Living On Tulsa Time

There is nothing like running the second hardest Marathon in the US, tossing and turning for about 4 hours, getting up at 1:30 AM and drive 13 hours to Tulsa. That is what separates the men from the boys. Something like that.

We left Leadville real early this morning in 40 degree weather and arrived in Tulsa to 100+ degree weather. We struggled initially in Leadville to breathe because of the altitude and we are suffering just as much here to breathe due to the heat. I really want to be back in Leadville. The highest temperature we saw was 75 degrees.

Just to give you a brief report, until I can do a full one tomorrow, is to say that the Leadville Marathon is the real deal and can only be described as intense. I struggled quite a bit through it and did not reach my initial goal, but I am very happy with my time. The climb up Mosquito pass really tested me and zapped a lot of my strength, but hey, that is what makes up stronger. It was fun, challenging, and one I look forward to trying to better in the future. I will let you know more in detail after I rest, eat some pizza, and watch the Tour De France recap. We did not have satellite all week long, so I am behind on the Tour.

My week and experience can best be summed up by the painted sign below right on the main road in town. What a rush!

2 More Days

Just two more days and it is finally here. I did a good run today up to Ball Mountain. Ball Mountain is above treeline at about 12,000 feet and the view from the top was incredible. Looking out across at Mt. Elbert, Mt. Massive, Collegiate Peaks, Leadville, and Turquoise Lake was absolutely incredible. I have learned very fast that the first part of the Marathon is going to be a lot of walking and running when I can. I hope to summit Mosquito Pass, Elevation 13,100 feet, in 3 hours and get back down in under 2 hours. I still think under 5 hours is a very feasible time for me. Running down the mountains is not a problem for me, just getting up them. I ran for 2 hours today and probably pushed myself harder than I wanted to 2 days before the race. I will take tomorrow off and just relax. This is such a great experience and I cannot wait until race day. It will be a sad day on Sunday when we have to come back. The highs have been in the 70's and lows in the 40's. 100 degree weather is going to stink, but it is home. Hopefully, I can write a brief race report on Sunday when we get back. Enjoy the weekend and check out the race live at the Leadville Marathon race site!

We're Here!

Well, we made the trip to Leadville and it is friggin' awesome! A little hard to breathe, but awesome! I ran the first part of the Marathon course today and ran into Anton Krupicka. He is the former winner of the Leadville Marathon and 2X winner of the Leadville 100. It was great to be in the mountains and enjoying the scenery.

Leadville sits at 10,152 feet and it takes awhile to acclimate. Julie and the kids are still kind of struggling, but I am doing pretty well. Whenever you have to climb is when I am really suffering. The first half of the Marathon is going to have a lot of walking and running when I can. The second half will be a lot more runnable. This will definitely be a negative split. I ran up to about 12,000 feet today and it took 52 minutes to cover about 4.5 miles on the way up and 35 minutes on the way back. It is going to be a real challenge, but I know I can get under 5 hours.

Leadville is a very cool town and I could see myself living here. All the family loves it and I am not for sure if I am coming back. I am thinking of trying to summit Mt. Elbert, which is the highest point in Colorado tomorrow, but I am not for sure if that will push things. The race is on Saturday and I do not want to push it, but it has never stopped me before. After all, it is only about 20 minutes from here.

We are taking some great pictures and will post some when we get back. I cannot believe how awesome this place is. Later.

Leadville, Here We Come & Birthday Girl

Well, we are off first thing in the morning. The day has finally come to pack up and go to Leadville, CO. We planned this in January and it is finally here. I am excited and ready to pee my pants about running the Leadville Marathon. I look forward to it, but having never ran at altitude, it is a bit scary. I am giving myself a week to acclimate and I hope that helps. We are also bringing the bikes to do some cross training to keep busy. I plan on running Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and race day and then biking on the alternate days. This should keep the legs limber and not overdo it, but that may be easy to do in the thin air. We are planning on watching the fireworks display in Leadville tomorrow night and then relaxing on Sunday. One day this week, I have to go to Boulder. I am not for sure what to see, but I know it is the mecca for athletes and I want to check it out. What a great trip this going to be.
Can we go yet?
Today was also mother's 38th birthday. Pardon the picture of the scantily clad boy. He spends most of the summer that way. We were able to surprise her with some gifts and some jewelry. This makes it that she has been married to me the same amount of time she was single. For those of you mathematically challenged, she was 19 when we got married. Poor girl, I have felt sorry for her ever since. She is a great wife, mother, and crew babe. She has definitely put up with a lot with me, especially going along to crazy adventures like the one tomorrow. Happy Birthday!
Nothing says love like the gift of Nacho Libre! I think she is in love with Jack Black when he clenches his cheeks. If you don't know what I am talking about, watch the movie.


This will be my last post for awhile until we get back. I hope to have some great pictures and a great race report when we get back. Until then, get outside and have fun!

It's Almost Here!

In just 3 days we will be heading to Leadville, CO to run the Leadville Marathon. Leadville sits at 10,152 feet in elevation and is the two mile high city. The race starts downtown and heads up to Mosquito Pass at over 13,000 feet and back down to Leadville. We are leaving Saturday, a week ahead of time, to hopefully acclimate better. Tri star, Tim DeBoom, ran it last year and finished second. He got chicked by Keri Nelson as she was the overall finisher. Tim's and Keri's time were just under 4 hours. I am hoping to get under 5 hours, but I may just be glad to finish. It should be fun and a new challenge.
This will be our backdrop for the week. I have heard the views are breathtaking and I cannot wait to experience it.

I also wrote an article for the Tulsa Running Club about the tragic loss of Christa Voss and Matthew Edmonds and how it impacts the community. Here is the article, it is on page 15. I hope you enjoy it.

Hodge Podge

I have several things to report from this weekend. First off, kudos to Hal Koerner from the Rogue Valley Runners and Anita Ortiz from Eagle, CO for winning the 2009 Western States 100. Hal was the winner from 2007 and I think this is Anita's first 100, I may not be correct on that, so don't quote me. Hal finished around 16 hours and Anita was around 18 hours. What a great race. A lot of the big names, Jurek, Karnazes, Mackey, dropped out. Some of the others did not even show. My hat also goes off to Gabe Bevan and Rick Mayo from the KC Trail Nerds for finishing the race. Gabe had a great race at around 21 hours and Rick was just under 24 hours. I have ran against both of them and have even ran with Rick at the first Turkey & TATURS. Rick also won the second year version of Turkey & TATURS. Great job guys!
On Saturday I did a 20 mile ride with Church on the Move Cycling group. We started out at the church and did the Redbud ride. I was up in the lead fast pack and we did a ridiculously fast pace. At one point on a downhill I was doing about 42 mph. The lead two peeled me off after several miles, but I never lost contact with them. I was really sweating and breathing hard after that.
Here are some of the guys after the ride. I am not for sure why the picture is kind of blurry.
Today, we headed over to Sand Springs to watch the OK State Criterium races. Turns out it was a smaller group of racers than expected, but it was still a good day to sit in the shade and watch some racing. This is the picture of the pit area.
Here is a picture of the ladies as they were rounding the corner. The course was kind of technical and had a few hills. We saw a couple of people crash right here.
After the women's race, I experienced one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Christa Voss and Matthew Edmonds were tragically killed by a drunk driver on June 6th. The family was there today at the race and the both of them had their Cat 2 licenses posthumously awarded to their families. A lot of tears were shed and it was a very humbling experience. I was glad to be a part of it.
They announced that all the proceeds from the race would go to the Memorial fund, The judges donated their pay and I believe the winners of the race were going to also. The Bicycles of Tulsa race team were allowed to start up front and lead a neutral lap before the racing was on. Raton Parmain was in the group and he is a fellow TATUR and a great guy.
It was a fun day and a very sobering day. I was glad to be alive and spend the day with my kids. Please consider donating to Edmonds & Voss Memorial Fund by clicking on the highlighted area. Thanks!

The Big Dance!!!

Tomorrow is the big dance, the Western States 100. Considered the Super Bowl of trail running, it the ultimate in ultra and trail running. Only so many slots are allowed every year and it has been a lottery system due to the forest service permit to get in, unless, you were one of the top 10 finishers from the previous year. Some other slots are allowed for the winner of a few other trail races, MIWOK for example. The race was cancelled last year due to the wildfires, so everyone has been waiting with eager anticipation as some of the biggest names in Ultrarunning will be towing the line tomorrow morning. With the absence of Anton Krupicka this year, I am a little less excited, but I am still stoked about it. Make sure and check in on their website tomorrow and track the athletes throughout the course. You will have plenty of time as the top time is somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 hours. I know some of the Trailnerds from KC are in it and think some from the OKC area. Log on, check it out, and cheer your favorite runner. I can't wait. Here's the link to website. Enjoy!