game to get to the finish. Because of my lack of nutrition and fluid my body was done.

I finished at 13:09 which was about 2 hours slower then I wanted but not a bad time for my first. I am not disappointed with my time in the least and feel that I could improve immensely with the lessons learned. Now it is time to prepare for the Angeles Crest 100 in September.

No looking back now!!!

Prepping for Headlands 50

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:29:00 +0000

So I leave for the Headlands 50 on Friday and I am feeling very out of sorts. I am told it is normal and that I should be a little nervous. But seriously sometimes I feel more then a little nervous, completely freaked out might be a better description. But then that alternates with feeling very confident that I will have no problems. It has been a very disturbing week so far. More to come...

Badwater 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:35:00 +0000

So two weeks has passed since I crewed for Molly at the 2009 Badwater Ultra-Marathon and it has taken that long to process the whole experience. I can say that it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life so far. A few others, including Molly herself, have recounted the whole adventure so I am not going to re-hash the whole 45 hours.

http://mollysheridan.blogspot.com/

Instead I am going to talk about some of the things I saw and my perspective of the race.

1) The race is completely unexplainable to someone who has never been there. I can talk about it until I am blue in the face and never be able to explain the depth of the experience. This was one of the most physically, mentally, and emotionally draining experiences I have ever had.

2) This race takes extreme mental toughness. The weak-hearted need not apply. This is why I consider Molly my mentor. Under the sweet exterior is someone who is rock solid!

3) Ultra-runners are some of the coolest people on the planet. I do not say this lightly. I met some of the best runners in the world during Badwater while they were under extreme conditions and everyone of them was super cool and down to earth.

4) Your crew is everything out there. While it is true that the crew can not win the race for you they sure can lose it for you. I didn't see any crews implode while I was out there but I have heard enough stories about it. I can see how a crew can drag a runner down if they are not on top of their game.

5) I bought a cheap little magnetic Death Valley thermometer in Furnace Creek on Sunday. It actually topped out at 140 on the gage with about 10 to 15 more degrees left at the top. Justin put it on the side of the van at one point and popped the mercury. Yah it was a bit hot out there!

6) As brutal as it can be out in Death Valley there is some beautiful things to see. The sunrise and sunset is an amazing sight. The vast expanse of open desert with incredible painted rocks everywhere. I think the juxtaposition of the harsh environment against amazing beauty makes some of the sights out there so amazing. You would never think that there is anything to look at out there when in reality there is a lot.

7) Even after all I saw and went through out there I am still resolved to run that race one day. I think I must be a little messed up in the head because people really suffered out there. Like I said earlier it is not for the faint of heart.

Well now on to my next adventure. I am hugely grateful to Molly for including me on this incredible journey. Hopefully next year Molly or Georg will be doing again and I can join them for that amazing journey!

Badwater

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:15:00 +0000

So Sunday we are leaving for a great adventure. Monday morning at 6am my friend Molly Sheridan is starting the Badwater 135 Ultra-Marathon. She is an amazing person and I am very honored to be part of her amazing crew. This will be the experience of a lifetime and I plan on soaking up the entire thing. Pictures, video, everything! So, on Thursday when I have to come back to the real world I will tell the story of our amazing journey!

A Start

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Gabany) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:15:00 +0000

So, I thought I would start putting some of my thoughts down onto "paper" and see what happens. The name of my blog is Running From Demons which after some thought seemed like an appropriate title for my life in general. Not to say that I have ever really had any drug or alcohol issues which is what most people would associate the Demons aspect of the title. For me it has always been something different, more like a war in my head.

I started running just about 5 years ago now and it has been a mental life saver for me. It does not matter how I feel before I run, I always feel relaxed and at peace when I am done. The world just seems to melt away when I am out on the road or trail. Concentration on the rhythm of my footfalls is the best Zen metronome available.

This is also why I have turned to ultra-running in recent months. The distance and time out on the course is mentally changing like no other activity. I recently ran my first 50k and instantly fell in love with the challenge. On August 8th I will be doing the Headlands 50 in Marin, Ca and then Sept 19-20 the Angeles Crest 100. August and September will be big months and really thrust me into the ultra-running world. I am excited about the challenge and thankful that I can run from the demons!