This past weekend, the boys from Corvallis and I headed out for our 2nd running adventure of 2013. We piled into the minivan and took a little trip up to Olympia, WA to run the Capitol Peak Ultras. Frank, Sander, and Dennis were running the 50 mile race, while I chose to run the JV version of 55K. It was a fun filled weekend with great conversation by the campfire, beautiful views on spectacular trails, and lots of PRs to boot!

I had a lot to think about coming in to this race. Capitol Peak was to be my first attempt at 55K, so a PR was a given. But, it’s the hilliest course I’ve ever run so I worried about how hard to race it early. Couple that with my nutritional disaster from The Grand Canyon and there were a lot of variables that could easily derail my day. Then I asked Pam if she thought I could break 6 hours and she bluntly told me, “no” in the most compassionate voice she could muster.

I spent a lot of time prepping for this race. I studied the course and made a race plan—setting up a “perfect day” goal of 6 hours, a “good day” goal of 6:30 and a “shit hit the fan day” goal of 7 hours. But more importantly, I came up with a totally new nutritional strategy:

• 1 270 calorie/20oz bottle of Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem per hour
• 1 S cap per water bottle
• Eat whatever looks good at aid stations
• Switch to 1 gel every 30 minutes if Perpetuem stops working

I started out easy, like I always do. In fact, I started out so slow that I was running with more of the 50 mile racers than the 55K racers for the first hour or so. Looking back, I probably started out too easy but I’m so afraid of blowing up at the end of a race that I never have the balls to push it early. I’m going to have to take a risk some day, just to see what kind of adversity I can overcome during the final stages of a race.

The first 20 miles of the race were pretty uneventful. I spent the majority of the time plugging away at the course—running the flats pretty easily and power hiking the hills with a pretty good effort. I was working, but not pushing super hard. I had some pretty nice conversations with my fellow runners, some of whom I knew and some who were new to me.

Miles 15-20 were my favorite on the course. They started out with some sweet single track down hill mountain bike trails with really nice S-curves and some really soft and runnable terrain. This section ended with the hardest climb of the day as well. According to the race description, “the grunt” climbs about 1000 feet in just under a mile. I was dreading this climb from the day I entered the race. But as it turned out, I actually enjoyed the climb as you can see by the picture taken from the top!

After mile 20, all that was left was to retrace my steps back to the start. All of the major climbs of the day were finished and now was the time to push for home. By this time, I knew that I wasn’t going to make my 6 hour “perfect day” goal, and I was also behind my 6:30 “good day” goal. I was a little worried that during the last 14 miles, I would slip below my 7:00 goal as well. Since there was nothing I could do about it, I just headed for home to see what the day would bring me.

I really wanted to hammer home during the last 14 miles, but for some reason I just couldn’t get moving as fast as I wanted to. My hips, right knee, and right pinkie toe were hurting me and my energy levels were starting to fade. Also, I was mostly alone for the rest of the race and didn’t have anyone to chase down. In fact, I only saw one person on the way back to the start/finish line so I popped in my headphones and tried to make good time.

Some where around mile 25, I started to get a side ache and decided that I was drinking too much Perpetuem. So I switched to nutrition plan “B” (1 gel every half hour). Gels didn’t want to go down either so I just did the best I could at the aid stations and eating whenever I could.

The final 2 mile climb of the day really took a lot out of me. It wasn’t a huge climb, but it seemed like it took forever. With only 600 feet of vertical gain, I should have been running it but I ended up walking a lot of it and it cost me a lot of time, I’m sure. I spent a lot of time looking for someone to catch me from behind, but I never saw anyone.

The race finished with 4 miles of gentle downhill running. Lots of time could have been made up here, but I just didn’t have much left in me. I shuffled those last 4 miles much slower than I wanted to and crossed the line in 6:15:47. I was pleasantly surprised when I crossed the line because I made up a lot of time on that 6:30 time goal that I was behind at mile 20.

If I had to grade myself on my day, I’d give me a “B.” I finished with a decent time. I executed my race plan well. And I pieced together more of my race nutrition puzzle . But I didn’t close as hard as I would have liked to and my body didn’t ever really feel great during the day as I had to deal with a lot of aches and pains that were kind of annoying.

In the end, the day was a success. Capitol Peak is an amazing race course. The race director, John Pearch, really does put on a great event. The course was marked better than any race I’ve ever participated in. The home made soups and the blue grass band at the finish line were really awesome. And the rain held off until I finished the race. It was a good day.

Pam may have been right when she said I couldn’t break 6 hours, but at least I beat her Capitol Peak 55K time of 6:25! In all fairness, though, I guess I should tell you that she got lost and ran an extra 2 miles. I’ve still got a lot to learn about running ultras. But I’m enjoying the process and having a good time running with my friends. What could be better than that?

I had such a great time last year doing the 100 mile club at Rosedale Elementary School that I decided to set up another club this year at Sumpter Elementary.

I thought last year went really well after we worked out the kinks and got the kids running. But this year has been going even better. We got the kids started about a month earlier and since Sumpter is about 3 times as big as Rosedale, we’ve got over 70 kids signed up (and a couple of parents as well) to make a run at 100 miles during the school year.

Here are some stats so far:

# of 25 milers: 13
# of 50 milers: 12
# of 75 milers: 22
# of 100 milers: 10

The rest of the kids either don’t show up or show up only occasionally.

But the numbers aren’t important. What’s important is how many kids are moving after school 2X per week instead of sitting in front of their TVs or computers. And you know what? They’re having fun:

See for yourself!

I haven’t told Kara this yet, but next year I hope to expand into some new schools by recruiting other parents to start their own clubs. I’m really excited about this…stay tuned for more!

Man the Smiths have been busy these last few months. It’s been go, go, go around here and I’ve been loving it. Pam recently wrote about our 6 whirlwind weeks of travelling (for fun and business and racing) and about running an ultra with our 8 year old daughter, Megan…sounds crazy I know, but it was really tame. I promise!

I don’t want to spend any more time on those things because you can just go and read her blog for that. Besides, she’s much a much more entertaining read than me!

Liam and I took a hike to Smith Rock while the girls played Ticket to Ride

But since then, we’ve taken trips during Spring Break to Eagle Crest, OR. I’ve run the Grand Canyon and Pam WON the American River 50 Miler, and then we spent the weekend volunteering at the Peterson Ridge Rumble.

Last week, I ran a total of 3.5 miles and didn’t crossfit once. Talk about recovery week! Was back at CF today, however and my legs are still dead from the Grand Canyon. I’m also going to try and run a bit tonight to see how the foot feels. Wish me luck.

But Pam and I aren’t the only ones busy. The kids are totally booked too. In fact they’re probably too booked:

Megan has soccer on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, piano on Tuesday, and running club on Wednesday and Thursday.

Liam has crossfit kids on Monday, karate on Tuesday and Thursday, and running on Wednesday and Thursday.

They’re probably stretched a little thin and we only have family dinner on Thursday nights and weekends now, which kind of sucks.

But everyone seems happy and we’re all sleeping REALLY well. Being too busy is better than being too lazy, right?

Countdown to the next race is 12 days. Send my foot good vibes please!

Some call me a wimp…I say I’m smart. Today I was supposed to run the Peterson Ridge Rumble 20 Miler in Sisters, OR. But instead I took my 2nd DNS (did not start) ever.

The moment I took off my shoe last Saturday night, I knew my left foot was slightly injured. It was the same exact pain that I had after Forest Park in May 2011—half dollar size bruise on the top of my left foot, severe tenderness while walking, curling my toes, and flexing my calf…Toe extensor tendonitis has struck again.

I tried to run 4 miles on Wednesday but the pain was too great and I ended up walking back to the car after about 2.5 miles. I still had hopes of running today, but didn’t know for sure.

So the family packed up the van. Pam and the kids were going to work the aid station while I ran the race. But I just worked the aid station with them.

And we had a blast. Cowbells were rung. Runners were served. Campfires were burned. Snow fell. It was a great weekend.

I really wanted to run 2:45 for 20 miles of awesome trails, but I’ll take a great weekend with family and friends any day!

Capitol Peak 55K is 13 days away. My foot will heal, I’ll be ready to rock and all because I was smart today instead of dumb!

Back in January I heard that some of my friends were going to Arizona in April to run The Grand Canyon. I quickly told Pam that she couldn’t go (because she’s already done it) and jumped at the chance to experience one of ultrarunning’s greatest adventures—a double crossing of The Grand Canyon. Running from Rim to Rim to Rim (R2R2R) in one day with awesome company is pretty darn special and certainly fits into my plan for more “epic adventures in 2013.”

As soon as I committed, however, I began to get nervous. After all, the grand canyon is well…grand. That means big! Really big! I knew that this run would test my limits in ways that no other run has done so. I would be running farther, climbing and descending more, and spending more time on my feet in one turn than I’ve ever done before. Not to mention the heat, dryness, lack of shade, and high elevations that I would experience during the run. The warning signs seen below didn’t help.

Warning sign #1: Do not attempt to hike to the bottom of the canyon and back in one day! OK, we’ll do it twice!

Warning sign #2: What goes down must go back up. I looked just like the dude in the picture at one point (except I have much more chest hair and I wasn’t wearing jeans)

So yeah, I was nervous. But I got help from my awesome coach wife (AKA “The Ogress”) who quickly put me on a training plan to prepare me for the day. I worked hard. I put in more miles with more climbing than any previous training cycle. When the time came, I knew I was ready to tackle the canyon.

Look how fresh we all look…the day before!

The Grand Canyon is truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. You can’t beat the sunrise glowing off the red rocks that line both sides of the canyon. No picture can truly do it justice so I’ll just give you a picture of the runners at the 5:45 AM start.

Gabi, me, Carey, Frank, and Ken—my trail buddies for the day.

South Kaibab Trail just above the river

We started off nice and slow down the South Kaibab Trail. SK is the steeper of the two trails that lead from the south rim to the Colorado River. It descends about 5,000 feet over 7 miles and the descent took us just about 2 hours.This was the best part of the trip for everyone, I believe. The colors were spectacular. The temperatures were perfect. Our legs were still fresh. At one point, Frank and I said that if we had to turn back now for some reason, the trip would be worth it.

We pulled into Phantom Ranch where we dealt with our only mule train of the day, refilled our water bottles and stored some gear before beginning the 14 miles and 6000 feet of climbing that would take us to the North Rim.

The first 6 miles of the North Kaibab trail (called “the box”) were pretty uneventful. The scenery here is spectacular and the canyon walls come right down to the trail’s edge. The gentle uphill grade that is very runnable meanders along the Bright Angel Creek. And with water stops every couple of miles, we were taking our time and conserving our energy…or so I thought.

2 miles from the top at the Supai Tunnel! Also the point of my last picture…not a good sign

Over the course of the next 8 miles, the terrain gets steeper, the temperature gets hotter, and the elevation gets harder to deal with. It was during this period that I started to get in trouble. I don’t want to say that my stomach felt bad, but it was definitely off. Nothing that I put in my mouth tasted good. I just didn’t want to eat anything and my feeding intervals dropped off from 100 calories per half hour to less than 100 calories per hour.

By the time I got to the top (about 6 hours and 10 minutes elapsed time) my running buddies knew that I was feeling off. They rallied around me, got some food in me, and cooled me off for the return trip back down to Phantom Ranch.

On the way back down to Phantom Ranch, I actually felt pretty good for a while. I was back to eating and drinking, my mood was perking up, and I was enjoying the run again…until we got back to “the box.” We were entering the hottest part of the day at the lowest elevations of the run and that means the temperature was really warming up for us. My stomach turned on me quickly again and I just couldn’t keep running for very long periods of time.

After a detour to check out Ribbon Falls and a quick (accidental) dip into Bright Angel Creek, I was really starting to drag. I kept getting further and further behind on my nutrition schedule and my stomach wasn’t getting any better. Looking back, and after talking to everyone, I definitely wasn’t taking enough salt. By the time I rolled into Phantom Ranch, I was toast. I really wanted to be done but knew that I still had about 10 miles left to move on the day…notice I didn’t say “run.”

I spent about 30 minutes at Phantom Ranch trying to regroup. I drank a lemonade, ate as much as I could force down, took some salt and soaked my head in the faucet before heading out for the long grind back up to the south rim of the canyon.

We left Phantom Ranch about 5:00. Again, I had recovered a bit—but not as much as I did at the top of the canyon. I was able to run a bit here and there. I started increasing my salt intake, kept drinking as much as I could, and tried to eat more as well. But it still wasn’t enough to give me enough energy to move very well.

But I kept moving. I slogged up the hill as fast as I could. In ultra running, we have a term called “death march.” By the time I made it to Indian Gardens (4.5 miles from the top) I was well into my first ever death march. We took another break here. The sun set over the rim of the canyon and I was hoping that the night time would motivate me to move faster. It didn’t.

Between Indian Gardens and the top, there are two spots to stop and rest. They’re both 1.5 miles apart and I took full advantage of both of them. I wanted to make it to the top from Indian Gardens in less than 3 hours and I knew it was going to be a challenge. So after a quick break at the 3 mile house and the 1.5 mile house I continued my march up the hill.

Finally, about 9:30 PM, 16 hours after I started down the trail, I escaped from the mouth of hell made it! 47 miles, 16 hours, 11,000 feet of gain and loss. This adventure was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever signed up for. And I’m really glad I did it as it made me look deep inside myself to see what I was made of. I’ve never wanted to quit something so badly in my life—but quitting isn’t possible in the grand canyon. You’ve simply got to find a way to keep going. So that’s what I did.

It’s clear that I’ve got a lot to learn about running long distances. But I taught myself how to run a 10K, then a half and full marathon, and finally a 50K and 40 mile race. This was my first try at a distance longer than 40 miles and I picked some of the most challenging terrain out there. My effort wasn’t perfectly executed that’s for sure. But I made it through it, and I’m proud of that fact. And you know what? I just may try it again some day!

Before I close, I just wanted to give a shout out to my running partners, and friends, who helped pull me through the day. They took care of me, literally, from the bottom of the canyon to the top. They forced me to drink and take salt and eat. They even carried my pack for me. They told me jokes and stories, and kept me on my feet and moving towards the top. They truly didn’t let me down and I really appreciate everything that they did for me. So thanks a lot Carey, Frank, Gabi, and Ken. I couldn’t imagine how rough it would have been without you!

Click here to view the embedded video.

When most of us think about a tradition, they think of doing the same thing on the same occasion time after time. We all have lots of these traditions. My family has an annual Christmas Eve party (~40 people) that started when I was a kid and continues to this day—for better or worse. On our anniversary, I buy my wife one rose for every year we’ve been married—last June it was 13. My mom comes up to Oregon from California every year for Halloween to share the night with our kids. I like these traditions because they’re family-centric. They bring us closer together, remind us of who we are and where we come from. They encourage reflection on where we’ve been and where we’re headed.

when Jimmy asked me to write this syncro blog about Ceremonies, Rituals & Romance and how they relate to thoughtfulness I was pretty intimidated by the topic. I didn’t think I had a lot to say about the topic, but maybe I do…

I’m married…happily. I’ve been married for 13 awesome years and have been with my wife for 20. Yeah I was a little bit slow to realize what a catch she was/is.

There’s not doubt in my mind that my wife and I are still “in love” with each other. But we aren’t the most romantic couple in the world. Sure, we do “romantic” things for each other. And yeah, we’ve taken trips to romantic locations like Italy, Tahiti, Cancun, Hawaii, and Big Sur among others. We’ve definitely done flowers and chocolates and other cliche romantic surprises. But mostly, our idea of “date night” is going for a Wednesday night speed workout with 20 or so of our running friends and then hanging out at the bar for a few beers afterwards…we’re kind of frugal so we shoot two three birds with one babysitter (by combining quality time together with friends and working out). It’s definitely not the most romantic evening, but it works for us right now.

It’s probably not a surprise that Valentine’s day isn’t really big on our radar. In fact, I pretty much hate Valentine’s Day and all of its traditions. We don’t need it to remind me us of how much we love each other. To me, Valentine’s day is a way to show OTHERS how much you love your partner and that’s just silly. I hate the media blitz that surrounds V-Day… “buy candies, buy chocolates, buy hallmark cards, buy diamonds.” I even heard a commercial for a valentine’s car wash special on the radio. Nothing says romance like a gift certificate, right? Now I’m pretty sure my wife would jump my bones if I actually WASHED her car for her for V-Day (or any day for that matter) but the gift certificate wouldn’t quite float her boat.

I hate V-day traditions because they’re so easy. They don’t require any thought. To me, the thing that makes a tradition special (in this case romantic) is the thoughtfulness that goes into said tradition. “Easy” doesn’t mean “better”, or even “good”—and it especially doesn’t mean “right.” That being said, sometimes even I take the easy way out on Valentine’s Day. Usually I don’t, but I’ve been known to send flowers and go out to dinner on Valentine’s Day occasionally.

It may be too late for this Valentine’s Day (perhaps we should have posted this last week), but I challenge you to find a tradition for you and your significant other that actually means something for the two of you. Don’t do something because you heard it on the radio, or because it’s what you’ve always done. Do something that will knock your lover’s socks off.

Usually, this is the point where’d I’d give you ideas for said “sock knocking off.” But I’m not going to do that today because any idea you get from me would defeat the purpose of creating a Valentine’s Day tradition. If it doesn’t come from YOUR heart, it shouldn’t come from mine!

What are your thoughts on Valentine’s Day Traditions? Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? Take ‘em or Leave ‘em? Check out some other cool bloggers who are writing about the same things here:

Jimmy Dean Freeman
Krissy Moehl

6-8 weeks ago, I was stuffing my face full of crap. Anything I wanted to eat, I just gave in to eating. Frozen Yogurt, candy, tons of breads and pastries. Yeah I still was eating good stuff, but the bad stuff hadn’t just trickled back into my life, it flooded in with Biblical proportions.

I knew that I had several things coming up that I wanted to look good for (can you say Hawaii!) but I kept telling myself that I had plenty of time to work on my body and physique and that I’d start eating right…yep, you guessed it…TOMORROW!

I was trapped in the negative momentum of making poor eating choices…

Then a switch in my brain flicked and now I’m trapped on the other side of the pendulum.

For the past month at least I’ve been a clean eating machine. No more frozen yogurt, candy, breads and pastries. I’ve ONLY (literally) been eating good stuff. I haven’t had more than a bite of processed grain products at a time. I’ve been eating my veggies and proteins (not the typical high fatty proteins either, just the good lean ones). I’ve been drinking my recovery shakes after workouts, and hitting the gym and running hard.

I’m firmly entrenched in the positive momentum of making awesome eating choices and I couldn’t be happier. I’m feeling strong (except for my bum shoulder thank you kipping pullups!) and way less bloated. I’m sleeping very well and have tons of energy. Things are great.

But here’s the point. Momentum is momentum; it’s not good or bad. The momentum that keeps you stuck in the rut of making poor food and exercise choices is the same momentum that helps you stay on plan.

YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHICH SIDE OF THE PENDULUM TO GET STUCK ON.

Now go make the right choice!

I’m a man who wears many hats. I’ve got a dad hat, a husband hat, a house-cleaner hat, and a writer hat. Oh yeah, let’s not forget that running hat. That’s the one that keeps me sane and allows me to wear my other hats. I love each and every one of my hats (well, maybe not the house-cleaner hat) because they represent who I am and how I’ve decided to live my life. I’m a lucky man to have so many hats.

But my hats cause me problems too. Sometimes I’m wearing my house-cleaning hat when I’m supposed to be wearing the dad hat. I’ve even tried to wear the writing hat when I was supposed to be wearing the husband hat—it wasn’t pretty. However, most of my problems don’t come when I’m wearing the wrong hat, they come when I’m trying to wear too many hats at once.

You see, I have a multitasking problem. More often than not, I try and get more than one thing done at a time. Doing the dishes while cooking only means one thing—soapy dinner. Because I try and do so many things at once, none of those things are done with 100% effort and the product often leaves me feeling unfulfilled. Sometimes this gets so frustrating that I want to take all of my hats to the cleaners so I don’t have to wear any of them.

I’m going to try and fix this problem with one simple mantra: Be present.

It’s a simple solution to a complex problem:

• Are you a dad who comes home from the office with work on his mind? I challenge you to “be present.” Build that lego tower with your children—and make it the best darn lego tower ever made. The office will still be there when you get back.
• Are you a mom who reads a magazine while the kids play at the park? I challenge you to “be present.” Chase those kids around the park, swing on the monkey bars, and roll in the grass with them like you don’t have another care in the world. The magazine isn’t going anywhere.
• Are you just going through the motions when it comes to your workouts? I challenge you to “be present.” Don’t just press that weight over head. Tighten those glutes and abs, straighten that back and stick out that chest. Press that weight as if your life depended on it.

Whatever it is that you’re supposed to be doing right now, concentrate 100% of your efforts on that task. Leave the rest of your hats on the hat rack. If it’s worth doing, then it’s worth doing as if there’s nothing else in the world that matters. Live in the moment and concentrate on doing your best at that one thing. Be a mom. Be a dad. Be an athlete. Be present. If you only wear one hat, you’re bound to be happier with the outcome.

*note* I wrote this post a while back before I stopped blogging. Not sure why I never posted it, but I really like it. I still struggle with wearing too many hats and it’s something I’ve tried to work on. There’s definitely room for improvement and I’m posting it today mostly as a reminder to keep on working at it!

I’ve never really liked the word, “epic.” It’s used way too often and in social circles that I don’t frequent (ie the cool kids group). A running year like 2012 (so many awesome races, PRs, great friendships made) is going to be tough to beat. I was tired at the end of 2012 and have no desire to run 12, let alone 13 races in 2013.

So how am I going to top a year like that, you ask? WITH THE MOST AWESOME, SCENIC, BUCKET LISTED, DARE I SAY “EPIC” RUNS IMAGINABLE!

2013 has been designated as the year of the “fun run!” And yes, I’m expecting it to be…epic.

So here’s the list:

April 6—Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim

April 27—Capitol Peak 55K (Olympia, Washington)

May 25-27—Western States Endurance Run Training Camp

June 29-30—Western States Endurance Run (Crewing/Pacing for Pam)

July 4—Foot Traffic Flat Marathon?????

August 3-4—Angeles Crest 100 Miler (Crewing/Pacing)

September 7—Volcanic 50 (Mt. St. Helens, WA)

November 9-11— Team Red, White, and Blue Trail Running Camp (Camp Eagle, TX)

I’m so excited to take part in all of these running vacations. I get to run in some of the most beautiful places in the US with awesome friends. I get to help people accomplish their goals. I get to accomplish some goals of my own. Yes, it’s gonna be an EPIC year!

Some time, late in 2011 when I was feeling really good about my running progress, I decided to set a big goal for 2012. I wanted to become a runner, not just someone who runs. In order to do that, I needed to run more yes; but I also needed to get more out of my running. I needed more enjoyment, more therapy, more epiphanies from my runs. I needed to get out of the mindset that running was just a form of exercise—a means to justify eating whatever it was that I wanted to eat. I needed running to be sewn into the fabric of Mac; I needed us to become inseparable. So I set a big running goal for 2012. I was going to run 12 races in 2012. One every month for 12 months without fail. The following is a list of the races that I ran last year and very brief description of each one. If the summaries bore you, skip to the end to see if the 12 races helped to accomplish my goal.

January: Cascade Half Marathon–1:42:48 (PR) Freezing cold, snowy, and windy. All thoughts of a PR were thrown out the window when I saw the weather in the morning. 4 miles in I decided that I wouldn’t let the weather control my race, picked up the pace and PR’d by over 3 minutes. A great way to start the year.

February: Hagg Lake 25K–2:29This race is appropriately called “Hagg Mud”. Slippery, sloppy, slogging around the lake was the order of the day. There was so much mud that each shoe probably weighed twice as much by the end of the day. This was one of Pam’s first trail races ever (maybe even THE first). My only goal for the day was to beat her time which was 2:30 something. Mission accomplished.

March: Buck Mountain Mud Slinger 6.8 Miler–1:10 This was one of my favorite races of the year. Run on a very tough route through Silver Falls State Park, Buck Mountain was my second snowy race of the year. There was up to a foot of snow in some places (the sloppy, wet, Western Oregon snow) and the rest of the course was covered with shin deep mud. I had a blast!

April: Peterson Ridge 40 Miler–7:08PRR was my second focus race of the year. I trained long and hard for this day. And I trained well. Long runs on trails, check. Training runs that were hillier than the actual race, check. Practice nutrition strategies on long runs, check. Memorizing the course before the race, big fat fail! My goal for the day was to break 7:00. I WAS having the perfect day through mile 22 or so. Hydration, nutrition, and pacing were all perfect and I was on track to come way closer to 6 hours than 7—until I made a wrong turn, ran an extra 3.5 miles, and waited to be driven back to the spot on course where I made the wrong turn. I still finished in 7:08 and in my defense, the turn sign that I missed was being blocked by a huge cheering section and there were no course marshalls telling us to turn. Several 40 mile racers made the same mistake that day. I will be back to get my revenge on PRR.

May: Trail Factor 50K–5:28 (PR)This was not a focus race, but I had another awesome day on the trails. I love running in Forest Park but hardly ever make the drive to do so. I figured a race would be a great way to force myself up there. Ran by myself most of the day, had a good finishing 10K and set one of two 50K trail PRs on the year.

June: Cape Mountain 10 Miler–1:38:30 Cape Mountain is a small, locally run race down in Florence, OR. The climbs are pretty tough, but the scenery at the top is beautiful and totally worth the effort to get up there. Ran this race with my newest friend, Dennis. My wife has her claws in him now so I can’t keep up with him anymore, but I’m sure this was just the first of many races to run with Dennis.

July: Butte to Butte 10K–43:49 (PR) I hadn’t run a road 10K since my first ever race when I was still a heavy dude so a PR was inevitable. But Butte To Butte is a tough course, with the first mile straight up a steep hill. I was happy with my overall pace of 7:04 on the day. Gloria and I pushed each other all morning, racing each other from start to finish with several lead changes throughout the course. We crossed the finish line together, but her chip time was 2 seconds faster than mine…darn it!

August: Haulen’ Aspen Trail Marathon– 4:05 I signed up for this race pretty late because I didn’t have an August race yet. So why not just run a marathon, right? I wanted this to be a training run for September’s race which was my next focus race for the year. Also, I’d never run a trail marathon before. 13.1 miles straight up on lots of forest service and jeep roads in 2:09. Then 13.1 miles straight down on sweet single-track mountain bike trails in 1:56. I was really happy with my efforts on the day, especially with the huge negative split. But next year I’ll have someone drop me off at the top and just run the single track home. I don’t like running on gravel roads…at all!

September: MRTR 50K–5:17 (PR) MRTR was my last focus race of the year. I’d run it before, back in 2010 as my first Ultra and had my lunch handed to me in a big way. I finished hunched over and green in the face, thinking I’d never want to run again. This year was much different and I went in with really lofty goals of breaking 5:00. Looking back, even on a perfect day I’m not sure I have 5 hours in me on that course. Even though the grade is suitable for fast running, the terrain is just way more technical than I’m used to running. Ran this race with Dennis also and had a blast. Felt pretty good most of the day, with only a few low points that I worked through. Finished with a 50K trail PR of 5:17. I love this race and will run it again some day.

October: MacDonald Forest 5K–26:30 (Age group win!) I was supposed to run the Condor 25K earlier in October, but this slowed me down a bit. So I scrambled to find a race at the last minute and this was what surfaced. This was the JV race on the day, but I wasn’t in any shape to run hard for the 15K. So yeah, I wimped out a bit. But I got my first age group win ever and a free pair of socks that says “1st place” on them. I won’t tell you how many people were in my age group. Just go on thinking how good I am ok? Please?

November: Silver Falls Half Marathon–1:48 Silver Falls Half was probably my best performance of the year. I ran well all day long and got stronger as the race progressed. My garmin died during the 1st third so had to run by feel and maybe this led me to pushing myself harder on the day? In any case, I finished very close to the top 10% of the field which is a stellar performance for me—usually I’m in the top 33% or so. It was one of those days where everything just felt good and I came away from the day feeling like, “yeah, I’m a runner!”

December: Sheburg Falls Trail Run 6.8–1:03I was really proud of the way I was running at the end of the year. Even though I didn’t have a ton of motivation to race towards the end, I had my two best finishes in my last two events. This makes me proud of the work that I put in last year. I finished very close to the top 10% here as well and ran strong on a VERY tough course where runners had to pull themselves up by the ferns and blackberry bushes on the sides of the trail because it was so muddy and slippery. All in all I was very happy with the day.

So, did I accomplish my goal?

By the end of the year, I was a tired man. Many people race more than me, my wife included. I’m not sure how they do it. And lots of runners run more miles than me—a big week for me is 50 miles and I’ve only hit 60 once.

But I have no problems saying that I am now a runner and I don’t think anyone would argue with me. I learned a lot about myself out on the trails this past year. I love to run. When I’m not running, I’m thinking about it. When I am running I’m thinking about how I can be better at it. I struggled during several of my races and dug deep to finish strong. My biggest epiphany of the year came during a low point where I was thinking about quitting (during Peterson Ridge). I suddenly was reminded that I chose to put myself through the suffering of running 40 miles and that I should welcome the challenge and embrace the difficulties faced during such a day and use them to become a better person. Someone who’s more mentally tough, who won’t back down, who never will give up.

These are lessons that I (and all of us) can use in all aspects of life. I will use the knowledge acquired from running to reassure myself that I will never go back to being Obesemacdaddy and that I will forever more be fitmacdaddy!

So yes, running and I ARE inseparable; running is sewn into the fabric of who I am.

I AM A RUNNER.