tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79350808055370081722024-03-13T22:46:55.344-06:00Ryan in BoiseGoals are dreams with deadlines. Stop dreaming! I took control of my life and with the help of many wonderful people I was able to lose 135 pounds in 11 months. Set a goal, tell everyone who will listen, and stick to your plan. You can do it!!Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.comBlogger379125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-260326732381099732022-02-11T14:04:00.001-07:002022-02-11T14:04:18.985-07:00Coming back from Depression<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiisk2KCb77N33Xw88B7LJSkdB-AOY96NtEDifkv1EvgWjE1ONq8843vVESlKWSqvLOYRk6LO02LN5iiCOZ5B41u0hQT3s9aqm9WChs0EQiIuonRXR5mjHpZ_KDocXESupigCFfCj8Y6XNuidFRslcQRrRo-L8ONzHQPBksW5lsX5O15_-MBkAJ_i6IoQ=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiisk2KCb77N33Xw88B7LJSkdB-AOY96NtEDifkv1EvgWjE1ONq8843vVESlKWSqvLOYRk6LO02LN5iiCOZ5B41u0hQT3s9aqm9WChs0EQiIuonRXR5mjHpZ_KDocXESupigCFfCj8Y6XNuidFRslcQRrRo-L8ONzHQPBksW5lsX5O15_-MBkAJ_i6IoQ=w256-h256" width="256" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDBfKr4u0KaCFFYvPLMRB0mqJ9VUIvLyv1t_HphLrEjk8HlQIRspr9V9neCeHqi3EzO8w-tz9OWrkjkNFwym1GeNpL6d67rMSx-BgYg_OgDpBsIgwvFZUTJjlaQtiyFRfo1l8xpy5hkTi4KgTS-hBIba9WJuitEczy-UjRx_ODY3E-cKgthv6V_ab7Mw=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDBfKr4u0KaCFFYvPLMRB0mqJ9VUIvLyv1t_HphLrEjk8HlQIRspr9V9neCeHqi3EzO8w-tz9OWrkjkNFwym1GeNpL6d67rMSx-BgYg_OgDpBsIgwvFZUTJjlaQtiyFRfo1l8xpy5hkTi4KgTS-hBIba9WJuitEczy-UjRx_ODY3E-cKgthv6V_ab7Mw=w256-h256" width="256" /></a></div></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p>There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul. ~Ella Wheeler Wilcox<span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></p></span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After 5 years of digging a hole of depression I finally stopped digging and found my way out. These pictures are one year apart (Jan 30th, 2021 and Jan 30th, 2022). During the time Hannah spent in the hospital I lost my passion and drive for everything. In short my give a damn was broken. It’s hard to describe the trauma of sitting in a hospital room for weeks on end wondering if today will be the day. Never being allowed to be too happy because the next catastrophe could be right around the corner or too down because you have to have a clear head to make life altering decisions at a moments notice. </span></span></p><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">But then, Hannah got better and I didn’t. It didn’t make sense because our experience was nothing short of a miracle yet somehow I was stuck in a very dark place. <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/michelle.scottanderson?__cft__[0]=AZWqA4i2xArePCW2dw2klMhC98NHdN210u0Cka4_BrEAQSB9QO4XNlsqNyWwvhAL7GPXKsun4Ezlvhrb43X59Goji17aRzbfOFSa_8Oj9NXkMYCvow61fzsA6TvFXcGmxa8&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Michelle</span></a> finally realized I was becoming someone she knew I didn’t want to be and we started taking care of ourselves again on Jan 4th last year. She was doing her thing and I told her make me what you’re having to eat and we’ll go for walks to get started again. </span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">In March, I went hiking with <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/nellie.pryor?__cft__[0]=AZWqA4i2xArePCW2dw2klMhC98NHdN210u0Cka4_BrEAQSB9QO4XNlsqNyWwvhAL7GPXKsun4Ezlvhrb43X59Goji17aRzbfOFSa_8Oj9NXkMYCvow61fzsA6TvFXcGmxa8&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Nellie</span></a> and <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/aaron.pryor.14?__cft__[0]=AZWqA4i2xArePCW2dw2klMhC98NHdN210u0Cka4_BrEAQSB9QO4XNlsqNyWwvhAL7GPXKsun4Ezlvhrb43X59Goji17aRzbfOFSa_8Oj9NXkMYCvow61fzsA6TvFXcGmxa8&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Aaron</span></a> that kicked off a great group of hiking and fun outings along with <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/asimmonsen?__cft__[0]=AZWqA4i2xArePCW2dw2klMhC98NHdN210u0Cka4_BrEAQSB9QO4XNlsqNyWwvhAL7GPXKsun4Ezlvhrb43X59Goji17aRzbfOFSa_8Oj9NXkMYCvow61fzsA6TvFXcGmxa8&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Andrea</span></a> <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/kristine.goodman.5?__cft__[0]=AZWqA4i2xArePCW2dw2klMhC98NHdN210u0Cka4_BrEAQSB9QO4XNlsqNyWwvhAL7GPXKsun4Ezlvhrb43X59Goji17aRzbfOFSa_8Oj9NXkMYCvow61fzsA6TvFXcGmxa8&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Kristine</span></a> <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.heimberg?__cft__[0]=AZWqA4i2xArePCW2dw2klMhC98NHdN210u0Cka4_BrEAQSB9QO4XNlsqNyWwvhAL7GPXKsun4Ezlvhrb43X59Goji17aRzbfOFSa_8Oj9NXkMYCvow61fzsA6TvFXcGmxa8&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Stephanie</span></a> and <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.campbell.5070?__cft__[0]=AZWqA4i2xArePCW2dw2klMhC98NHdN210u0Cka4_BrEAQSB9QO4XNlsqNyWwvhAL7GPXKsun4Ezlvhrb43X59Goji17aRzbfOFSa_8Oj9NXkMYCvow61fzsA6TvFXcGmxa8&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Eric</span></a>. Having some friends and social time again really helped me and I am truly grateful for the time out with them. </span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">Last year at the Pulse event at Eagle Island I volunteered to crew <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/nancy.emerson.507?__cft__[0]=AZWqA4i2xArePCW2dw2klMhC98NHdN210u0Cka4_BrEAQSB9QO4XNlsqNyWwvhAL7GPXKsun4Ezlvhrb43X59Goji17aRzbfOFSa_8Oj9NXkMYCvow61fzsA6TvFXcGmxa8&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline;">Nancy-David Emerson</span></a> at the Bear 100 hoping that would get me excited to start running again. I didn’t volunteer to pace David because I didn’t even start running until mid May. Well, having a reason to get out the door every morning fired me up and by July I told him I might be good for 25 miles if I could stop in the middle and ice my foot. By the time the race came around I felt confident to go from mile 62 to the end and we had a wonderful night getting the final 38 miles done with plenty of time to spare. </span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">I met my weight loss goal of 120 pounds in November after 11 months and finally feeling back to normal. </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">Glad I didn’t give up and that I had Michelle to help me find my way again. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="❤️" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tf3/1.5/16/2764.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hopefully sharing will spark someone who has been stuck like I was and give them hope that they can find their way back to happiness. </span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-72072998178330948612018-05-25T12:38:00.000-06:002018-05-25T12:38:11.552-06:00I'm Movin' On<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-45139464036913606552016-10-12T14:24:00.002-06:002016-10-12T14:24:32.976-06:00Hannah's Pics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-58969597149320082252016-05-14T11:03:00.000-06:002016-06-08T11:14:50.239-06:00Paiute Meadows 50k - 4th place<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susanville Ranch Park at the Start</td></tr>
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Christine Birch recently moved back to Boise after several years in Susanville, CA and invited me to join her at a 50k that was held literally in her back yard. The <a href="http://www.paiutemeadowstrailrun.com/index.html" target="_blank">Paiute Meadows 50k</a> starting line was just a few houses down from where she used to live. <br />
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This small local race has been going on for over 20 years but was just a 4.5 mile fun run at the base of Susanville Ranch Park that has a wonderful trail system. This year they added a trail half marathon and a 50k. We drove down from Boise Friday after work, which was a pretty long day but the race didn't start until 7am so we still got a decent night of sleep. <br />
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On the way down there I was looking at the map and aid station chart trying to get a feel for where the difficult parts were. I was also trying to see how much fuel/water I needed depending on how far apart they were. Since Christine had run everything many times I asked her if I was super motivated could I run the entire thing. She said it would be possible if I paced myself appropriately. It does have some pretty stout uphill sections in the second half but I just planned to put it in low gear and grind up the hills.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEXrFbDRecAp4R8jlDNACjB4cqw-LmCxgNvt75ysL9XTvZzqWpCzdg3i3-U0GJUt7g4gpLMfOtddmbrY_KSrlnUicNKSpkwXEMVAnjZlEG_YaRyvb_4URtXpcE_fZ22j8GTslb3XlXfdR/s1600/13173660_952026754912043_5983174142055440097_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEXrFbDRecAp4R8jlDNACjB4cqw-LmCxgNvt75ysL9XTvZzqWpCzdg3i3-U0GJUt7g4gpLMfOtddmbrY_KSrlnUicNKSpkwXEMVAnjZlEG_YaRyvb_4URtXpcE_fZ22j8GTslb3XlXfdR/s320/13173660_952026754912043_5983174142055440097_n.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great shot from the beginning of the course<br />
PC: DeeAnn Kirk Goudie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At the start we were debating taking a jacket or keeping a long sleeve. I ditched my jacket but kept my long sleeve and gloves. The course returns to the start at around mile 14 so I figured I could ditch them then. We took off across the meadow and meandered through the pine bed forest that is actually quite similar to Idaho with the ponderosa trees and wispy grass. Christine and I stayed together for about a mile and then we spread out. I was running near her friend Robert for the first 5 or 6 miles. I was ahead and we chatted briefly and then he jumped in front and said he was going to lead for a bit which sounded good to me. He was out of sight within a few minutes and I stuck to my 'go all day-don't go out too fast' pace which has taken some time to dial in. <br />
<br />
Between mile 10 and mile 19 we were blending in with the half marathon and 4.5 mile runners which was nice. It had essentially been a solo run to this point so it was nice to see people. It was also a nice place to feel strong because the terrain was fairly easy and I was cruising past the shorter distance runners. There are a few spots through there where the 50k runners do side shoots that the shorter distances don't so I ended up passing the same group of people 3 or 4 times which was funny. Nice to see you again! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQNZILPFvkpE6xPg58mslqu-zvGve57f42m07FRkLlHC0C60ojAdrkSBByK8fIL73L0n5iG31rX3MwziGSjujLq3DN_zrzJJYEWryIbizFy7RwfGEKp2C5t8fmw20VNetb1SXr5bhvHwI/s1600/13240099_10205887663424949_6737009284839674021_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQNZILPFvkpE6xPg58mslqu-zvGve57f42m07FRkLlHC0C60ojAdrkSBByK8fIL73L0n5iG31rX3MwziGSjujLq3DN_zrzJJYEWryIbizFy7RwfGEKp2C5t8fmw20VNetb1SXr5bhvHwI/s320/13240099_10205887663424949_6737009284839674021_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>After going through the start/finish aid station we headed up the meadow and then towards a section the locals have dubbed Heart Attack Hill. When I was looking at the map I thought I would hike this to conserve energy and when I got to what I thought was Heart Attack I hiked...for about 50 yards, until I realized it wasn't that hard. What I didn't realize was I wasn't there yet! I was on the easy section before it. After my short hike break I decided I was going to run every step from there to the end outside of the aid stations. Once I did get to Heart Attack Hill it WAS a good climb but nothing I haven't trained on around here.<br />
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The half marathon runners turn back to the finish around mile 19 in the 50k so after that point it was a true solo to the end. I only saw one other runner and that was Robert around mile 23 when I passed him. The upper trails are contoured and banked for mountain bikes which was really fun. They often come close but don't overlap so I thought I saw him around mile 20 and was sure he would be right around the next corner but it was just one of those places where we were close even though I was at least a mile behind.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mile 26.5 aid station</td></tr>
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The race has a real nice 5 mile downhill cruise to the finish which I was looking forward to. I thought I was done with the last climb when I was at 24.5 miles and a volunteer reminded me that I had one more to go before the final descent started just after mile 26. I was kind of bummed because I was shooting for a 5 hour finish and in my head I knew I would have to absolutely blow the doors off to even have a chance. So, my mantra from there to the end was, you'll never know if you don't <span style="font-family: inherit;">try! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The f<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; line-height: 18px;">unniest moment of the day was at the mile 26.5 aid station. The 3rd place guy was way ahead so the aid station was excited to see someone. This lady is cheering and ringing a cowbell (which was awesome) but the guy behind the table couldn't hear me when I asked if he had S-Caps....what?!? You want Ass-Caps? Not sure we have those, what is it? (He probably thought I was going to poop my pants) SALT! Oh, right here...most people dip a potato and.... While he is saying this just grabbed a bunch with my hand and stuffed it in my mouth. As I'm leaving I heard him say, OR you can do it like that. I thanked them and was out with a smile.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpG1zSNIld6LQI04Kh2aVVc7_JwlAGhpeQiFaTCSXue3zg8ekRNfJUUeJ1ES2D9LOE8ydnCUTtbuLC_H3OUxHddnlBCOShxjJyJI51uzj65OU_rC8i6G_1xblSemGR2qfVFE7_9LLJCJYj/s1600/IMG_4787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpG1zSNIld6LQI04Kh2aVVc7_JwlAGhpeQiFaTCSXue3zg8ekRNfJUUeJ1ES2D9LOE8ydnCUTtbuLC_H3OUxHddnlBCOShxjJyJI51uzj65OU_rC8i6G_1xblSemGR2qfVFE7_9LLJCJYj/s320/IMG_4787.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; line-height: 18px;"></span></span>
I covered the last 4 miles or so at roughly an 8:30 pace which isn't blazing fast but blazing fast for me at that stage of any race that has over 4,000 feet of climbing and tons of technical rocky sections. I ran the last 8/10 of a mile at 7:35 pace which was my fastest split of the day. It felt really good to nail the early pace that allowed me to have fun all day and run hard at the end. I finished in 4th place in a time of 5:07. Robert was the next finisher after me and Christine was the women's winner with a time of 5:36.<br />
<br />
We had fun catching up on the day at the finish and tasting some of the finest local brew from <a href="http://www.lassenaleworks.com/#!home/mainPage" target="_blank">Lassen Ale Works</a>. Overall the course was beautiful, interesting, rocky, and well marked. It felt like the perfect combination of fun and difficult.<br />
<br />
I used Vespa and <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind Nutrition</a> the whole way and only supplemented my 600 calories of Tailwind with several potato chips and a half of a cup of Heed. I felt solid all day. I wore the Pearl iZumi Trail N2 shoe and the <a href="http://www.pearlizumi.com/US/en/Shop/Run/Men's/Apparel/Bottoms/Shorts/Men's%20Fly%20Endurance%20Short/p/12111501136" target="_blank">Fly Endurance short</a> that has the perfect pockets to hold the gel flasks for my Tailwind powder. Thank you Tailwind and Pearl iZumi for supporting my craziness!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="405" scrolling="no" src="https://www.strava.com/activities/577550682/embed/5081314439f37b0073741e4ad80fc8d61a37d719" width="590"></iframe>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0Susanville, CA, USA40.4162842 -120.6530063000000240.3195577 -120.81436780000001 40.5130107 -120.49164480000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-36664417750209259862016-04-02T15:53:00.000-06:002016-04-06T15:54:41.220-06:00Boise Spring Run 10k<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3YX4oMwRqUzDCq2JJ39Jc0gvlivSaNsw8CrqN7iSrLzR3YJeqOX6nNlh6G6z502LwDB7FI9nChhHkOT8LoGYR41mCzYuvJBqBuTKsocqzBiMyR7mOTsHXBEcHM21ArmHdBWkjlMPix_F/s1600/Spring+Run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3YX4oMwRqUzDCq2JJ39Jc0gvlivSaNsw8CrqN7iSrLzR3YJeqOX6nNlh6G6z502LwDB7FI9nChhHkOT8LoGYR41mCzYuvJBqBuTKsocqzBiMyR7mOTsHXBEcHM21ArmHdBWkjlMPix_F/s400/Spring+Run.jpg" width="285" /></a>This must be the year of 3rd place for me! I got 3rd at the Run 4 Luv 5k, 3rd at the Buffalo Run 100 miler, and most recently 3rd at the Boise Spring Run 10k on Saturday. I would like to thank all the fast guys for staying home at each of the races! It should be noted that I was 5th overall on Saturday because I got smoked by 2 super fast ladies.<br />
<br />
After my impromptu HR test on Friday I knew I wouldn't have gas to run race pace for the half so I did the 10k so I could just run hard.<br />
<br />
Speed kills...my stomach felt like it was about the size of a nickel at the end from running so hard. Too bad too because the food looked good. Course was long so I lapped my watch at 10k with a time of 42:05.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jD-7f5AtpdeotwESRsFgx2XkBxi435bxU3ZtHF-kGKO871P8OOriAF9LXYCIbgUoT2A_BBv9L9VkYTrvPHJhjEgjAPl7C6DQzpg5XvPzEGFdIV3URS-HDCBwWDZAzHYfDuQPjan1sEHG/s1600/Spring+Run2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jD-7f5AtpdeotwESRsFgx2XkBxi435bxU3ZtHF-kGKO871P8OOriAF9LXYCIbgUoT2A_BBv9L9VkYTrvPHJhjEgjAPl7C6DQzpg5XvPzEGFdIV3URS-HDCBwWDZAzHYfDuQPjan1sEHG/s320/Spring+Run2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/1108886903" width="465"></iframe>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-22204814350139749612016-03-20T14:15:00.000-06:002016-05-13T14:17:18.980-06:00Garrick's recap of Buffalo Run<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="285" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D10153949775084694%26set%3Da.444502214693.245873.669859693%26type%3D3&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Now that I'm coherent and have had time to digest the weekend, figured I'd say a little something.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
First and foremost, thank you <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1476476654" href="https://www.facebook.com/ryana318" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Ryan</a> for asking me to share this journey with you and having the confidence in me to not fail, all while knowing I had never ran 50 miles up to that point. And thank you <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100000262140986" href="https://www.facebook.com/michelle.scottanderson" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Michelle</a> for showing me what crewing is all about and while out with Ryan, making sure I was getting myself taken care of and that I'd have what I needed for the next aid stations.</div>
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Going in I knew this would be a huge learning curve and I wanted to be a sponge and soak it all in. I knew I'd hurt, I knew I'd be tired, but also knew whatever I was feeling Ryan had been feeling for hours and hours longer.</div>
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I learned a ton about patience needed to make it through long miles. Learned a lot about knowing when to walk but to keep pushing on, keeping momentum going but getting the necessary rest. I learned a ton about being efficient in and out of aid stations, making sure you are getting the necessary nutrition and fluids to have the energy to push no matter how much you don't want to shove another gel, cookie, banana or whatever in your mouth. I learned a ton about having a plan, setting goals to keep you on track and making things easier on your crew because their job is hard enough as it is. The list goes on and on.</div>
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The emotions that go through a 100 miler are real, but Ryan was smiles all day and all night! It was a huge inspiration watching him pushing through, fighting yet having the time of his life. Like I told him somewhere around mile 95; "I fully expected my shoulder and back to be hurting me right now, but in all actuality they are the ONLY things that don't hurt! But my face hurts the most from this huge grin I've had, this has been an absolute blast!! Thank you for bringing me along!"</div>
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Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-77877049201472901092016-03-19T14:09:00.000-06:002016-05-13T14:11:22.822-06:00My N=1 Experiment - 2016 Antelope Island Buffalo Run 100 miler – 3rd place<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpsCzGeAzvmqUZjbh_lMNtGWMnhRxf_KusO__KIGEJMMZauzlg4q23yOfeZGhyphenhyphenQsA-uxonUm03iWq2TTsffmKpcP4qtjPttgB3KBuwzIVjycTkfk6_2M7NAPuQomWmhmSaYOq88rzXvtI/s1600/IMG_4355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpsCzGeAzvmqUZjbh_lMNtGWMnhRxf_KusO__KIGEJMMZauzlg4q23yOfeZGhyphenhyphenQsA-uxonUm03iWq2TTsffmKpcP4qtjPttgB3KBuwzIVjycTkfk6_2M7NAPuQomWmhmSaYOq88rzXvtI/s640/IMG_4355.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">(March 2014)....I have been pondering what I might say in a race report after
the Buffalo Run 100 miler on Friday. Since I did the race last year the
report will undoubtedly be a lot different. I have always hated when
ultra runners tell newbies, 'We are all an experiment of one,' which by all
accounts is true. The useful information an answer like this provides
however, is absolutely nothing! The reason I asked the question in the
first place is because I want to know what YOUR 'experiment of one' looked like
so I can start trying some things. Anyway, I have approached training a
bit differently this year and have been doing some things different hoping to
see some different results. Either way, I'll be back to report on MY
experiment of one so I can continue to figure out what does and does not work
for me.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;">The goal this year is to break 20 hours.<span class="apple-converted-space"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I
wrote this during taper week before running the Buffalo Run
for the second time. I ran 20:06 that
year and could see the finish line when my goal time came and went. It was a wonderful day and I had a great
experience with Michelle crewing and Christine Birch pacing. Sadly in the time following the race I never
did sit down and write a race report. When
everything goes as planned race reports are pretty boring.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALKDqDEAOnuaoAEwNvwbhrNa9_KigFto6jweQ3NEJlumke6PaGO2TNdf2Vp3Q_VgSDJ6IfibJwYk1yOp4eDu5TmlSw-h1aFusaiIVg4a6Z-qWFq-6eG5MuouPKuYx_lm7-mlkgOIB9Ynz/s1600/IMG_4306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALKDqDEAOnuaoAEwNvwbhrNa9_KigFto6jweQ3NEJlumke6PaGO2TNdf2Vp3Q_VgSDJ6IfibJwYk1yOp4eDu5TmlSw-h1aFusaiIVg4a6Z-qWFq-6eG5MuouPKuYx_lm7-mlkgOIB9Ynz/s320/IMG_4306.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">…fast
forward to 2016. Everything went better
than planned so hopefully this won’t be terribly boring. I finished the race in 18:51 which was a 1:15
minute improvement over 2014. This is a
2 loop course so I am always interested in the first half versus second half
split over the same terrain. Comparing
the two times provides an objective determination of not going out too fast for
my fitness level, proper pacing, and mental toughness to keep pushing through
the dark hours all the way to the end.
This year I left the 50 mile aid station 8:42 into the race and did the
second 50 miles in 10:09. Since race day
this year felt much easier than both previous runs on this course I want to
focus on WHY it felt that way.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">By
far the number one reason for my improvement was my diet in the months leading
up to the race.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">On January 4</span><sup style="color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">th</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">
I went for a lunch run at work and checked my weight on the medical grade scale
we have at work. It wasn’t terribly shocking to me when it revealed I was
officially in the Clydesdale division at 202.5 pounds.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">November and December seems to be
my </span><b style="color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><i>throw
everything I know about health and nutrition out the window, eat lots of
garbage food, and exercise less because it is so stinking cold outside phase. </i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">Rest
and recovery from a long year is important but no excuse to eat everything in
sight.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mcELRdJ-zU0p8xYtWhlx7QjQcFgE2dOy2ZmrdzKSkFohfrebg3qVQMhYakZRCLkAiPqaADwCoC0ygOUa8mCQrHTFvgb9VM5UQKV84g4i4UlifsK52Sj-bAgWM4avhukCPakpldsYs9cN/s1600/IMG_4358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mcELRdJ-zU0p8xYtWhlx7QjQcFgE2dOy2ZmrdzKSkFohfrebg3qVQMhYakZRCLkAiPqaADwCoC0ygOUa8mCQrHTFvgb9VM5UQKV84g4i4UlifsK52Sj-bAgWM4avhukCPakpldsYs9cN/s320/IMG_4358.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Thankfully
I have had success losing weight in the past simply by cleaning up my diet and
continuing to exercise at a normal level so I felt like it would be manageable
to get into shape by race day. The
horrible thing is dropping weight cuts into serious training time so if I can
avoid the holiday binge and bulge I would be starting at a much better spot
(next year). I started to get serious
with miles and began eating more thoughtfully using the diet that worked for me
in the past. That contained probably 60%
carbohydrate, 15% fat, and 25% protein.
Mostly whole foods, plenty of fruits / vegetables, and lots of bread and
pasta to keep my energy levels up. In
the past I have used lots of Splenda in otherwise healthy foods just to sweeten
them up. The sweet taste, even though it
doesn’t contain calories, seemed to stimulate my hunger and cravings for
sweeter foods too. Artificial sweeteners
have their own negative side effects and are not just calorie cutters.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia14Qg2bomSYrv_lGGWvvUkz41ommzh8QxTFW1ZtT7ASyUQTJh1ww8zz5edIWQyaRCWWmVyBj4K-pD08j73oD9AclieM9qH1NqSHoNI2TYHsq3aXm0nFQx0qZmle16ZgGl9sTTCtDYLUj-/s1600/IMG_4356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia14Qg2bomSYrv_lGGWvvUkz41ommzh8QxTFW1ZtT7ASyUQTJh1ww8zz5edIWQyaRCWWmVyBj4K-pD08j73oD9AclieM9qH1NqSHoNI2TYHsq3aXm0nFQx0qZmle16ZgGl9sTTCtDYLUj-/s320/IMG_4356.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">By
January 24<sup>th</sup> I had lost 5 or 6 pounds which was solid progress for
roughly 3 weeks. On that day, I stumbled
across Jeff Browning’s blog report of his win at the HURT 100 </span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">in Hawaii. (<a href="http://www.gobroncobilly.com/hurt-100-experiment-of-one-and-ofm/" target="_blank">Hurt Race Report</a>) Jeff explained how he adopted the OFM (Optimized Fat Metabolism)
principles as a way to improve his race day performance. He is 44 years old and has been running
ultras since 2001 at an elite level so I imagine he has tried everything in the
book too. In the post he says he started
following this new style of eating 7 weeks prior to HURT and when I found the
blog post I was about 8 weeks out from the Buffalo Run so I figured I would
give it a shot.</span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">For
those that know me, they will know that I am an experimenter, a tester, a
tinkerer, and a numbers nerd in training.
On race day all that goes right in the garbage and I just keep moving
forward. I often ask Michelle at aid
stations how I am doing and she will tell me to look at my watch with a puzzled
look on her face. I make a detailed pace
chart (mostly for pacers and crew) and wear a watch the whole way and often
have no idea how I am doing because I don’t look at either of them. When I qualified for Boston I had a solid
training plan that got me the result I wanted and then when I ramped up
training for Boston several months later I used a plan that was 100%
different. Michelle asked me why I
didn’t just use the original plan that got me there and my reply was...<i>where is the fun in that?</i> This is just one big science experiment to me
and over time I have whittled down what works and what doesn’t. When something doesn’t work I am always
prepared to accept total epic failure,
which happened at the Lake Lowell Marathon 2011 (pacing) and Wasatch 2015 (over
thinking the heat) to name a couple.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Switching
up the diet, race day nutrition, and electrolyte intake felt like I might need
to be prepared for total epic failure…Maybe.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">So
the OFM plan, as I saw it, was pretty simple.
I ate limited carbs and trained my body to utilize fat for fuel. By limited I mean between 100 grams and 150
grams per day. This isn’t a crazy low
Atkins type diet where you get 25 grams a day and have to avoid all fruit and
some vegetables. I roughly ate the same
calories as before but just swapped the carbs for fats. My macronutrient levels were around 20%
carbohydrate 60% fat and 20% protein. My energy levels were constant without
insulin spikes and crashes from grains and sugars. Recovery from harder workouts was better
since I was removing a number of <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/21/inflammatory-foods-worst-inflammation_n_2838643.html?slideshow=true#gallery/282161/0" target="_blank">foods that cause inflammation</a>. </span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"> Once my body was learning to
utilize fat for fuel I didn’t feel like I got to the ravenously hungry stage
like I do when I was burning up all my blood sugar on my daily runs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The
way I trained my body to utilize fat for fuel was to run aerobically almost all
the time. At this lower intensity fat
can more easily be metabolized. Over
time your aerobic pace increases at the same intensity. Running above the aerobic pace will just burn
more and more blood sugar. I started all
of my weekday runs fasted in the morning and never took calories during the
run. Once I finished I would go to work
and then have a regular breakfast afterwards.
My body was now required to access fat for energy and not just burn the
breakfast in my stomach. On long runs I
would just take water and electrolytes for the first several hours to kick start
the fat burning and then use Tailwind manage my energy levels after that. During the initial transition it sucked
because my body was going through chemical withdrawals from lack of sugar but I
knew it would pay dividends if I could stick with it.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHH8Y99ap0y-yW-0FcxzPQlIjadirePH87KmkxvwEAePeny5fKBlurcCeFwTiid_Av1OdodooVshUPkJ5_WRfWa4LnaoCVfG7r3bfBbgdk1UVBzvDiu74l0fubiRSWJ683Bkg9cMmjUy4e/s1600/IMG_4396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHH8Y99ap0y-yW-0FcxzPQlIjadirePH87KmkxvwEAePeny5fKBlurcCeFwTiid_Av1OdodooVshUPkJ5_WRfWa4LnaoCVfG7r3bfBbgdk1UVBzvDiu74l0fubiRSWJ683Bkg9cMmjUy4e/s200/IMG_4396.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The
weight continued to fall off through February and early March. I was feeling awesome and getting in some big
miles at the same time. Usually losing
weight means being in a calorie deficit and feeling deprived and run down. I felt completely the opposite. I had more energy than I have had in a long
time and I was excited to get out and get the training done every day. By race day I had lost over 25 pounds. The week of the race I cut the exercise back
to nearly nothing and continued to eat the exact same diet right up until race morning. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The
Wednesday before the race I contacted Mike Shuman at Shu’s Idaho Running
Company and he gave me a deal on some Vespa. Vespa is supposed to promote fat burning so I
figured I would go ‘all-in’ on this crazy science experiment. I have used Vespa at races in the past when I
had a good result (Western States 2014 and Buffalo Run 2014) but I never had
the diet to go with it in the months leading up to race day. When your body is trained to utilize fat
through your normal daily diet Vespa is much more effective so I wanted to test
that too. Mike contacted Peter Defty at
Vespa and Peter sent me an email with some guidelines on how to use it most
effectively. Essentially take one 45
minutes prior to race start and hold off on taking calories for up to 2 hours
to get your fat burning in high gear.
After the initial 2 hour window, fuel as needed and take a Vespa every
2-2.5 hours. I diluted the concentrate
into a 10 ounce water bottle at hour 2 and slowly consumed it over 30
minutes. I repeated this every two hours
during the race.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7K1C8iQhq4N-GnE_f2dC9iwbj5efk9pMkNS-jg4UHNUn5FmGh1buHoK1ShaQr9jMVlfs-IxWff-TCGLb3V6CMHpSgbG-6fS8ZyROWENy0je-UAQFl86O_QT9j2ek8hmW16iopUrwMJe5C/s1600/IMG_4372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7K1C8iQhq4N-GnE_f2dC9iwbj5efk9pMkNS-jg4UHNUn5FmGh1buHoK1ShaQr9jMVlfs-IxWff-TCGLb3V6CMHpSgbG-6fS8ZyROWENy0je-UAQFl86O_QT9j2ek8hmW16iopUrwMJe5C/s320/IMG_4372.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Not
consuming calories in the beginning was where I was sure the total epic failure
would start. It seems reasonable in
training long run but to start a race that will take most of a day with no
calories, hmm? This goes against
everything I have ever done in a race but I was committed to the process and
followed it.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Aside
from the change in eating and weight loss the other thing that helped me was
cross-training. Every year I say I am
going to cross train and every year I don’t.
I was committed to making this the year.
I signed up for the St Luke’s Weight Loss Challenge this year for a
little motivation. People who lose 5% of
their body weight and keep it off for a whole year are eligible for a ‘Keep It
Off’ cash prize next year. I have been
volunteering at the challenge kickoff every year since 2011 and never thought
to enter myself since I don’t have much to lose. While I was there this year I signed up for
Idaho Athletic Club for 20 bucks a month.
My cross-training has consisted of spin class several times a week for
an hour usually followed by the stair climber (which is a total ass kicker) for
30 minutes and then sitting in the dry sauna at 185 degrees. The sauna is partly just relaxing, partly
teaching my body how to sweat efficiently, and mostly mental training. I also went to an occasional yoga class and
did body weight workouts at home (push up, sit up, squats, lunges, planks, and chair
dips). <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8m_nvd2DLn93uyBKrDguCZ4HUDtL43zdYnk1nnqKRj61oNIRHuBO4CizG4EV-UsJgDNaHZyO0zeb1eFVeGlRauFPoSMouYVVSInlq2TCIjb7XrH5amxAKiO5DjD9dzJpKAdANFu6crEn0/s1600/IMG_4350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8m_nvd2DLn93uyBKrDguCZ4HUDtL43zdYnk1nnqKRj61oNIRHuBO4CizG4EV-UsJgDNaHZyO0zeb1eFVeGlRauFPoSMouYVVSInlq2TCIjb7XrH5amxAKiO5DjD9dzJpKAdANFu6crEn0/s320/IMG_4350.JPG" width="267" /></a></div>
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">My
race day nutrition plan was 200 calories of Tailwind per hour and 1,000mg of
sodium per hour. 200 calories of Tailwind had 606mg of sodium so I supplemented
with S-Caps to get me to 1,000mg. I
think in past races I was not getting enough sodium and I also sweat more than
any other human being I know except maybe Dave McKinnon. I took several V-Fuel gels or Honey Stinger
waffles with me throughout the day to help me get between longer aid station
stretches and washed them down with a small bottle of straight water. At aid stations I took several bananas, a few
cups of ginger ale and coke, and potato soup at mile 70. Twice on the course Michelle made me a bacon
avocado pepper jack cheese tortilla wrap which was amazing. The first time I took it I took a big bite
and the tortilla was too much so I licked all the good stuff out and tossed the
tortilla. The second time I didn’t even
bother with trying the tortilla. I just
sucked up the middle and pitched the tortilla again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Race
morning was typical compared to my other experiences there. The race starts at noon and the sun was
shining with a cold breeze blowing. I
tried to stay in my jacket as long as possible because I knew I would be taking
it off at the start. Michelle, the all
knowing, always reminds me that no matter how cold I feel at the start I will
be hot 5 minutes later and then be grouchy that I had to carry a jacket for 20
miles. Today was no exception.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The
cruise up to the first aid station was a bit of an eye opener. I found myself running more uphill sections
than I normally have in the past but with a controlled effort level. I chatted and ran with Jeremy Suwinski for a
couple of miles until we hit a big downhill and he dropped me like a bad
habit. After the first aid station I was
in sixth place and didn’t get passed for good by anyone after that. I did swap positions with the leading woman a
couple of times and Uli Stuwe and I swapped positions around mile 35 briefly. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">At
the first aid station at Elephant Head the race director Jim Skaggs has told us
in the past we could choose to either do 1) a short out and back or 2) a 5 mile
loop that drops into the valley and climbs up switchbacks back to Elephant Head
first. Both options return you to the
Elephant Head aid station and then you just do the other option second. When I got there the first time the aid
workers said it was ok to pick either one but they preferred I do the out and
back so they didn’t have to remember who did what (which is totally
understandable). I thanked them for the
advice and took the 5 mile loop instead.
At the front of the pack the out and back is clogged with people on the
way back which I completely avoided by going the other way. It worked for Karl Meltzer in 2013 and I did
it this way the last two times with no congestion. I was the ONLY person who went the other way
at first. I know I wasn’t in the lead
but looking out in front of me and looking behind me and seeing no one at mile
6 was a pretty cool feeling. Uli was the
second person to go this way and killed it on the downhill to get within
eyesight. He would be within 100-200
yards of me for the next 40 miles.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Once
I got back around the Elephant Head I started down the out and back while all
the aid station workers told me I was going the wrong way and that I needed to
back toward the start! I am they guy who
didn’t do the out and back remember? (Kind of funny) Once I returned, I headed down toward the
start with the leading woman Melissa. We
cruised and chatted but neither of us was in a terrible hurry.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I
blew through the 20 mile aid station in quick time after refueling. Michelle told me Garrick, who would be my
pacer from mile 50 to the end, asked if I was doing ok since I was walking the
uphill out of the aid station. She said
she assured him that this was normal and good strategy at this point of the
race. Others in front of me and behind
me ran the whole thing, which isn’t long but in a 100 miles this one wasn’t
worth running to me.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Mile
20 to 33 was fairly uneventful. It is
flat rolling terrain that makes you want to run the entire thing but I was
already mixing in walking intervals to stay fresh. Mile 33 is the Ranch aid station and the only
thing I really needed was a sleeveless shirt.
I was getting a bit chafed from the tank top (which I never wear in
ultras) plus it was getting a bit cooler so it was worth the time to get it
on. I normally encounter darkness just
after the Frary aid station at mile 39 so I put on a long sleeve shirt and took
my headlamp. Having done the race twice
before it was nice to see where I needed my headlamp compared to prior years
which was about 3 or 4 miles later than usual.
I was through the Bridger Bay aid station at mile 46 and around the end
of the island at mile 47.5 by the time I needed a headlamp. I had been chasing one of the most amazing
sunsets ever and found that when there is sunlight I can actual run that rocky
section pretty good! Both previous runs put me in the section in the dark on
both loops.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I
arrived at the mile 50 aid station about 20 minutes ahead of my 2014 time and
felt really great. I felt like I had
held back more than in previous years with a better time. The OFM, Vespa, nutrition, and electrolyte
plan all seemed to be firing on all cylinders.
Garrick was excited to jump in with me and I was excited to have
him. When I have run closer to the front
of the pack usually means lots of long solo miles. When I have been middle or even back of the
pack there always seems to be someone to talk with. Dudes at the front aren’t terribly talkative.
<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Michelle
got me all reset and we were off into the night. I told Garrick before the race that I wanted
him to kick my butt up the first big climb so we stayed focused and saved some
of the chit chat until we crested the top.
In past years I think I was relieved to be done with the first lap and
craving someone to talk with and settled into shuffle mode for a while. I wanted to avoid this since there are other
easier running sections to catch up on.
When we got to the aid station the volunteers told us 3<sup>rd</sup> and
4<sup>th</sup> place were just ahead and not looking great. (I wondered if they
told everyone that just to get them fired up.)
I passed Jeremy back at mile 40 when he was having some issue with his
legs and he was walking the downhill. I
honestly thought he was toast and was stoked to see he got it turned around and
finished not too long after me. Garrick
and I caught up to Melissa who was in 4<sup>th</sup> and Brandt who was in 3<sup>rd</sup>. Brandt won the 2015 race in just over 17
hours so he was obviously not having a good day. He was walking and later dropped I
believe. Melissa would go on to take the
win for the women in just over 21.5 hours.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Now
I find myself in unfamiliar territory. I
am in 3<sup>rd</sup> place and feeling competitive which never happens. What’s worse is I have 40 miles to go and I
am sort of waiting for this perfect day to start falling apart. I had been diligent to stay on top of my
calories and nutrition throughout the day and now it seemed even more critical. I was telling Garrick on our descent down the
backside from Elephant Head just before mile 60 that in 2013 I told friends I
had hoped to be at mile 60 around midnight when Jeremy Haddock was my
pacer. Amazingly I looked down at my
watch as it rolled over to mile 60 just a few seconds before midnight. I was wondering how I was doing this year so
I flipped my watch over to the time of day and we hit mile 60 this time at
10:46. That got me fired up to see I was
an hour and fifteen minutes faster and still feeling great. We put our heads down and hit the uphill
grind on the switchbacks pretty hard and then crested out on the side hill
section a couple of miles before the aid station. I was lamenting how great I was feeling and
how the day was cruising right along…no sooner than the words left my lips I
was face down in the rocks for the first time all day. We got a good laugh out of it since there was
no damage done and continued on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYuRTmHb5Le2-s7ZZxFGGiwWEx7ZSS4zXcoClgMWgqZQRXbSRu6TkuyAhQrv0iGh3o4E9M1PuVtnD5AsO3CGj5p_SlpFJmdpJcIXtv5IlPOgV0bAiLc9eNa98XJCCQMlV1UoXqAFxzpTB/s1600/12891066_10209512575399381_2472710662015055881_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYuRTmHb5Le2-s7ZZxFGGiwWEx7ZSS4zXcoClgMWgqZQRXbSRu6TkuyAhQrv0iGh3o4E9M1PuVtnD5AsO3CGj5p_SlpFJmdpJcIXtv5IlPOgV0bAiLc9eNa98XJCCQMlV1UoXqAFxzpTB/s640/12891066_10209512575399381_2472710662015055881_o.jpg" width="640" /></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">After
a quick final stop at Elephant Head we rolled down the hill to the start finish
at mile 70. I saw Quentin Barney in the
tent and said hello. We had passed
earlier in the day when I was in 6<sup>th</sup> place and he knew that I was in
3<sup>rd</sup> at the moment. It was a
pretty cool moment to hear him telling the people around him how strong I was
looking and moving right up the field. I
am often sizing up the other runners on the out and back sections but have
never stopped to think how I might have looked to them. I felt like a rock star but tried to be happy
and have a smile and wave for every person I came across. I even ran off trail to make sure some kids
got a well deserved high five! Waiting
for hours on end for dad or mom to fly through can be exhausting for kids and love
seeing them out there even if they aren’t mine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Again
we walked the uphill out of the start finish and then began the long cruise along
the Mountain View trail. About mile 72
around 1:30 Garrick comments about how great the day is going and how we are
cruising along…BAM another face plant in the rocks. Again, no damage but from this point forward
we agreed not to use the ‘C’ word.
Cruising is not usually the first ‘C’ word that comes to mind so we got
some funny looks when we told the story later!
<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">From
the start/finish at mile 70 to Lower Frary at mile 78 we averaged an 11 minute
mile. I was still running almost
everything and having to add strategic walking breaks because I didn’t want to
blow up the last 5 miles. I felt great
but was sure if I kept running everything would crumble. In retrospect, I should have run more but in
the moment I had no idea that I would be able to hold on until the end. We averaged just under and 11 minute pace from
there out to the Ranch at mile 83 and were passed by the first and second place
guys who were on their way back. They
both looked solid and I was able to get a rough estimate of how far they were
ahead. The leader was 5 miles ahead and
2<sup>nd</sup> was 2.5 miles ahead. Even
though this is an eternity in most races, in 100 miles this is literally
nothing if things start to hit the fan.
I have seen people go from rock star to death shuffle very quickly
before and a 5 mile or 2.5 mile gap can disappear fast. I didn’t worry about them and tried to focus
on controlling what I could control. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">My
WORST section by far in the previous two runs here has been from the Ranch at
mile 83 to Lower Frary at mile 89. I am
not sure why though. It’s far enough
that you aren’t almost done and the terrain is quite repetitive so just when
you think you are at the last turn in the trail before Lower Frary…you
aren’t. It is a little disheartening at
times. This time was different. I was still taking prescribed walking breaks
and averaged 11 minute miles again. In
2014 I was dying in this section and trying like crazy to hang onto 14 minute
miles. This is the point of the race
where OFM and Vespa made a world of difference.
Normally at the end of an ultra I have been consuming 300+ calories of
straight sugar per hour and not burning any fat. I get dead heavy legs and a crazy sugar
induced brain fog. I had zero symptoms
like that this time around. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The
one negative thing that happened was that I started to suck at math, which
never happens. Garrick says to me just before
we get to Lower Frary for the final time at mile 89, I know you didn’t want me
to tell you how good you were doing, but DUDE YOU ARE FREAKING KILLING IT! Hmm, really?
Yes, if you can run the final 12 miles in 2:40 you will get under 19
hours! Hmm really? No BS, I honestly had no idea where I was
time wise. I knew I was doing well but
didn’t want to jinx it. Garrick and
Michelle had been crunching numbers throughout the day and I think they were
convinced I had a shot of getting under 19 hours when we were at mile 70. Garrick put that tidbit in his back pocket
until just the right moment which would have been a great motivator if I would
have been able to do some simple math.
Here is how my brain approached the situation at mile 88 at 4:20 in the
morning – <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">240
/ 12 = 11 minute miles ?? (What? Seriously)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Hmm,
that sounds really hard even though I have been holding a solid pace. Whatever…it is what it is. I’ll just run as hard as I can and see where
the chips fall</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">.</span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">(Just
for the record here is the correct calculation performed at mile 0 at 2pm on a
Tuesday)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">2:40
= (2 hours x 60 minutes) + 40 minutes = 160 minutes / 12 miles = 13:20 minute
miles<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumHEu5x3KsyO2wL-deqRhgMhnS5_DxhxbKYgNHNgnizfb3qPjhWa7NR9mULf3yBKqaX1o8UEFea-abAHGYa2J75okKzWpDkJvEHEgm5Za6TNhw1b3gRjpzpLwhdAam6xKu8BB9RNZ8zPw/s1600/IMG_4347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumHEu5x3KsyO2wL-deqRhgMhnS5_DxhxbKYgNHNgnizfb3qPjhWa7NR9mULf3yBKqaX1o8UEFea-abAHGYa2J75okKzWpDkJvEHEgm5Za6TNhw1b3gRjpzpLwhdAam6xKu8BB9RNZ8zPw/s320/IMG_4347.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">It is probably a good thing I
sucked at math at that exact moment because I may have dropped into death
shuffle and never came out if I had thought I could go slower than I was. As it was, we averaged just under a 12 minute
mile from mile 89 to 96 that even included climbing up from Mountain View trail
to the road and stopping to say hello to Christie and April on the trail. Garrick had been experiencing some issues
with his hips and legs tightening up on him.
With less than 5 miles to go you are in eyeshot of the finish area right
down the hill. One of my motivations to
run hard at the end is to work over my pacers, which doesn’t happen very
often. I told him he could just go to
the finish if he wanted to and I would finish up on my own. He gave me a big HELL NO and said something
like he would run until his leg fell off but he wasn’t going to miss the finish. That is exactly what I wanted and needed to
hear so we pushed on to the final aid station at mile 96. We left at 6am almost on the dot and my math
whiz skills came back to me, 60 minutes in 4 miles. Easy, we can do that! We managed a respectable pace, dare I say ‘cruise’,
through the rocky end of the island. I didn’t want to say the ‘C’ word out loud
and enjoyed the amazing moon set to the west of the island across Salt Lake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">We made our final approach to
the big white tent at the finish with the usual fanfare of a 100 miler,
none. It was about 6:40 in the morning
and there were several campers who were out getting a fire started and making
breakfast. A car or two passed by getting ready for the 50k start in an
hour. I asked Garrick to run ahead and
let Michelle know I was coming and to get a good picture. He told me he was giving me all he had at the
moment which I was happy with. The
picture would have been terrible anyway in the total darkness. I began reflecting on what it took to get to
this point and all the sacrifices people made to help me get to this moment in
time which is always a bit emotional for me.
We strolled up and I whistled really loud to stir up the raucous crowd
of…1 (the timing guy) and Michelle heard me and came out. We hugged and then had to go inside to tell
them I was done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Garrick and I found a chair
pretty quick and began sharing the events of the day with Michelle and
Hannah. It was still dark outside which
was one of my goals and then tent was filled with people for the 8am 50k which
was another one of my goals. I thanked
Jim for another great event and snuggled up to a space heater with some of his
home brew. One of the funniest moments
of the day was while I was sitting there someone asked me when I was heading
back out thinking I had just come in from mile 70. Umm…no, I’m done! I found out later that I ran the second 50 miles in the same time as the two guys ahead of me which was a great feeling too. Having a great first half doesn't mean a thing in a 100 miler if you die at the end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Huge thanks to Michelle who
has the crew thing down to a finely tuned machine and for putting up with me
through all the training. Hannah was a
huge help ferrying the car back and forth at aid stations that were crew accessible
but required you to park a way down the road.
Garrick for pushing himself to his furthest run ever to support my crazy
goals. <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind</a>, <a href="http://www.pearlizumi.com/" target="_blank">Pearl iZumi</a>, and <a href="http://www.vespapower.com/ofm/what-is-ofm/" target="_blank">Vespa</a>
all helped me get done feeling awesome too, thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-39501043443605801412016-02-22T11:15:00.004-07:002016-02-22T11:15:55.757-07:00Blacks Creek<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was beautiful day to be outside yesterday! I am in the final stages of getting ready for the Antelope Island Buffalo Run 100 miler so I went out to Blacks Creek to get in some long miles on terrain similar to the course.<br />
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I started at the fork of Mayfield Road and Blacks Creek Road so I could use it as a central point aid station. This would allow me to have water, food, and clothes options like race day. The first leg was back to Bonneville Point and along the Oregon Trail back towards Boise. Just before I turned around the moon set over the city and it was absolutely gorgeous. It was an amber color above the city lights ans shrouded in wispy clouds. I attempted a picture but it just didn't work.<br />
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The was rising as headed back to Bonneville Point and the deer started popping out everywhere. These lower foothills are their winter range so it isn't uncommon to see them here. I probably saw 50 deer all day. I arrived back at my car after 14 miles and just over two hours. I have been experimenting with OFM to see if I can reduce my reliance on carbohydrates in general and more specifically in training so I went without any calories for this first section.<br />
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I changed clothes and grabbed my pack with 60 ounces of water and 450 calories of Tailwind for the next stretch that I had anticipated would be around 16 miles. It starts with 6 miles of uphill and then I was going to turn off the road and get on an old motorcycle trail. After I hit the top I realized the road was now marked as a private mining operation and off limits. It also had a foot of snow on it covered with solid ice so I just turned around and ran the six miles downhill. <br />
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On the way up I had noticed an arrow with a broadhead tip attached laying on the side of the road. I made a mental note of it so I could grab it on the way back to show my kids. I picked it up and ran with it for about 3 miles which was probably a pretty dumb idea if you have ever seen a broadhead.<br />
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This turnaround left me short of my distance goal so when I got back to the car the second time I ditched my long sleeve shirt and gloves since it was beginning to warm up then headed east on Mayfield Road. Mayfield is a tiny town and this road was once the stagecoach route years and years ago. I don't know for sure but I imagine the stagecoach route followed the original Oregon Trail route. Just before I turned around for the last time I saw 300 elk just grazing out in the wide open sagebrush which was really cool. I stopped and got the picture above just as the pavement ended. The elk were about 1 mile from here and only 5 miles on a paved road from the interstate. I was feeling very fortunate to live in a place where all of this is so close and accessible if you want to go see it.<br />
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I was happy with how I felt and how my fueling, electrolytes, and hydration went. I ran everything except the last bit of mile 19 and even managed to run 6:30 pace for final quarter mile to the car. I was never out of breath the whole way and was right at 100 mile race pace which is encouraging considering my overall pace. Now I just have to figure out how to do this 3 times at that same speed!<br />
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<br />Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-44570388149756555562016-02-13T11:17:00.000-07:002016-02-22T11:42:13.995-07:002016 Run 4 Luv 5k<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinu1RBKTm_tVrqL3ZbcoUfqCE2Zg1GemXHvFdwfnEik_Um8rp_Yel6jXS_hiVIt4kMtBi_f_01rfUFV3hh7ppszNX9Qd_L6-DXSW2S3CVQLlRS-ebZjiYmcxOseUp0vN5julXVy7SouX1/s1600/IMG_4191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinu1RBKTm_tVrqL3ZbcoUfqCE2Zg1GemXHvFdwfnEik_Um8rp_Yel6jXS_hiVIt4kMtBi_f_01rfUFV3hh7ppszNX9Qd_L6-DXSW2S3CVQLlRS-ebZjiYmcxOseUp0vN5julXVy7SouX1/s320/IMG_4191.JPG" width="295" /></a></div>
Run 4 Luv 5k was an interesting experiment for me this year. It was fun to jump into a fast race with other people there to push me since I don't tend to push myself to run fast very often.<br />
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The first thing was I warmed up! Crazy, I know. I ran easy around the park for about 2 miles just trying to get then engine primed. Whenever I try to run really fast right out of the gate my HR has a spaz attack for about a mile before being able to handle the speed and oxygen exchange. Needless to say, this had a positive effect on my performance!<br />
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The race is so short there wasn't much of note other than I saw my two oldest daughters at mile 1 and they said hi. I gave them a weak hand wave because I couldn't spare any oxygen to talk and they said, FINE WE DIDN'T WANT TO SAY HI EITHER! I replied with a more active hand wave so they knew I heard them but still didn't talk.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLW0TAtyE5zc48zEDaPj0qnd4cYS3iAGLJEH6Ou9kXSjuWI4MUysEXgvQh1KbrsMDbCjb-3TSUl5-tvhCC80NpuSuTTZATRboicRPw_MoYTTOn12tnkM7sO64weCHdXdxDjT5H5cX7r7tT/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLW0TAtyE5zc48zEDaPj0qnd4cYS3iAGLJEH6Ou9kXSjuWI4MUysEXgvQh1KbrsMDbCjb-3TSUl5-tvhCC80NpuSuTTZATRboicRPw_MoYTTOn12tnkM7sO64weCHdXdxDjT5H5cX7r7tT/s400/DSC_0021.JPG" width="266" /></a>When the field fanned out I was in third from the start and the two guys ahead were so far up that I didn't have a chance to chase anyone down. The 10k started 20 minutes before us and were using the same out and back course so when I turned at my halfway point I got in the with the 3rd place 10k runner. I was comfortably ahead of him through mile 2. About this time I passed Zach. He was running which was cool since he normally walks when he does these. I was a mile up on him and missed a high five since I was flying and we were on opposite sides of the greenbelt.<br />
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I seemed to pull along the 10k runner for a while but he wouldn't pass me so I figured I must be holding a decent pace. Then with about a quarter mile to go he passed me and we both sped way up. After it was over I wished he had passed me sooner since he pulled me along at the end. My goal was 20 minutes and I finished in 20:18.<br />
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It was a fun day. Afterward I headed back out on the course to sweep the half marathon. There were three of us so I mainly picked up trash while the others pulled flags and signs. Michelle was at the end of the half so I got to spend time with her which was fun too.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-54858601400783258612016-02-06T11:59:00.000-07:002016-02-22T11:59:47.145-07:002016 Wasatch Lottery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhitb-EYOTsBB4CAvp_3uNuBB4LylSGiFyuN-m6B791QLe5sqt9xtz1Cw1Cmzapi4Nn9qhwMfjECrZPKGUH-UVt7YCTaMorsT_dh008g237z_IIoxPqwxk-WOP5xoU2vVO-OPzrXmuwVYa9/s1600/IMG_4117.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhitb-EYOTsBB4CAvp_3uNuBB4LylSGiFyuN-m6B791QLe5sqt9xtz1Cw1Cmzapi4Nn9qhwMfjECrZPKGUH-UVt7YCTaMorsT_dh008g237z_IIoxPqwxk-WOP5xoU2vVO-OPzrXmuwVYa9/s200/IMG_4117.PNG" width="160" /></a></div>
I won the lottery again! I need to recall and remember everything I screwed up last year when I DNF'd. It was hard reading my post from <a href="http://ryan-in-boise.blogspot.com/2015/02/wasatch-lottery-run.html" target="_blank">last year</a> about getting in because I didn't do anything I hoped to. This is a new year and here's to hoping I can pull my head out and get it done this time!Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-28264775623460998342016-01-23T11:53:00.000-07:002016-02-22T11:55:07.140-07:00Bobcat sighting!Christine Birch was in town over the weekend and she organized a group run to catch up with everyone and get to have some pizza and brew afterward at Lucky 13. There are always lots of deer and elk up on Highland Valley and Cobb Trails this time of year so I suggested we go there. The only drawback was it was a bit rainy which meant Homestead trail would be muddy and we would have to run two miles of greenbelt to get to Highland Valley. Most trail runners avoid the greenbelt like the plague but everyone was a good sport about it.<br />
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I needed some extra miles this day so I showed up early and ran a 10 mile loop alone. It was dark when on was on the greenbelt and I thought I saw an animal cross my path when I saw some green eyes. I was a bit leery since Derek was blasted by a skunk somewhere around here several years back but then it turned and appeared to be a coyote. When we came back through with the larger group I was looking around to see if the coyote was still hanging around and notice this in the trees.<br />
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You can see how well camouflaged it is and I could hardly believe my eyes! It was a very large bobcat and had apparently just plopped down in the tree after I passed it. We all stopped and snapped pictures them moved on. </div>
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Our run was fun. No mud with lots of deer and elk. Then on the way back we looked in the tree again just to see if the bobcat was still there and it was! Crazy. I was sure it was protecting young or something since they are normally nocturnal but who knows. It was fun to catch a glimpse of such a cool animal. This picture was from the second time we saw it and was taken from the greenbelt with a cell phone.</div>
Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-44792855760174456032016-01-08T10:00:00.000-07:002016-01-08T10:00:16.282-07:00Dailymile 2015 Year End ReportAnother great year in the bag. I didn't have the best race results but I never felt like I was over training or injured. If anything, I was under trained for race specific conditions. My best race all year was the Foothills Frenzy 50k on October 3rd with a time 5:39. It was my fastest time by five minutes and my fifth time doing the race. The course was a bit shorter than previous years so it wasn't quite a PR but I'll take it. The best part about it was the fact that I ran the Bear 100 seven days before this and had a pretty solid day finishing in 28:55. I went into the Frenzy (like I do every year) crossing my fingers for a good day and taking what the day gives me since I have usually just run a 100 miler in the previous weeks. It kind of made me wonder what I could do in a 50k if I was rested and tapered! I bet this year, minus Bear, I could have shaved 20+ minutes off.<br />
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Time to come up with some new goals for 2016! <br />
<a href="http://ryan-in-boise.blogspot.com/2015/01/another-year-gone-and-lots-of-miles-in.html" target="_blank">Last year's report</a><br />
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<span id="goog_1745199121"></span><span id="goog_1745199122"></span>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-27995044600434630092015-09-04T13:06:00.003-06:002015-09-04T13:06:48.807-06:00Terrariums and FossilsIt is difficult to pinpoint when my love of the mountains and being outdoors began but I was reminded of one time in particular on a recent run with my friend Christie. As with many long runs in the mountains conversation end up all over the place at some point she was talking about a terrarium which brought me back to when I was a kid.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOC9F_mzWuWHeNhBrMEhG9wAFa0ZC3z4C93l-6fmsg-TgIh3bf-xIQklOhJsW7i0xImgDOztHhxZeWCI5RjtCntv93ETuQ94aXo6og30qOKIV-QsYrfe6mrFKodVWMHfnzB3pX7vUhqoU/s1600/terr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOC9F_mzWuWHeNhBrMEhG9wAFa0ZC3z4C93l-6fmsg-TgIh3bf-xIQklOhJsW7i0xImgDOztHhxZeWCI5RjtCntv93ETuQ94aXo6og30qOKIV-QsYrfe6mrFKodVWMHfnzB3pX7vUhqoU/s200/terr.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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For those of you not lucky enough to be an 80's kid they were essentially a glass box that you put plants, dirt and rocks in. We had two hexagon versions (similar to the picture) that were at both ends of the couch in the front room and were used like side tables with a lamp on them. Each week one of the chores in the house was to dust them and carefully remove the top for watering. I don't recall when they were finally removed but in the bottom of one of them was a very special piece of shale. <br />
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In the summer of 1982 our family went to <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grba/index.htm" target="_blank">Great Basin National Park</a> in eastern Nevada. We were there for the annual Anderson family reunion. While we were there we had fun camping and exploring <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grba/learn/historyculture/lehman-caves-history.htm" target="_blank">Lehman Caves</a>. One day during our stay my mom decided she had had enough of staying in camp and watching kids. She told my dad she was going out for a hike and on her way out I asked if I could come. I don't recall the exact conversation but as a parent of 4 children myself I imagine it went something like this....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfgU8wRcY22ZHo4B3svF4QpRKr4ClSUGxiebScEGAVZacybHOTfzdXh82XqFz7g_TOqBddRa3RwrYFO5zXlW1xRGMAm7GYYlUjJhjuPYj3W5sr4OopHeZJb3uGHMYgH4oJHdGKg5VfnTs/s1600/IMG_3254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfgU8wRcY22ZHo4B3svF4QpRKr4ClSUGxiebScEGAVZacybHOTfzdXh82XqFz7g_TOqBddRa3RwrYFO5zXlW1xRGMAm7GYYlUjJhjuPYj3W5sr4OopHeZJb3uGHMYgH4oJHdGKg5VfnTs/s320/IMG_3254.JPG" width="240" /></a><i>I am not sure you understand what 'Mom' time is, Ryan. It is where Mom's leave and spend time alone to relax and get away from everything...like kids. </i><br />
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I was relentless and wanted to go though. She ended up telling me I could come but she wasn't going to put up with any complaining or whining. Check, let's go!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjk5ZWAxIRpsBiPOlWxgklcmydE1gOXMS_-aRGEsqYktuaYdCrCUnRHAxseNLQQHqFBlcR3p1j2qukdO8wfy1ZCLoFUlOe88VVWU8sRhdWpXWIs8UniN_8LrjYN00Un5vhAHH7ecIjRF6/s1600/IMG_3255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjk5ZWAxIRpsBiPOlWxgklcmydE1gOXMS_-aRGEsqYktuaYdCrCUnRHAxseNLQQHqFBlcR3p1j2qukdO8wfy1ZCLoFUlOe88VVWU8sRhdWpXWIs8UniN_8LrjYN00Un5vhAHH7ecIjRF6/s320/IMG_3255.JPG" width="218" /></a>I don't recall what we talked about or what the trail was really like but I do remember how much fun I had spending time with my mom. Since it was just the two of us it made me feel special that I got to go and I wasn't going to ruin it by being a whiner. I was 8 and don't recall that I was a big whiner anyway but she would the definitive source on facts like that. While we were out we found this piece of shale that had a small plant fossilized in it. It was quite a find and we had fun showing it to everyone when we got back. This piece of shale was placed in the terrarium in our house when we returned it was a weekly reminder for me of the fun time we had for years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDl1AVYKQKm8jC7BaT0EU6_B-NUhLosu7uHYtfI7_YiKj-8aIHNTm8R4riJgh4BZmTNf3fssvvTcXKk4FUf63HkGDLDK0V1TBJRh8yI-Xj7Y6aUVWNuJzfAFPYUqxplbGL48VOncA4IPQ/s1600/IMG_3258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDl1AVYKQKm8jC7BaT0EU6_B-NUhLosu7uHYtfI7_YiKj-8aIHNTm8R4riJgh4BZmTNf3fssvvTcXKk4FUf63HkGDLDK0V1TBJRh8yI-Xj7Y6aUVWNuJzfAFPYUqxplbGL48VOncA4IPQ/s320/IMG_3258.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Dad</td></tr>
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During our trip, there was a group of us that climbed <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grba/learn/historyculture/why-wheeler.htm" target="_blank">Wheeler Peak</a> which is near the campground where we stayed. There were two kids that made it to the top that day. I was 8 and my cousin Pam was 9. It was a gorgeous hike and the view from the top was amazing. It was the end of July and there was still snow all around. While I was looking up information on Great Basin National Park and Wheeler Peak I realized that it is the highest point in the surrounding 180,000 square miles at 13,063 feet. Not bad for an 8 year old!<br />
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When I topped out at 11,000 feet at Speedgoat in 2012 I thought that was the highest I had ever been in the mountains. Going into the race I wasn't sure how my body would react. I felt great afterwards and came to the conclusion that some people are ok with high altitude and some aren't for whatever reason. I have lived in Boise most of my life at about 2,700 feet so 13,000 was a big jump that day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of the world that day</td></tr>
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<br />Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-34603669555637079132015-06-06T15:11:00.000-06:002015-06-11T15:14:29.730-06:00Pocatello 2 - Ryan 0 Chasing the Cutoffs at the Scout Mtn Ultra Trail 100k<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise on the first climb up Corral Creek</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fun times in the mountains outside of Pocatello, Idaho on
Saturday.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had been sick all week and
wasn't sure what to expect.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I thought I
was doing a good job of pacing and keeping my effort level under control in the
first third while I cruised along with my friend Lyndon who was doing his very
first ultra.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I got to the mile 26
aid station I figured I was about middle of the pack.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I sat down to organize my pack and heard one
of the volunteers say there were only 8 more runners after me.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ridge running before dropping into Gibson Jack</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My comfortable pace had me nearly at the end and then to
make matters worse on the next big climb I just had zero gas. I was fueling and
hydrating fine but the effects of getting over a cold left me feeling really
blah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn't put it together at the
time but I had also kicked a few rocks and roots on the way down to the City
Creek aid station that must have pulled a muscle in my stomach when I tried to
keep myself from hitting the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever
happened, the result was pain in my abdomen that made downhill running almost non-existent.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wall, The Gut, or The Barkley section in City Creek</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I essentially walked all of the easy sweet downhill
from Kinport Peak to the Midnight Creek aid station and from there to the West Fork aid station. I was really frustrated because this is where you need to be making good
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People were passing me so I knew I
was getting closer and closer to last place with 25+ miles to go that includes
a 10 mile uphill stretch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I resigned
myself to the fact that I would surely get cut at the West Fork aid station since
I was moving so slow and because I didn't have a headlamp at the right aid
station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The races rules said anyone
leaving Scout Mountain aid station (mile 46) after 5pm had to have a headlamp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before the race I put my headlamp in my Big
Fir aid station (mile 56) drop bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Miraculously I got to West Fork aid station (mile 41) at 4:50 just ten
minutes before the cutoff.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At West Fork I asked the volunteers if I was in
last place and they said I wasn't which was a relief because for the past hour
I was sure they were all waiting for me and I had been planning to drop out of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With 10 minutes to spare they were all pumped
to get me refueled and back out on the trail which was kind of perplexing since
I hadn't planned to continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once I
made up my mind to continue the aid station captain told me I had to stay for a
few minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stood up and put my pack
on and asked why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said I was not
making sense and stumbling on my words (totally true).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I explained the reason I wasn't making sense
is because I was originally going to quit and then was trying to shift gears
and wrap my head around continuing!</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjfud5ZEDvmGdXiVJN8B5Uu02yc5WcMhxYRZTt5cn_h20nvz8NtclfOWQHEznV9TpikJLLR4Rmaqik3zF_L0inp_pMiVNmKgaZmupypGZ4UOOjOIXFJLF8q8fTEYbgGMIQ2YWFaYpZMLN/s1600/1349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjfud5ZEDvmGdXiVJN8B5Uu02yc5WcMhxYRZTt5cn_h20nvz8NtclfOWQHEznV9TpikJLLR4Rmaqik3zF_L0inp_pMiVNmKgaZmupypGZ4UOOjOIXFJLF8q8fTEYbgGMIQ2YWFaYpZMLN/s640/1349.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several miles before West Fork aid station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I asked anyone if they had a headlamp I could borrow and no
one did so I was just going to go to the next aid station and ask them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they did...I would continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not...I would be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was my fault and I didn’t have time to
stand there complaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just didn't
want to give up on myself if there was still a chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just then Luke Nelson, the RD, came up
and asked how I was feeling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said I
was doing OK and needed a headlamp. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
asked the same group of people for a headlamp and someone gave him one which
was funny. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was already on the trail so
he said he would go back and get it and run it up to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also funny to see him riding a single
speed beach cruiser looking bike up the trail to meet me.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The six miles before West Fork I struggled to maintain an
average of 24 minute miles that had an average downhill of 220 feet per mile
and I knew that wouldn't cut it so I tried running uphill when I left the aid
station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was less jarring on my
stomach and I ended up running about half of the </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7Oiddm_fBlWTcrtvOE3sKv61oRk3sbf97PMcOSQoDFACJ0kLl6K9lpjpVgqPwIMrB-4beQmy0rTzuFrHHfToH9dLAzJuFhNnafvKtYNyQ8mh9MHpMha7CFwFrL2ltNtsqjSOKebfN92B/s1600/1351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7Oiddm_fBlWTcrtvOE3sKv61oRk3sbf97PMcOSQoDFACJ0kLl6K9lpjpVgqPwIMrB-4beQmy0rTzuFrHHfToH9dLAzJuFhNnafvKtYNyQ8mh9MHpMha7CFwFrL2ltNtsqjSOKebfN92B/s320/1351.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">10 mile uphill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the 5 miles to the Scout Mountain aid
station and I cut my mile pace from 24 to 17 and went from 220 feet per mile of
descent to 360 feet per mile of gain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
made no sense but I was determined to do what I could to make sure I made it to
the end.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once I popped out of the trees and onto the exposed road up
to the top of Scout Mountain I had cell coverage.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Michelle and I exchanged a number of text
messages and she cheered me on which was much appreciated.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I ended up doing about 40 miles of the race
solo so it was nice to have a little ‘company’ while I hiked.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Power hiking through rocks and texting is
not advised)</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had to put the phone away
once I crested the top though because the downhill off of Scout Mountain is
insanely steep for a short bit but then turns into the nicest switchback trail
leading into Big Fir aid station.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I
wasn’t lighting the trail on fire with my downhill speed but was surprised and
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">happy with being able to uphold a respectable pace while dodging the many ankle
biter rocks that seemed to always be rolling under my feet.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ornD16ff7J1XOJklELpZQuK4hlOSw_X9Yyr4UQV7ML52sO1rCKTdzJqvUjK4kn4fHDkEVYxzs0EQFGWClpKnokqL-PZuVEnhWekQxVrusFakfjDURwPXZ9kPWwpSuA8tjW6h126sbp8v/s1600/1357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ornD16ff7J1XOJklELpZQuK4hlOSw_X9Yyr4UQV7ML52sO1rCKTdzJqvUjK4kn4fHDkEVYxzs0EQFGWClpKnokqL-PZuVEnhWekQxVrusFakfjDURwPXZ9kPWwpSuA8tjW6h126sbp8v/s400/1357.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking south from the backside of Scout Mountain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Surprisingly, I was making good enough time that I didn’t
need the borrowed headlamp until right before Big Fir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a PrincetonTec (POS model I believe)
and it was almost bright enough to see my hand 3 feet in front of my
forehead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was grateful that a total
stranger loaned it to me and thankful the sunset gave me just enough help that
I didn’t need it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I was rolling into
the final aid station I was pretty sure I was in last place now since I left
West Fork with two minutes to spare and no other runners came in while I was
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The volunteers confirmed that I
was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They still had hot perogies and
baby potatoes sautéed in butter which was amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finished them off with one of Karl
Meltzer’s Red Bulls and headed out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I
was leaving I asked Karl if this kind of performance would get me through
Speedgoat 50k in a month and he assured me that I would be fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes it just isn’t your day.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPGM1ADNS9h960Qj7lHwOgWdzm9Z_g0MzPLxJDKW8UFC3oJnfuDKCYHUjob0KJ0iiMjJNxvFi_g22N9qFZhnKn6sqxzTM6aptbAPTpQU5QgdbWfgAGRDPDbI4oqR59poOvh5cVUomVRKp/s1600/1355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPGM1ADNS9h960Qj7lHwOgWdzm9Z_g0MzPLxJDKW8UFC3oJnfuDKCYHUjob0KJ0iiMjJNxvFi_g22N9qFZhnKn6sqxzTM6aptbAPTpQU5QgdbWfgAGRDPDbI4oqR59poOvh5cVUomVRKp/s320/1355.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had two hours and thirty minutes to run just over 6 miles so barring a complete meltdown I thought I should be able to get it done. The finish line had a midnight cutoff so I couldn't just slog in. The sweepers were planning on leaving right behind me to
clear course markings so my goal was to stay ahead of them as long as I could
and once they caught me to enjoy some much appreciated company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
don’t know how soon they left after I did but I managed to stay ahead for a few
miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hiked the trail up the Nordic center
together chatting away which helped pass the time and quickly reached the final
descent toward the finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a
short single track and dirt road section we reached the highway for the final
quarter mile of pavement and cruised into the finish at a fairly decent
pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had about 30 minutes to spare on
the final cutoff I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not
exactly certain of my finish time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luke
was there to greet me as I crossed which was nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He presented me my finisher award and the caboose
(or DFL) prize which was a cool Patagonia Houdini jacket.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnycSW5oPwcMXE9vge7RmFUpvoOBfJiUTb0mP0R-G-VHMTiW0MT13crrMfkeuhHhkSaGFBaAqEZ5gJ5zAydpGkfJc5IoNegl0a2g-kQn9JljPDOPn8n2h-Qme-04V2oKVIo6lzM3m3ojIZ/s1600/1358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnycSW5oPwcMXE9vge7RmFUpvoOBfJiUTb0mP0R-G-VHMTiW0MT13crrMfkeuhHhkSaGFBaAqEZ5gJ5zAydpGkfJc5IoNegl0a2g-kQn9JljPDOPn8n2h-Qme-04V2oKVIo6lzM3m3ojIZ/s640/1358.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous bookend to the wonderful day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My first ultra was the Pocatello 50+ miler in 2011 and I had
my worst day ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have had lots of
great races since then thanks to the many lessons I learned that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This day was worse…but I just couldn’t quit
on myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love setting and achieving hard race goals
but the feeling at the finish is so much sweeter when I have had to overcome
some sort of obstacle and push myself to the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Big thanks to Luke Nelson and his crew for putting on an
amazing and tough race that will not disappoint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trail marking was perfect even for slow
guys in the dark!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the aid station
volunteers were wonderful and helped push me on when I didn’t know if I wanted
to continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll be back and hopefully
won’t have any more lessons to learn next time.</span></div>
Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0Caribou National Forest, Soda Springs, ID 83276, USA42.741339173598277 -112.3973464965820342.729676673598277 -112.41751649658202 42.753001673598277 -112.37717649658204tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-15249814514481460792015-04-10T10:15:00.000-06:002015-04-10T10:19:11.441-06:00How To Get There From Here...<h1 class="gb-volume-title" dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: large;">How To Get There From Here...The Ten Lessons That Have Served Me Well </span></h1>
<span class="addmd">By Coleman H. Peterson</span><br />
<span class="addmd"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieA0JzMIajR9DCyLvIhqRr0TzFvkBJT4xkUjsTuIYchWJ8aJNPvvND0TLpKM5USBSfHfhT248JPjiqbdEQHCt5q9NUvHEEHCjHUxd8leicMc8EFL6ATasXTTe6uXSRllYGQx5LUSUmkW1R/s1600/Capture.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieA0JzMIajR9DCyLvIhqRr0TzFvkBJT4xkUjsTuIYchWJ8aJNPvvND0TLpKM5USBSfHfhT248JPjiqbdEQHCt5q9NUvHEEHCjHUxd8leicMc8EFL6ATasXTTe6uXSRllYGQx5LUSUmkW1R/s1600/Capture.GIF" height="275" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="addmd"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrVRRmEpk8te5nXiJKcU2_NlAxEo6N2oli6nNNDhgQNjbtqvBAFIn7-QlkKCKqgsHoMc67PgsLKOndxg7GGWWqHQSiwrrqpNiGWJIyrSsRHjaZCHWDEPgezuSTsW5u5TqAKO3-8FcIkw_/s1600/Capture.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrVRRmEpk8te5nXiJKcU2_NlAxEo6N2oli6nNNDhgQNjbtqvBAFIn7-QlkKCKqgsHoMc67PgsLKOndxg7GGWWqHQSiwrrqpNiGWJIyrSsRHjaZCHWDEPgezuSTsW5u5TqAKO3-8FcIkw_/s1600/Capture.GIF" height="200" width="161" /></a><span class="addmd">The previous exerpt is from page 12. I found the abstract online and need to get a copy of it to read the whole thing but I love the message. It follows the the sentiment of my blog title. When people have asked me what was that ONE THING that finally clicked that made me successful I often say, when you want to change more than you want to stay the same you can do anything.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="addmd"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="addmd">I wanted to change my ways for years...but not enough to do anything about it. I think everyone has been in this situation before.</span></div>
Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-19554569155339578562015-02-24T10:18:00.001-07:002015-02-24T10:29:17.312-07:0021 Golden Rules<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJb5WEdyZWaPhuwTYZQQc5OnA9lViC4TBNiUFYgf-qB2QzNYF4_iwWGM_fa-dfhLrP2YAXRtZWcqXydCyYuqBLZbt-1bbAbAc7n92fVCD_rMb_6vkEsxa3LS2vkEg19FgL18BqAyNqA9lN/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJb5WEdyZWaPhuwTYZQQc5OnA9lViC4TBNiUFYgf-qB2QzNYF4_iwWGM_fa-dfhLrP2YAXRtZWcqXydCyYuqBLZbt-1bbAbAc7n92fVCD_rMb_6vkEsxa3LS2vkEg19FgL18BqAyNqA9lN/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Some neat things to remember: <br />
<br />
1. No one can ruin your day without YOUR permission.<br />
2. Most people will be about as happy, as they decide to be.<br />
3. Others can stop you temporarily, but only you can do it permanently.<br />
4. Whatever you are willing to put up with is exactly what you will have.<br />
5. Success stops when you do.<br />
6. When your ship comes in.... make sure you are willing to unload it.<br />
7. You will never "have it all together."<br />
8. Life is a journey...not a destination. Enjoy the trip!<br />
9. The biggest lie on the planet: "When I get what I want I will be
happy."<br />
10. The best way to escape your problem is to solve it.<br />
11. I've learned that ultimately, 'takers' lose and 'givers' win.<br />
12. Life's precious moments don't have value, unless they are shared.<br />
13. If you don't start, it's certain you won't arrive.<br />
14. We often fear the thing we want the most.<br />
15. He or she who laughs......lasts.<br />
16. Yesterday was the deadline for all complaints.<br />
17. Look for opportunities...not guarantees.<br />
18. Life is what's coming....not what was.<br />
19. Success is getting up one more time.<br />
20. Now is the most interesting time of all.<br />
21. When things go wrong.....don't go with them.<br />
<br />
~Author Unknown~</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Make it a great day! Ryan</span></b></div>
Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-63131920847914666302015-02-07T12:00:00.000-07:002015-02-19T09:54:18.128-07:00Wasatch Lottery Run<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-CSMSARadpUCVnp5J-DP8vS_5v5k9_f0nxqubtKdL_hZNeCOKg6HGxwOZNmyVPKzo2vO2sZDD6KS8qLpMk_NBrDbgCu_k6jsVftC8-AYX_WaNXf1wXZoVfeKVLvzZH75J2QRv9glPSZg/s1600/10362517_781448438613432_8594412024921111387_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-CSMSARadpUCVnp5J-DP8vS_5v5k9_f0nxqubtKdL_hZNeCOKg6HGxwOZNmyVPKzo2vO2sZDD6KS8qLpMk_NBrDbgCu_k6jsVftC8-AYX_WaNXf1wXZoVfeKVLvzZH75J2QRv9glPSZg/s1600/10362517_781448438613432_8594412024921111387_n.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
I threw my name in the hat again for the Wasatch Front 100 lottery. I did Wasatch in 2012 and have learned A LOT since then. My hopes were that if I was able to get in I could correct all the things that went bad for me that day. I was still a relative newbie when I ran it last. It was my third hundred miler and maybe 10th ultra but I had only been doing ultras for 15 months.<br />
<br />
Whenever I put my name in lottery drawings I go for a long run the day of the lottery. It's fun to find out if you made it but why waste a whole morning when you could be out running. The Western States and Hardrock lottery always falls on the Ryan Anderson Invitational Marathon so that it easy. I didn't put in for States this year but I did for Hardrock. Not surprisingly, my 0.whatever percent chance didn't land me a spot so I'll keep trying.<br />
<br />
There were 4 of us from Boise who put in for the Wasatch lottery Heather Culig, Cory Harelson, Derek Call and me. Heather, Cory, and I met up for a run Saturday morning with no real agenda other than 20+ miles and as much trail as possible. The forecast was saying more than a half an inch of rain was supposed to fall Friday night so we didn't have high hopes that we would see much trail. As it turned out the rain missed us and we got to do a majority of the distance on the trails.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3vjln0gUYhURMZDLPFSExZOqNSk5wZHAiKDxXsfG8getB8GVbdvRUWojmGmIbXwittPZSwzC7yEzilQt9e8YEtHIIVLUWicJ_lhjIwWbN2FzFRxnmQzbUIu0TYNnbwxoPXH1PaPss37K/s1600/Capture3.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3vjln0gUYhURMZDLPFSExZOqNSk5wZHAiKDxXsfG8getB8GVbdvRUWojmGmIbXwittPZSwzC7yEzilQt9e8YEtHIIVLUWicJ_lhjIwWbN2FzFRxnmQzbUIu0TYNnbwxoPXH1PaPss37K/s1600/Capture3.GIF" height="396" width="450" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cory got this great shot. The clouds look ominous but it didn't last long.</td></tr>
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We ran into Dave and several other friends in Rocky Canyon and headed up Three Bears to Watchman. The sunrise was amazing and well worth the early start. The temps were in the 50s at the start so I just wore short and a short sleeve shirt which is insane for Idaho in February.<br />
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Heather went up 5 Mile with Dave and Cory and I went down Orchard. Once we hit Rocky Canyon Cory and I decided it would be best to go up the Ridge Road and come down 5 Mile. The lottery started about the time we hit Aldape Summit and I quickly got a text from my friend Scott in Utah who was keeping his ears open for all the Idaho guys. Just after that Heather calls and told me I was in and she was too! She was the 2nd name drawn, crazy. We motored along Ridge Road and down 5 Mile and got another text that Derek was in.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guess who's going to Wasatch? This guy!</td></tr>
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It was fun getting the play by play while out pounding out some hills. When we hit the bottom of 5 Mile I was running and texting (not advised...even on flat ground)...and got another one from Heather that said something about Cory. I yelled at him to check his phone and the message was, Cory has a 59% chance at this point. Ugh, we were hoping it was to say he was in. We went all the way down 5 Mile and Rocky Canyon all the way to our cars with no more texts. I figured the lottery must be over by then so I asked Cory if he didn't get in if he would like to come and pace me. He said yes, but I could tell he was a bit bummed.<br />
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We parted ways and just a few minutes later on the drive home Heather sends another one saying Cory was the 4th from the last name drawn! Woohoo. I replied and said dammit there goes my pacer, sarcastically. He said, you wouldn't believe how stoked I am right now! I said I could believe because he was stoked just to hear we all made it. <br />
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It was a fun day out running and winning the lottery!<br />
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<a href="https://connect.garmin.com/activity/692141670" target="_blank">Route</a><br />
<br />Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-27743451337029145322015-01-10T11:01:00.000-07:002015-02-13T11:12:56.440-07:00Dailymile 2014 Year End ReportAnother year gone and lots of miles in the bank. My spring training for the Buffalo Run 100 in March and Western States 100 in June took a lot out of me. After States I felt generally awful, lost motivation, and somehow was able to keep running some decent miles the rest of the year. I had my first DNF at IMTUF in September which was disappointing but had no regrets. I ran my 4th Foothills Frenzy in October and had my slowest time. I knew I would, the way I was feeling, so I dressed up all goofy and just had a good time. In November I went to Javelina to support Michelle and got in some good miles with her and several friends who were there.<br />
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I am feeling good and ready to take on the new year. This year's plan is to get fast this spring and then add some big mountains so I can kick ass at Speedgoat 50k again and Wasatch 100 (like I didn't last time)!<br />
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<a href="http://ryan-in-boise.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-dailymile-report.html" target="_blank">Last Year's Report</a>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-77872330739543327382014-09-21T10:50:00.000-06:002014-10-17T10:51:27.041-06:00IMTUF 100 Race Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset over Burgdorf</td></tr>
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This past Saturday I toed the starting line the IMTUF 100 in McCall, Idaho which was my 8th 100 mile endurance run. This is the third year of the race but the first time I have signed up to run it. I wanted to run the Western States 100 and needed a qualifier in past years so I opted for Bear and Wasatch. As luck would have it I got into Western States and had a <a href="http://ryan-in-boise.blogspot.com/2014/09/on-third-entry-into-western-states-100.html" target="_blank">great day the past June</a>. Now I didn't have an excuse. The first two you years I joined my friends Amy and Christine as a pacer which was a lot of fun. Between pacing twice and hiking around McCall over the years I figured I had seen about 80 miles of the route beforehand which was comforting.<br />
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We arrived on Friday after work in time for the pre-race meeting and it was great to hear how passionate and excited both Jeremy and Brandi Humphrey were to put on this event for all us crazy people! Michelle and I hung out briefly afterwards and visited with some of the other runners and friends before heading off to sleep in the back of the car with Zach. Zach was home at lunch when I got there and I asked him if he wanted to go. I was glad he came. Before we got to bed we were treated to an amazing sunset over Burgdorf Hot Springs.</div>
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Just a few short hours later I was brought out of my sleep to a bull elk bugling back and forth across the valley at 3:30. It was really amazing. There was frost on the ground, which was a small surprise. McCall was supposed to be in the high 30s but we were a bit higher altitude at the starting area.</div>
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The race started with about as much fanfare as most ultras....none! Jeremy did a simple countdown<br />
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and then blew his elk bugle. The first 20+ miles of the race looked easiest on paper with a relatively small gain and loss but that is also what makes them the most dangerous. I have learned my lesson about going out too fast so I settled into a pretty conservative cruise with Drew Adams. The sun came up somewhere before the first water drop at mile 6 and the fall colors we popping everywhere.</div>
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We cruised through the first main aid station at Willow Basket manned by Doug and Vicki Trees and said a quick hello. A few more rolling up and downs led us into Chinook Campground 3+ miles later. I met Michelle for the first time, got refueled and restocked and hit the trail again. Chinook is at mile 13+ and I got there in 2:30.</div>
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After leaving you follow right along the river bank for a number of miles. The trail if beautiful and the surrounding vegetation on the rolling hillsides are wonderful. I got lulled into the easy flat terrain and took looked up to enjoy the view <br />
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and went down on my face hard. I kicked a tiny tree root that racked my hips and sent my water bottles flying out of my pack. Once the bottles were gone there wasn't any tension to hold the rest of the things in my pockets so EVERYTHING came out of my pack and scattered all over the trail. Luckily I had decided to keep my long sleeve shirt and gloves for this section because they saved my elbows and palms as I rolled up in heap on the ground.</div>
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Drew was right behind and made sure I was OK. I wasn't sure if I was or not but figured time would tell. I finally got situated and continued up the trail. Before starting the race I told myself I would allow time to take pictures and really just enjoy the day rather than try and go for a fast time. As I struggled along the short breaks to take pictures were quite welcome. The terrain remained<br />
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pretty easy for a return trip to Willow Basket and then up the Valley along Victor Creek.</div>
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The Victor Creek trail is barely a trail in most places but just as beautiful. After a long stretch in the valley it turns steep quick. When we got there Drew pulled away and I didn't see him again. Climbing is usually my strongest aspect but I could tell it was going to be a long day as my hips kept screaming at me. The climb was a perfect combination of rocky, technical, scenic, and fun. In fact, this whole course is like that. I want races to be hard but balanced with beautiful scenery and a few faster sections. IMTUF seems to have it all in just the right proportions.</div>
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After cresting over the top I was ready to see if I could go downhill since sometimes when you get hurt on the trail it will only effect climbing but you can run down and vice versa. No such luck. I was stuck in a fast walk on much of the downhill with a little bit of running on the flat sections. That was frustrating since from the time this happened to the end would be 90 miles. I was determined to hang on as long as I could though. Things often change over time during these silly things. </div>
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I got close to Upper Payette Lake at mile 33 and Zach was waiting for me at the guardrail next to the highway. I was way off my pace and he had walked up the trail to see if he could see me. It was probably the best 5 minutes of my entire day to share that short little stretch with him coming into the aid station. Along the way he says to me, Dad<br />
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I almost tripped on the rock about 10 times getting up here! Wow, I said. Let me tell you a story about the last 33 MILES. He put a smile on my face as we came into the aid station side by side.</div>
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Michelle got me all situated and kicked me out of the aid station after getting some food and new bottles. The three of us walked down the little path together until the trail turns up the hill. It was a lonely feeling going out there. I was barely running and still had 70 miles to go. I convinced myself that I was going to walk nearly the whole next section of 20 Mile trail. It is about 8 miles gently uphill and 2+ miles down to Lick Creek Road from Duck Lake. I figured if I could get there feeling decent the heat of the day will have passed and I can go into the night with a small chance to recover.</div>
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I got there feeling OK but really hungry for real food. I barely ate any real food at States but today I was dying for real food at most of the aid stations. Duck Lake didn't have much beyond the normal Oreos and M&Ms but they did have some avocado turkey wraps cut in small pieces that hit the spot. I languished there for a few minutes until there were more runners than there were chairs so I got up and left.</div>
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From here it is just over a mile uphill and 4.5 miles downhill. I walked the uphill and after cresting the top told myself I would run a half mile and walk a quarter mile and repeat. I think I managed four of these before walking in the last mile. In the last mile Linda Robbins caught up to me and we chatted for a while. She offered me<br />
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a Tylenol to help with the pain, which I took. I don't normally take anything but then again I had never felt this bad ever. We met Michelle and Zach along the way and we all walked into a cheering crowd of crew and family at Snowslide.</div>
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Michelle got me set up again and got a bunch of real food in me. I had an ensure and 2 cups of ramen noodles which really hit the spot. I decided I would take her poles that just happened to be in the car and they were a lifesaver. As I was sitting there I saw Emily scream through the aid station in about 5 seconds flat. I was determined to try and keep up with her to help get me out of my funk. It is two miles to Snowslide Lake and maybe another half mile to the top of the pass. The Tylenol was doing its trick and I was feeling pretty decent and I was cruising up the hillside with Steve Loebner. He had been<br />
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struggling with his stomach for a long time and I think getting some real food helped both of us.</div>
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Emily only had a few minutes head start and I barely caught up to her just past the lake. The look on her face when she saw me was one of my other favorite moments of the day. RYAN ANDERSON what in the world are you doing WAY back here! I told her that I heard all the fun happens at the back of the pack and I just wanted to see for myself! She assured me that this IS where the fun is and we climbed steadily to the pass chatting away. At the top, Steve snapped a great picture of us with the sun going down behind us.<br />
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The sun wasn't completely gone so I decided I wanted to get after the quick downhill section while I could still see my feet since it is really rocky at the top. Jeremy told us at the pre-race that over the winter last year there was an avalanche that laid down hundreds of trees in the drainage between Snowslide Summit and Lake Fork. They attempted to clear the existing trail but in places there were just too many trees piled up so they cut a path straight through. The trees laying down reminded me of Mount St. Helens where the blast just laid everything down in a neat line.<br />
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After the initial steep descent of 1,200 feet in two miles the trail becomes really nice. From there it<br />
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drops 200-300 feet per mile with several short ups and downs. I have run this section a number of times while on vacation in McCall so I knew what to expect. Emily and I were making what felt like decent time and finally made it to the water drop location. I filled up and shortly after she pulled around me while I was getting something out of my pocket. By the time I looked up she was so far ahead I couldn't see her headlamp! I was happy for her having a great day and almost bummed that I was holding her back for the last I don't know how many miles.<br />
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I plugged along for a bit and then Steve caught back up to me. He wondered how much farther it was and I told him if it were light I could tell him. I have run a 3 mile out and back from the aid station a few times and where I turn around there is a wide meadow with a thick stand of trees on the other side. Just as I am saying this we enter the meadow so I knew it was 3 to go. The death shuffle was slowly creeping in on me and I walked most of the gentle downhill from here.<br />
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Steve said he needed stretch his legs and took off. I struggled with what it arguable some of the easiest trail of the course not including the road sections. The walls were caving in on me and after 45 miles of hurting and feeling terrible I made my peace and decided it just wasn't my day. The final 2.25 miles took me 1:21. Michelle kept asking people when they came in if they saw me and the common response was, he was right behind me a little way back. I was getting dizzy and my legs were numb from my feet halfway up my calves. Some of it may have been from needing more calories and some of it was from my fall earlier in the day. Either way I was done and had zero regrets.<br />
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I have done enough of these to know what fatigue and tiredness feels like and this wasn't that. If it were I would have gutted it out. I felt bad for my pacer Brady who had yet to join me and I apologized. He was volunteering with Derek at Lake Fork and said he had a good time nonetheless. I told him if he sees a poor soul that looks like they need help to jump in with them. He opted to go back to town with us and we crashed out at the Super 8.<br />
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After some good rest and a nice breakfast we headed up to Cloochman to see people through and got<br />
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the chance to see a number of our friends run through. We also got to hang out with Mariah and her crew at the aid station which was a ton of fun. Brady jumped in with a lady named Linda that I ran with earlier and a guy named BJ who were together at Cloochman. They said it was nice to have Brady there so I was glad he got to help and see some of the course.<br />
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We went from there to the finish line to cheer everyone in right up to the final cutoff. I always love cheering people in and didn't want to feel like I was avoiding the finish line after my DNF. The course was amazing and beautiful. I'll definitely be back and next time I'll be ready.</div>
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Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-84539533266359290922014-07-26T11:02:00.000-06:002014-09-25T16:24:51.414-06:00Siskiyou Outback 50k<br />
Great course, aid, volunteers! Definitely a fun race to do.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasAUqY-Qgg6knaTlWw1LEJAbDQvYwOyUgj6txznnZwWJE2yQ5zJfyoyJ_psK9D-Vii9gQoltRXpmHnfINe1aeJXQpgTWNsaB8wY0iHxKwGt8NW019tTVqXxTX1YMa_gauEKSKfM0lE7i9/s1600/IMG_0999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasAUqY-Qgg6knaTlWw1LEJAbDQvYwOyUgj6txznnZwWJE2yQ5zJfyoyJ_psK9D-Vii9gQoltRXpmHnfINe1aeJXQpgTWNsaB8wY0iHxKwGt8NW019tTVqXxTX1YMa_gauEKSKfM0lE7i9/s1600/IMG_0999.JPG" height="198" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race Start looking toward Mt Shasta on the right</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMUhFthttP-41ngBrWy0vAMXcTwdepczGLSdkKoUGOmbeP5zEb59G58pKUI1o6z7mXyFMWrWgp1L7GOfRR7g6iLQQ_dNAs2Xl4Ff_NL8h8afWVXCLF0gPcG1_RtGC87YMOyLtu1CpBSly/s1600/IMG_1007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMUhFthttP-41ngBrWy0vAMXcTwdepczGLSdkKoUGOmbeP5zEb59G58pKUI1o6z7mXyFMWrWgp1L7GOfRR7g6iLQQ_dNAs2Xl4Ff_NL8h8afWVXCLF0gPcG1_RtGC87YMOyLtu1CpBSly/s1600/IMG_1007.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Our family was spending the week at the Oregon Coast and the going to Crater Lake on the way home so I thought it might be fun to sneak this one in. I asked Michelle if she would like to drop me off and pick me up since it was close to Ashland but she wasn't crazy about getting up that early and making the trip twice after all the driving we had been doing for our vacation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMeYHJ6NaYKR4CJCGtfemOCq0SLkKVQTFJLZ-qJ1HD_34A9A_x8dPMit0jKdL3PJoQ1ug6BBgmvCLyF-PinxxAk0KEcwnUCa6QJPpobMpBia5H4TOJY7fF-iY3AANDu1TT_z-njKnExyq/s1600/IMG_1011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMeYHJ6NaYKR4CJCGtfemOCq0SLkKVQTFJLZ-qJ1HD_34A9A_x8dPMit0jKdL3PJoQ1ug6BBgmvCLyF-PinxxAk0KEcwnUCa6QJPpobMpBia5H4TOJY7fF-iY3AANDu1TT_z-njKnExyq/s1600/IMG_1011.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a>The 50 miler was full and I didn't really have time for that so I ended up doing the 50k. I got there early enough to watch the 50 milers take off and then mingle around in the parking lot for an hour before my start. My right knee hurt from the first step so I
just wanted to take it easy and let it loosen up. It did a bit but then when I
got to the first main aid station I flipped a stick up with my foot that stuck
in the ground and the other end stuck under my right kneecap as I ran forward.
It hurt like crazy but there was still zero chance I was going to quit barring a
real injury. I cruised along fairly conservatively to the turnaround and then started back on a ridge top forest service road. After circling back on the road we hit an aid station that was on the outbound rout too.<br />
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From here we left the road and I believe it was all trail from there. The trail was on the north side of the mountain now looking toward Oregon. It was a really nice single track with just enough trees for some shade but still open enough to see the wonderful views. It was kind of rocky but just enough to keep you on your toes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaNDX6d6mNmBZNHXpBonFuyl9OOlzIzcEjnfRDQ4srz0LILhjmrcX-IDCUC-V-g3cyo4EEluGcVucg0g5ETX5Mgu3aOzbWQ3ApJRfFUKH1sYCDakcHA4_I-RbHWU50Rl1u4Ro9fN3v7KH/s1600/IMG_1017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaNDX6d6mNmBZNHXpBonFuyl9OOlzIzcEjnfRDQ4srz0LILhjmrcX-IDCUC-V-g3cyo4EEluGcVucg0g5ETX5Mgu3aOzbWQ3ApJRfFUKH1sYCDakcHA4_I-RbHWU50Rl1u4Ro9fN3v7KH/s1600/IMG_1017.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a>When I got to the last aid station about 5 miles out I decided I was going to give it everything I had after being so conservative all morning. After the last long gentle uphill there were two official race photographers there. As I approached I asked them if the first 50 miler had come through. They said they were going to ask me if I WAS THE FIRST 50 MILER! What?!? They said I was running so strong and fast they figured it might be me (totally serious). That was a good laugh but I was glad I was still ahead of whoever it might be at this point. I told them there was a guy who came flying in behind me at the last aid station that was probably the one they were looking for but he was taking some time to get recovered and eat something.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpPJUA8B3A8nWdhBi5A8smvUNExEBd5yidX0EzXzncY7O2tb_xEuRmoivoeLWtRAmuHurmPBWtrcZfC_IHLbQsb3j6LVZitnlpG55S9s5Z85oE6C3wmi1qjvDUMegXiM497EVD4MPhYpN/s1600/IMG_1019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpPJUA8B3A8nWdhBi5A8smvUNExEBd5yidX0EzXzncY7O2tb_xEuRmoivoeLWtRAmuHurmPBWtrcZfC_IHLbQsb3j6LVZitnlpG55S9s5Z85oE6C3wmi1qjvDUMegXiM497EVD4MPhYpN/s1600/IMG_1019.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>About 5 minutes later a guy goes bombing past me and I figured it was the 50 mile winner. I continued on at a steady pace and finally popped off of the PCT and onto a dirt road stretch before the finish. There were family members there cheering which was a big boost even though I didn't know them. This was the first race I can recall without Michelle or someone I know out on the course. The dirt road continues for a short bit and turns into pavement as you enter the Ashland Ski Resort. The pavement only lasted a few minutes but I can honestly say it was the most painful part of the course.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanUEqHiI9L1GBHZ4yA9umxNRL49NAWkwM7MZlXcTH6y1dc8w3yEg3zNJXrNYRyiZmwrjU-CVOKkIwUuoBWnS5JggT-PSnahiSxW0JswUyuGjKNXXWaZXnhCFMpQ5JECoD2FQeITETwIHg/s1600/IMG_1051%5B2%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanUEqHiI9L1GBHZ4yA9umxNRL49NAWkwM7MZlXcTH6y1dc8w3yEg3zNJXrNYRyiZmwrjU-CVOKkIwUuoBWnS5JggT-PSnahiSxW0JswUyuGjKNXXWaZXnhCFMpQ5JECoD2FQeITETwIHg/s1600/IMG_1051%5B2%5D.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a>I finished in just over 6 hours and beat the first 50 miler by about 12 minutes which was a major win for me the way I was feeling most of the first half! Just after I finished my friend Clyde 'The Glide' Akers came in and we chatted the finish. Big thanks to a new friend I met at the race Samantha de la Vega for getting the finish line photos for me too. </div>
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The PCT was gorgeous and the thru-hikers were nice and ripe from days and
weeks of being on the trail. The finish line beer was NICE RACK SOB. (A play on
all the elk in the area..made by Southern Oregon Brewing Co.)</div>
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<a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/551760113" target="_blank">Garmin Detail</a><br />
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<b>Click below for more random pictures....</b></h3>
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<br />Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-45806359516714007222014-06-28T15:50:00.000-06:002014-11-06T15:26:46.482-07:00Western States 100 2014 Race Report<div class="MsoNormal">
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On the third entry into the Western States 100 lottery my
name was chosen to run the 2014 race. I
was happy to get the opportunity since there are many who didn’t get in even
after 4 and 5 previous attempts. As race
day arrived I felt ready and properly recovered from many long hard weeks of
training.</div>
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On the morning of the race it was in the high 30's at the
start and I didn't even bring a long sleeve or gloves (It was supposed to be
hot? Still, I am a jackass….moving on).
I mentioned to the volunteer handing out the bib numbers at 4:15 am that
I wish I had gloves. <br />
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He went to his bag
and gave me HIS gloves. I was surprised
and not surprised all at the same time.
Ultra runners are like that, they will give you the shirt off their back
or their gloves. He told me his name was Barry and that I should look for him
at the finish. This was a nice vote of
confidence from a total stranger that I would make it all the way to the finish
too. (I didn’t find him there but was
able to get his information through the RD and get them back.)</div>
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We took off running...for a short bit, and then settled into
a nice power hike. I started way in the
back since apparently I was standing with the families and friends taking
pictures! The line didn't move and then
I had to get around all of them. Anyway,
after the start I don't think I ran more than 2 minutes on the climb and passed
60 people maybe?</div>
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The view from the pass was amazing looking back at Lake
Tahoe and then turning the other direction looking toward the west. The air was still cool but it felt nice. The
first quarter of the race ticked by without too much effort and the views were
amazing. I just focused on eating,
drinking, and not crushing my legs on the downhill. The rocks on the trail made it challenging
and the tree cover was welcome although the shadows made it tricky negotiating
the trail at times.</div>
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I saw Michelle, Tim, and Christine at Duncan Canyon (23) and
Dusty Corners (38) then headed into the canyons for the big downhill and uphill
sections. The river crossing at Deadwood
was awesome. Normally you go over a
bridge but since it is under repair we crossed in the river. I passed a bunch of people on the climb up to
Devils Thumb and Michigan Bluff. I was
pretty conservative on the downhill and just grinded the uphills.</div>
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I saw Michelle again at Michigan Bluff and was feeling
great. I breezed through Volcano Canyon
and was running the uphill into Bath Road (60) for some reason. I filled my own water and just kept
moving. There were two crew members who
had hiked down to Bath Road from Foresthill and they were walking the uphill. Again I was running for some reason...and I
yelled out to them, Don’t make me pass you!!
They started running and then looked at each other like, Why are we
letting this guy make us run?</div>
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I popped out on Foresthill Road and cruised into town
feeling pretty awesome. I think I was 25
or 30 minutes behind 24 hour pace at this point but I was determined to follow
my plan and not panic. I got to the aid
station trying to get the crowd pumped up which was fun. They had to weigh me in and I was so excited
I about ran past the scales!</div>
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Michelle got me all set up, I changed shoes, and I was off
with Christine who was going to be my pacer from here to the finish. She and I have worked well together in the
past and I had 100% confidence that she would help me reach my goal.</div>
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My #1 goal was to arrive in Foresthill feeling good. The second part was to run efficiently from
there to the river crossing at Rucky Chucky (78) so that after Green Gate (80)
I could RUN to the end instead of death shuffling. I have done that..not fun.</div>
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Around mile 70 at the Peachstone aid station I stopped to
check a blister. The dirt filtering into
my shoes in the beginning caused a blister to form between my toes. I stopped
and noticed it had popped and the skin was just hanging. The AS worker talked to the doctor, who said
he had a scalpel but that I would have to be the one to cut the skin off. For liability reasons he couldn't cut me as
it could be deemed 'surgery'. SO I
reached down, ripped off the loose skin in one swipe, and said now I guess I
just need a band-aid. Do you have one?
And...we were off again. (Thinking
to myself)….Sorry, don't mean to be rude but I am in the middle of a race and
don't have time to talk about insurance liabilities! It was pretty funny. Christine was pretty
surprised they would consider handing someone a scalpel at mile 70 after
running for 16+ hours. That could be a
REAL liability.</div>
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We hit the river crossing at 78 and it is truly one of the
coolest experiences ever. The line is
manned by volunteers and there were glow sticks in the river zip-tied to rocks
so you could see. The water was chest
deep, cold, and felt amazing on the tired muscles.</div>
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We continued out of the water and right through the aid
station on the other side. The volunteers
seemed bummed that we didn't stop but there is an aid station 100 yards before
on the other side and Green Gate is a short hike from there. I think they were more surprised that I
didn't have/want dry clean clothes in a drop bag which a lot of people do. We sloshed the water out of our shoes on the
hike and quickly warmed back up on the uphill.</div>
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We saw Michelle and Tim for the last time at Green Gate and
we were quickly back on the trail. I
felt like everything was going just about as good as could be expected at this
point. I got to Foresthill in good
shape, ran decent down to the river, closed the gap on the 24 hour pace, and
was now RUNNING, sans death shuffle.</div>
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When I got to Brown's Bar at mile 89 I finally caught up to
24 hour pace. Hal Koerner, ultra-stud and two time winner of Western States,
was the AS captain and he was the first to greet me. Dude, you are Right ON 24 hour pace! You have
to go! Sweet, I think to myself while I try to graze the aid
table....Seriously, you have to leave, NOW! My bottles were now filled and
handed back to me while Hal had his hand in my back pushing me out. I wish all the aid stations were like that
(so did Christine!). Late in a race it's
comforting just to see other humans and you get lulled into staying for a few
minutes...which add up when there are lots of aid stations. </div>
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Somewhere along in here I tripped over two GIANT half inch
rocks. As the day wears on they seem to
get bigger and bigger. Anyway, the first
time I went down it mostly theatrical. Flailing of arms, saying naughty words,
and nothing got hurt. The second time
there was flailing of arms, naughty words, I cracked my right knee, and pitched
my water bottle over the edge of the steep trail. I heard the bottle roll in the dry leaves and
was sure it was a goner. The trail is
very steep on the downhill side but thankfully the bottle got caught in the
underbrush. Christine collected my
bottle and I popped right back up. This
one must have seemed worse than the first one because she was surprised I got
going so quick. We were so close to the
end I figured I would run what I could and deal with the consequences when I
finished. Truthfully, walking probably
would have been worse. Staying moving didn't let it stiffen up.</div>
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After a long grind up to Hwy 49 (93.5) we made a quick stop
kept on moving. Just out of the AS there
is a sign that reads SHORT CUT TRAIL. I
told Christine I wanted to go that way!
After a short climb we began an easy descent into No Hands Bridge
(96.8). Through here there is a spot
where you are going through waist tall brown grass in a field surrounded by enormous
oak trees. I was thinking it was a few
miles further and just after I was telling Christine we entered the field. It was even beautiful at night! </div>
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No Hands Bridge is like an oasis in the desert once you can
finally see it. As you clear the trees
on the downhill the bridge has been lit up with Christmas lights and rope
lighting. They had music playing and
they must have been pumping out BARN smell because I could smell the barn. My watch said I got there at 3:51 and 24 hour
pace was 4:10. I don't recall filling
water there and just flew through. I had
one full handheld and a pocketful of gels.
Christine was trying to get some batteries for my headlamp since the
cheap-o batteries I brought were dying fast.
I continued to walk across the bridge and remembered she brought me a
spare headlamp that had good batteries.
I took the two good ones from the backup and put them in my headlamp
that holds three. Two good and one bad
was 100% better and we were off. </div>
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From here it is just over a 5k. There is a 2.1 mile climb to Robie Point
(98.9) and then 1.3 to the finish from there.
I wasn't super confident at this point and put down a gel right out of
the aid station. We started the climb to
Robie Point and it just got steeper and steeper. At some point we could see the
lights of the aid station way up on the hill to the left...and then the trail
goes to the right! GAH! I took another gel.
I didn't want to be the guy that just missed it because I ran out of
gas. Christine was doing an awesome job
of pulling me up the hill but once the time crunch was feeling too close I
wanted to be in the lead and push myself as hard as I could. I kept grinding up the hill trying not to
look at the lights. Once I could see the
aid station was right ahead I looked back and was happy to see I had put a
little gap on Christine. She was taking
care of my battery issues at the last aid station and hadn’t had a chance to
refuel so she didn't have a sea of sugar running through her veins like I
did! Somewhere in the last push I took a
third gel.</div>
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The aid station asked me how I was doing and I told them it
was the best day ever, couldn't have asked for more. I cruised through at 4:25 (15 minutes ahead
of 24 hour pace) without stopping and began to powerhike the pavement. Christine caught up to me and I realized that
barring a broken leg I was going to make it.
We had been running all the minor uphills for the last 20 miles and I
told her I was content to walk this last one and she agreed.</div>
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Just as we crested the final hill there was a handmade sign
left on the street that said, ‘Pacers are People Too’, that made us both smile. We trotted the final downhill toward the high
school and I was hoping to see Michelle so she could run the lap around the
track with me. She was in the stadium
ready to take pictures though.</div>
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The feeling entering that gate to the track is something I
wish everyone could experience. It was
truly magical. It’s just an everyday
ordinary high school track but on one day a year is something much more than
that. Just after entering there is a mat
that reads your bib number and then the announcer calls out your name, Ryan
Anderson from Boise, Idaho is entering the track.....and then they rattle off
all your accomplishments. Before the
race they had us fill out a form for the finish line announcements and one of
the questions was to mention some non-running achievement. I wrote down that I used to weigh 318 pounds
and if I can do this anyone can do this.
They announced every 100 miler I have done and left the weight loss out
unfortunately. </div>
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On the backstretch of the track I told Christine I was going
to go nice and slow to enjoy this little victory lap. She looks back a second later and I am
stopped...walking backwards! What are you doing? I found a lucky penny, heads
up, AND amazingly had the strength to bend down and pick it up. Normally anything less than a 20 dollar bill
gets shoved to the nearest non-runner with a, 'hey can you pick that up for
me?' It was a funny moment.</div>
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Christine took my stuff and I cruised to the finish with a
final time of 23:42:06. It was wonderful
to see Michelle and give her a big hug and kiss to say thank you for supporting
my crazy goals. After sitting around at
the finish for just a few minutes I turned into a 95 year old man that needed a
hip replacement which was OK because I was done!<br />
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I was very happy with the first half and second half
times. Managing the first half properly
allows me to finish strong. Some days
you don’t really know what that pace is until it is over so I must have been
right where I needed to be. The first 50
miles was about 11:20 and the last 50 was 12:20. Although there is a lot more downhill in the
second half it actually has about the same amount of uphill sections. Near the end when I finally got back on 24
hour pace and then made up 18 minutes it wasn’t that I was speeding up, but
slowing down less than the average. I’ll
take it!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152479029845412">Post</a> by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Western-States-Endurance-Run/293403870411">Western States Endurance Run</a>.</div>
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<br />
I have told my weight loss story to lots of people but one of the most gratifying times I have ever had the opportunity to do so was just after Tim Twietmeyer (25 time finisher) gave me my silver buckle I shook hands with Craig Thornley who is the current race director. He asked me what the deal was with the Don't Mess with the Fat Kid shirt. I told him what I used to weigh and his response was...are you serious? Holy crap! Amazing job out there today!<br />
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<h3>
<a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/533687037"><b>Garmin Detail</b></a></h3>
<h3>
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Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-28903365322074089452014-06-13T09:52:00.001-06:002014-06-15T17:32:23.840-06:00Official: Western States Endurance Run Course Preview<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Rkv3ekELGnQ" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
UltrasportsLive.TV<br />
<br />
Hard to believe it is finally here! I have not been shy in saying this is one that I have always wanted to do. When I started trail running people talked about Western States like it was the 'Boston' of trail running. It is the oldest 100 miler and has lots of history.
I feel like I have done all I can in training to make sure I am a finisher on race day. I expect to do well but never take anything for granted.<br />
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Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-68666997389481997732014-06-13T09:50:00.000-06:002014-06-13T09:50:07.777-06:00Three Bears from Mountain CoveThis was a great mental run, but physically this is the worst I have EVER felt on a run...gut wise. Great because this is why I train. To figure out what works and what doesn't. <br />
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What doesn't?<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Eating a salad with feta and italian and raviolis. </li>
<li>I also had some peanuts which I think were the real problem since fat is hard to digest. </li>
<li>I don't normally run in the evening so my body was in unknown territory. </li>
<li>I have been growing a beard and mustache and when I drink my Tailwind it gets sticky and drives me nuts (it needs a serious trim or a hack job). </li>
<li>I need to take chapstick. </li>
<li>I need to take a bandana to control the constant river of sweat. </li>
<li>30 oz of water per hour on a 90 degree day is not enough.</li>
</ul>
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What did work?<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I took my UltrAspire Alpha pack and filled it to the rim with only ice before I left. As the ice slowly melted the pack acted like a icy little radiator on my back. At the top of the 2000-ish foot climb when the temps were the highest I had goosebumps and was shivering. </li>
<li>I had two handhelds with 2 scoops of Tailwind filled with ice and topped with water. The ice melted soon enough so the mix was just right.</li>
<li>Pearl iZumi Ultra Split Shorts are the best running shorts ever. Light, airy, a zipper you can operate with one hand *easily*, and two gel pockets to put various things. Love them!</li>
</ul>
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I ended up walking all the downhill because I had such a gut bomb. I know this is crazy but it was a good thing to have. First to realize what eating certain things at certain times does to me. Second, no gut bomb lasts forever if you recognize it and take care of it. I was still taking fluids to aid digestion and I walked the downhill to allow some time for it to work itself out which was painful on my brain. I had to stop occasionally and hold my hands over my head to get the twisting pain in my insides to go away. Like all things, it slowly passed and by the end I was able to manage a shuffle. After feeling like I was kicked in the stomach the whole way I was reminded that my 'worst day ever' pace was still well under 24 hour pace even with the walking so I can't complain. I have never had a serious gut bomb in a race or training so it was a good opportunity to work through it.<br />
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The highlight of the run was passing bikers on the uphills. Yesterday there was a group of young riders with a coach or parent and I passed the adult and then 3 of the kids. When I got to the last kid I heard the adult say, 'You can't let a runner beat you!'...and then I passed him! Too funny.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="548" src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/519710451" width="465"></iframe>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-34127932906822856442014-05-23T12:10:00.002-06:002014-05-23T12:10:54.389-06:00Who you were meant to be<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I saw this yesterday and it really spoke to me. I have considered my transformation more of a 'becoming something'. Maybe I had it all backwards?Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935080805537008172.post-86106460549461334602014-05-21T10:27:00.000-06:002014-05-23T10:27:28.996-06:00Over the Hill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Happy birthday to me! Today is my 40th birthday and I
have to admit that I feel better than when I was 20. I am thankful for my
second chance. For those struggling with making changes in their life, never
give up. It is worth every ounce of energy you put into it.<br />
<br />
I had a really nice compliment from a 9 year old yesterday. I went to my son Zach’s Idaho history field
trip last Friday and volunteered to chaperone. On Monday the teacher had all
the kids write a thank you note to the adult that was with them. Several we
cute and simple like, ‘Thanks for being there so I wouldn’t get lost!’ The last one was nearly a page long (which for
a 4th grader is an epic essay!) He said
he loved that I let them run and play and was amazed that I could run as far as
I do. The kids were curious about my running because I was wearing one of my
race shirts so I told them all about it.<br />
<br />
</span></div>
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The best part of the letter was when he said that, Zach brags about how
wonderful I am at school so it was nice to finally meet me. Being brag worthy in my son's eyes means more
to me than I can put into words. When I started getting in shape my
overwhelming goal was to take care of myself so I will be here a long time for
my family and to be a good example to those around me. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">I am fortunate that I had
brag worthy parents when I was a kid (and still to this day). My mom would be the school volunteer, the
field trip, the one who made something special for holidays. I would brag to my friends how wonderful it
was to have MY MOM come. When I was a
kid I also wanted to be an Eagle Scout just like my dad, which I did. I wanted to be just like him and I am
thankful for his guidance and example. <br />
<br />
Every day is a gift. Make today a great
day.</span>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17844227322984705121noreply@blogger.com5