Running Hope Through America

With much anticipation and goading by TZ, I have finally sat down today to write about my experience last Saturday for being OK State Captain for Lisa Smith-Batchen's attempt at running 50 miles in 50 States in 62 days. I am amazed that anyone reads this blog, let alone is waiting to read my report. I have not had much time to blog lately, but I will try to do better for those of you who do read it.
At about 1 AM this past Saturday morning, the RHTA crew rolled into Tulsa. This is the start of fruition of many months of planning and coordination between people I have never met and making sure that their needs were met. I understand the dynamics of what it takes to complete Ultras, but what it takes to complete 2500 miles in 62 days is another thing. This all started because of a thought on Lisa's part to raise money for Orphans worldwide. Lisa does not think small, so instead of just running across the country and just hitting a few States, which is still a monumental task, why not do all 50 States. Her plea went out across the Internet and I threw my name out there by saying that if they happen to need someone to help in OK, I would be glad to help. Not knowing or expecting that I would ever be chosen to head things up, but I am glad I was.
Lisa does not do this on her own by any means. Her main job is to put one foot in front of the other for 50 miles. One of her main friends and crew support is Sister Marybeth. You may have heard of the flying Nun, well she is the running Nun. Fully clad in habit and outfit, she logs at least 20 miles a day or more with Lisa and tends to her needs. Sister and Lisa go way back to when Sister Marybeth was coaching girls cross country and was needing a coach and Lisa applied for the job and the rest is history. Sister puts most runners to shame by the amount of miles she logs all while wearing wool, which she did at Badwater to help Lisa. One of the many great things of the day was Sister was looking for a place to attend Mass and we found a church off of 49th & Peoria, which is at least a good mile or so away. She said she would just walk over there. I felt really bad about letting her walk and offered her a ride and she said that it was not that far away and she preferred to walk. This was after already doing about 20 miles that day. Truly amazing.
One of the main reasons this even took place was because Brian & Kathy Hoover stepped up and volunteered to help with the aid stations, publicity, and anything else we needed. When I knew that I was going to be in charge of this, I knew immediately that I needed to get TATUR and Runnersworld involved. If anyone was going to know the needs of an Ultra, it was them. They both put in countless hours sending out e-mails and posting things on the website to make sure that the word got out and it did. The are truly one of the most giving people I know and the kindness that they have shown my family, really got shared with the RHTA crew.
At 5:30 AM, there were a few introductions and Lisa said, "which way do we go?" The crew that had assembled headed North and it was to be a long day of 50 miles. Lisa starts out walking the first 10 or 15 miles to get her legs feeling good and then starts mixing in walking or running, depending on how she feels. The amazing thing about this was the amount of people that showed up, but more importantly the amount of people that stayed with her all day. Several comments were made about that this the largest amount of people that stayed with her all day of any State. We have such a good group of runners here in Tulsa. I am very proud to be a part of them.

I did not head out on the first loops, because I wanted to make sure that everything was coordinated and that we were providing them all the support they needed. Michael Evans, one of the support crew from Idaho, went out a few times for a run and I joined him and Elaine Palmquist for a few Zink Loops. I managed to get in 16 miles, while still maintaining coordination of all the activities. I had a lot of good help from Brian and my wife. With them helping, things were going smoothly.

They predicted a washout of rain all day, but instead we just got some mist and overcast skies, which made for a great day of running. You could not have asked for better weather to run in. After our tornado on Thursday and massive storms on Friday, it was not looking good. We made sure and prayed for better weather and we were blessed to have it.
The RHTA crew had a table set up by the RV with some information about the run, the causes, and a jar that people could donate to. It is amazing that amount of people who stopped and dropped in some money. Thank you!

So, what does Sister Marybeth do while Lisa is still out running, what any smart Nun would do, catch a snooze. No, she is not praying. I cannot imagine the stress of all the traveling, let alone the running takes on you, so I would be catching some Zzzz's whenever I could too.
Why are all these people really excited, it is because they are headed for this.
The finish line. After a long day, 12 hrs., and her 22nd State, Lisa was finally done. The day went by extremely fast, but a lot happened during that time. A lot of stories were shared, some lives were changed, and history was in the making. That is one thing about running, once it courses through your veins, it is hard to get rid off. It pulses throughout your body and life, molding and shaping, and changing the fabric of who we are. No matter our backgrounds, lifestyles, upbringings, or current circumstances, running peels away that very existence and for one one moment in time makes us all part of a very special group of close knit people who can come together for one special purpose. To raise money for Orphans around the globe.Once the run is done, another State is marked off the list and it is time to pack them up and head them out.
But, before you go, how about a massage. I was able to have good friend Dr. Peace come out with his massage therapist and give Lisa a free massage to help her in journey across the USA. Thank you Dr. Peace for coming out and being a good friend.
Well, the OK journey for Lisa was finally over, but her mission still lives on. Her fight for those who cannot necessarily fight for themselves goes on as she travels across this great land of ours bringing awareness to their plight. I thank God that I am a runner. What running has given me, is something I can hardly put into words and give the proper voice for how it has changed my life. Because of that, I the least I can do is give back to what has given so much to me. Please consider that also, by going to runhope.com and giving something back to help those who are less fortunate than us. God bless Lisa and crew and may God bless all the runners, volunteers, and people who donated on Saturday. Thank you all so much for making this happen and it is my privilege to call you a friend.

Friday 4/30/10

Rode the trainer today for 1.25 hrs with the looming storms clouds outside. May lift some weights at the Y later.

Ran an easy 5 miles yesterday. The calves are loosening up and starting to feel better from the OKC Marathon. Swam at the Y for a half an hour.

Tomorrow is the big MIWOK 100K race in SF. Hope everyone has fun. Very stacked field and I hope that Tony Krupicka tears it up. I am sure he is using this to get into Western States.

A lot of triathlons tomorrow also, Escape From Alcatraz, Ironman St. George, and others.

Kids are doing the Renal Run tomorrow night downtown.

Also, tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby. I watch it every year. This all started from when we lived in Kentucky. The experience around it is awesome. Have a great weekend!

OKC Marathon Race Report

I had the privilege of running the 10th Annual OKC Marathon this last Sunday. This was my third time running it and something about it keeps drawing me back. I have never had a real good run time here as the weather has played a factor in times past and that is why some people prefer to do the Little Rock Marathon in March. Despite all that, there is something mystical about the race. The way the city comes out and supports it is truly amazing. I really appreciate how all the volunteers encourage you and say Thanks for coming out and running the race. The city really embraces it and supports it. It is very evident when you are out on the course. The Route 66 Marathon here in Tulsa could learn a lesson from them about how to put on a great race.
We left Tulsa early Saturday afternoon and rolled into OKC about 3 pm to see things like this. Unfortunately, the expo was the same day as the OKC Thunder basketball game against the Lakers. The game wasn't until that night, but people were already lining up. The Cox Center is where the packet pick up is and it is right next to the Ford Center, where the Thunder play. Not to be out done, the annual Arts festival was in the park next to the Cox Center. Traffic was backed up way back on Robinson all the way to I-40. I had never seen the packet pick up this bad. They were expecting record numbers this year and it showed. We hurried up and got our packet and headed south to Moore to our room. It was time to get some food and relax. 3:45 Am was going to be early.

I set the alarm for 4 Am, but I was up at 3:45 AM and I was starting to get ready. We made it out the door and downtown at about 5:30 AM. Race start is 6:30 AM. I knew that I would have to make one last port-a-potty stop and I wanted to get there early as it is a typical race to where the ratio of runners to port-a-potty's seems to be off. I made it through the line and headed north to the corral a little before 6 AM. When I got there most of the people were huddled in the back with slower pace times and they had special black dot seating up closer. I got into the slower corral, not knowing what it all meant. I looked down at my bib and I saw a black dot. Hurray! I could move up. I made my way up and was able to get close to start. I talked to Wes Hollander who was pacing the 2 hr 1/2 Marathon group and then I ran into Darryl Stillson who was pacing the 1:45 1/2 Marathon group. I was standing around checking out the competition, when I got bumped into by good friend, Bill Richardson. Bill is a great trail runner and does have a Marathon PR of 2:47. He is a really great guy and talking with him, made the time fly by, which was good since I had on a singlet and it was in the lower 50's with the wind blowing. I was ready to get moving. One of the most poignant parts of the race is the 168 seconds of silence in remembrance of the 168 who lost their lives in the bombing. Nothing like 23,000 runners suddenly going completely still out of respect for those who lost their lives. Finally at 6:30 AM, it was time to go.

I set my Garmin for a Quick Workout with the Virtual Partner so I could just look and see where I was at. I set it for 3:10, which I knew may be a little aggressive, but what the heck. Finally, the gun sounded and we were off. In the first 1/2 mile I started feeling a little tightness around my chest and wasn't for sure what was going on. I was hoping it would go away, otherwise it was going to be a long day. A little while later it did go away to never return. My pace felt pretty good at this point, but around mile 4 I started to get some side cramps and had to take some electrolytes to have it go away. I thought it was a little early for this to happen, but every race is different. I hit the 10K in 44:20. A little faster than I wanted, but hey, just roll with it.

In between mile 8 and 9, just past the big Circus aid station is where I started to fade. I knew at this point, unless I started to feel better, 3:10 was out of the question, but maybe 3:15 or 3:20 was possible. This is where I can insert all the excuses as to why I couldn't make it. My running really hadn't been where it should have been. One of my problems is that I like to do too many things and should probably concentrate on just one thing, but I can't. I think for Boston next year I will try that over the winter months.
One we get to about mile 11 and headed West, this what we ran into, Wind. The wind was out of the West and was pretty strong. This definitely did not help my time, but I still made it through the half at 1:35. A little before mile 14 is where you hit Lake Hefner and this has to be one of the most boring sections of the race. Not only is it boring, but we were getting a cross wind. It reminds me of the section on Riverside from the Casino to 96th St. Boring! I am so glad to get out of that and head back into town. About mile 17 is where you head back in. At this point I am still clicking off 7:45 miles, but I know this is dropping my chances of even a 3:20. I hit the 32K at 2:29 and all I have to do is run a 50 minute 10K and 3:20 is in the bag. Yeah right! I really fell apart on this section. My average pace was 8:45. The little stretches of hills, especially the one up Classen was it for me. The hills are not very steep, but just enough to tick you off.

At about mile 25, I saw Darryl again and he ran a little with me and kept me going for a little while longer. Once I turned the corner and could see the finish line, I knew it was in the bag. I did not have a sprint left, but got passed by some guys from Tulsa right at the finish. If you had that much left, probably should have ran faster.
I was glad to be finished, but I did not feel really beat up. I just don't think I had enough good solid runs to get to where I needed. I am happy with my finish time of 3:23. I was 85th overall out of 2,597. I think I was 5th or 6th for all Tulsa area runners. This was my best OKC time, but not my PR. I still really enjoyed the race and the whole experience.
Once you get through, it is just a mass of people standing around at the finish reminiscing and trying to find family members and friends. I tried to eat back my registration fee in Carl's Jrs hamburgers and I think I succeeded. I think OKC has a good handle on this Marathon and I would recommend it to anyone.

The overall experience of the race is well worth checking it out. The people are great, the sponsors are great, and the atmosphere is astounding. When you get through with the race and you are hurting and then you go through the Memorial, you realize how minimal your pain really is. I may be suffering some temporary physical pain, but the emotional pain that others have endured does not even compare. God bless the families of those who lost loved ones on that fateful day and may God bless OKC.

Tulsa St. Patrick's Day 5K Race Report

I know this report is way overdue, but life has been crazy lately. With spring break, work, and my son Will's graduation coming up, it has been intense. I know, excuses, excuses. Oh well, what are you supposed to do?

A week ago last Saturday on March 13th, I had the privilege of running in the Runnersworld St. Patrick's day 5K benefiting the Special Olympics and the Tulsa Running Club. I do a few 5K's each year and this is one of my favorites. First off it it put on by Runnersworld, the best running store in Tulsa by good friends Brian & Kathy Hoover. Second, it kind of ushers in the spring racing season, and it benefits some great non-profit groups. I had the privilege this year of being on the race committee and was involved with of the planning behind the scenes. Plus, my youngest son has been bugging to me run the race and one of my team members at work was in the Couch to5K program and this was his first 5K to run. So, why not not see what speed I had left in my legs.
Here I am at the initial rooster strutting phase before the race. This where all the studs warm up and then sprint initially back and forth to show off our stuff to the fellow roosters. Quite the male ego challenge.

I had no idea what kind of time I was able to do. I had done some tempo runs earlier in the week and felt like I was dying. I wanted to make sure and get under 20, but I knew that the speed was not there after the 50 miler at Rocky Raccoon in February.
Here we are at the start. The guy on the left in orange won the race. I was talking with my swim coach, Duncan Wise, who was asking me if I had been swimming. Oops.
I am not for what Scottish kilts have to do with St. Patrick's day, but hey, I like them. There is something very spiritual about them.
The race started and I took off at my normal "too fast to maintain" pace and headed up Peoria. I felt pretty good through the first K, but in between here and the 2K, I knew it was not my day. As we headed up the little incline to the turnaround, I thought for sure that my day was just going to get slower. At the turnaround, I was able to see who was behind me and saw some runners that would be coming for me. All I had left was to hopefully maintain and not lose much ground. I was able to maintain about a 6:20 pace and once I got to about the 4K mark, I got passed by a fellow TRC board member, which made me mad, but there was nothing I could do about it. I held on and managed a 19:43, which is still good, but not where I wanted to be.
Wyatt ran a very good race and set a PR of 26:11. Not bad for an eight year old. Believe it or not, he got 4th in his age group and no award. Tough age group.
After all was said and done, it was time to celebrate my daughter Shannon's 11th birthday. Nothing is better on a birthday than an ice cream cake.
I am so very proud of her and it is very hard to believe that she is 11 and starting to grow up. Where has all the time gone. I hope you had a great birthday. Daddy loves you!

Scenes from Post Oak Trail Run

I spent the last weekend helping keep the aid stations stocked and set up for the TRC Post Oak trail run. Julie and the kids helped out both days at the aid stations and made sure that everyone running was taken care of. This was not an easy task and after all this, everyone was pretty whooped. Here some of the scenes.
Oklahoma Botanical Gardens, where we had one of the aid stations.
Part of the trail around Flatrock aid station.
Curtis and Kristi at the Botanical Gardens aid station on Saturday during the Marathon.
Runners coming up the trail on Sunday to the Flatrock aid station.
Runners re-fueling on Sunday. Great table fare.
Good friend and great Ultrarunner, Randy Ellis at Flatrock.
If you look real close, you can see white specks or runners, heading up Holmes peak.

Good friend and great runner Mike Adams after he finished up on Sunday after two days of running.
On Sunday, I think that I spotted Bigfoot. I could make millions in the tabloids with this.
Sorry, just a Zombie.
Great view of downtown Tulsa. Such a beautiful place.

Change of Plans

Well, it official, Swimming Sucks! I am so fed up with trying to swim and not making any progress. I absolutely cannot stand that I cannot figure out how to do something and do it well. I have bought the videos, taken lessons, read the books and blogs, and my swimming is still crappy. I know, I know, it is all technique, well my technique sucks! I think that my capability for swimming is in the crapper. Can I get up and down the lanes, yes, am I good at it, no. Will I ever be any good at it, who knows?

Einstein said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. That is exactly what I am doing. I do not know why I keep going back to the pool and expect different results. I try different things through some of the things I read, but it does not help. I swam today with a larger lady who was swimming circles around me and who I knew if we were on the track, she would not even make around without stopping once. Been there, done that. I know for those of you reading this, this where you say to yourself, that is because it is all technique. I get that! My technique stinks!

I have done some triathlons and I can make it through the swim enough to survive and kiss the ground in celebration, but it is just that, survival, and I cannot be competitive, especially in the shorter distances as I do not have enough time to make up on the bike and run. Triathlon is like a sickness that continually pounds you with the allure of being an Ironman and going beyond where others have not gone. I think this is one sickness I am going purge my body of and concentrate on what I can do. This may be a form of surrender and waving the white flag, but hey, at least it was on my own terms. I think maybe it is time to move on and concentrate on some things I can do.

One of the things that I would really like to try this fall is CycloCross. I went and watched one of the races last year at Chandler Park and it looked really fun. Anything that combines obstacles with riding and running, sounds like fun to me.

I would also like to concentrate some more on cycling. I really enjoyed some of the group rides I did last year with the Church on the Move Cycling Team and the MS 150 training rides. I liked excitement of be in the peloton and being forced to keep up with the group or be dropped. It was challenging. The Tulsa Wheelmen start doing some Crits in April and I may do a few of those and target some of the Tulsa Tough races.

Or, maybe I should just stick with good old trail and ultrarunning. I have had some pretty good success with it, but after getting a bad case of PF in both feet in 2008, I get really nervous about concentrating solely on running. I really like the trails and the people that are involved with it. They are such a great group of people and it is a lot more relaxed than the road races. Nothing against road races as I do my fair share of them, but trail and Ultra people are a lot more fun.

I do need to get a Mountain Bike as I am sure that I would really like that also. I am really at crossroads right now with what I should focus in on for 2010, any ideas?

At least I can cross tris off for this year as the swimming is going nowhere. I feel as though I have given it more than adequate time and yet still no results. I have even tried to find out that maybe the Bible has something to say about swimming. All I could come up with was this guy name Jonah and his swimming adventure was not that pretty. Jonah, I know how you feel.

Rocky Raccoon Race Report

I finally have time to sit down and write a race report about our excursion to Huntsville, TX for the Raccoon. I have had this race on my calendar for quite some time, but have never been able to do it. I have come as close as signing up for Sunmart, but did not go. Sunmart is held in the same park, Huntsville State Park, as Rocky Raccoon. The course is billed as one of the least demanding courses as compared to Western States, Leadville, etc., but 50 or 100 miles is still a long dang ways.After picking up my packet and checking into our diggs at the La Quinta, we headed out for pizza. I am not for sure if this was such a good idea as the binding effect of cheese may wreak havoc during such a long race. I wanted the carbs, but I did not want to get a few miles in and have to start a long chain of squatting maneuvers. We settled on Pizza Hut only to see a Lil Caesars right after we bought the pizza. Oh well.

We headed back to room to do the pre-race ritual of watching the Weather Channel and relaxing. After the long drive I was ready to sack out about 9 pm. I managed to make it to bed by 10, but my wake up call was at 3:45 AM. Ughhh!

After the clogging effects of the pizza, we managed to make it out the door a little after 5 AM and headed to Huntsville State Park. I have never seen such a huge long line of cars waiting to get into an Ultra. I thought for sure we were going to have trouble finding a place to park, but we managed a spot by Lake Raven and the outhouse. Temps were around mid 4o's, so it was time to sit in the Jeep, relax with the heat on and wait. The 100 milers were taking off at 6 AM, so I had and hour and half wait to go. The kids went back to sleep and I just relaxed and stayed warm. Before I knew it, it was time to get out in the cold and head to the start.
Here I am shedding some layers and starting to lining up. I really was not that nervous about this as I knew it would be a long day. I get a lot more nervous about 5K's than I do about an Ultra. Strange, but true.
I am getting my game face on and heading towards the line. Let's get it on!
This is what I was headed for. The start of the 18th annual Rocky Raccoon trail run. A lot of great runners have toed this line and it was time for me to throw my hat in the ring.
Promptly at 7 AM, we were off. Nothing fancy other than a go, I much prefer the shotgun at the start of Leadville. I started out with the sun coming up and you could now see Lake Raven. I kept looking for alligators, but I did not see any. Do alligators hibernate?

My pace starting out was a little higher than I wanted, but I kept thinking to myself, why are all these people in such a hurry, we still have 50 miles to go. I know that some people will start out too fast and I will reel them in later and others start out fast and then speed up. The group I was with was running a decent pace and I just stayed with them. We all stayed together until we hit the first aid station as some stopped and some kept going. I determined to stop at every aid station and take in plenty of fluids. One of my biggest tendencies is to not stay hydrated enough and it costs me later. This day I hit every aid station.

The course is a 16.67 mile loop and we hit the first aid station in 5K, then we hit the Dam Road aid station, do a loop around and hit it again and then head to the final aid station before the finish. From the last aid station it is 4.4 miles to the Start/Finish. I really enjoyed most of the course, but this last 4.4 mile section was a drag. It was all I could do to stay focused. The other sections kept my attention, but this last part was really boring and a long 4.4 miles.

The course had a few mud holes that we had to avoid, but for the most part, it was really runnable. Their was a lot single track mixed in with Jeep roads, and a lot of planks to run on. On a few sections I smacked some elbows with others on the course, but managed to stayed injury free. I almost bit the dust 3 times on the trail, but had a great recovery each time. Really a very runnable course.
I felt really good through the first loop and managed a 2:22. Right where I wanted to be and felt like it was a pace I could maintain. I ran all the hills on the first loop and did no walking. On second loop somewhere around mile 26 or 27, the wheels came off. I took in plenty of fluids and electrolytes, and ate a little, but I tend not to eat enough and it hit me. On the section leaving the Dam road aid station on the Jeep trail is where I started walking. I knew I was in trouble when I start walking flat sections. I thought for sure my race was over. All I could think about was quitting the race after this loop. My legs felt fried as I was going for a sub 8 finish and probably hit it too hard or it just may have been because I did not take in enough calories. I made it to the next aid station and took my time and started towards the finish. A lot of things go through your head at this point. How do you explain this to your kids, I can be home earlier, why did I do this, etc. I ran when I could and did a lot of walking. Finished this loop in I think around 5:15. Still not a bad time.

I spent a lot of time sitting in the chair at this point. I managed to eat a Clif Bar, drank a couple of Gatorades, and headed to go to the Port-a-Potty and I felt like maybe I could finish the race. Some of the workers came over and talked to me and all I could tell them was my legs were fried. I think that a lot of this was I did not take in enough calories initially and was paying for it. After at least 20-25 minutes in the chair, I ventured back out. I was able to start running again, but it was around 10 minute miles. Hey, at least I was moving.
While I was out on the last loop, the wife and kids took off to do some site seeing. Huntsville is where Sam Houston is from and they have quite the memorial to him. If you look close, Wyatt is picking Sam's nose.
This is Wyatt just at the base of the statue. Words do not give it justice.
Sam was obviously larger than life.
On this loop, I just wanted to finish and ran when I could and walked the hills. I definitely felt better after taking some more calories, so I was running a lot more. I spent the whole time wondering if I could break 9 hours. 8 hours was the original goal, but 9 was going to be a great accomplishment in spite of the day. I just kept moving. It had warmed up to the upper 50"s, but it still felt like perfect weather. I managed to run more of this last section home, but it was still a challenge.
Finally, I could see the home stretch. As I crossed the road, I could hear this big, booming, familiar voice crying in the wilderness, "Come on Dorothy!" Brian Hoover was at the finish as well as my family. I crossed the line in 8:43:36. Not bad for an old guy.
What a day! I was glad to be done. Joe P. came up and shook my hand told me I could quit running now. It was official, I was done. When I was finished, Roman and Carolyn were getting ready to head out on their last loop. They invited me out and I politely declined. Kathy was also there and I discovered that she had some issues and had dropped out after 40 miles. Still more miles than most of the world has ever ran. I spent some time standing around talking to Brian and it was time to find the family.
Time to head for the house!
Joe P. and the Tejas Trails group puts on a great race and I was glad to be a part of it. I would recommend this race to anyone for the challenge of going beyond the 50K and being supported by a group who knows what they are doing. It was nice to run the race surrounded by friends and family, but it is great to run the race to experience life. Memories are made of times like these.