night run

route



stats

After about week and half of the cruds, I'm finally out for a short night run.  It was a tad bit nippy out...actually great for running.  Temp was probably in low 40s.

I felt great from start to finish.  I ran 8 miles, with average pace of 9:07 per mile.  It was great to be out again.  I just love night running.

Elevation chart looks like some where in Colorado mtns. Wish it was, but it's just scaled weird.  I did hit a few inclines though...but nothing like a steep mtn.

T-TOTs



photo TATUR

Sunday morning, 7:30, TATUR Training On Trails (T-TOTs) started group training runs at Turkey mtn.  Some 75 people showed up to test their abilities on dirt trails.  As for me, I was glad to be running some dirt again.

The morning started with a chill in the air..enough for light jacket and gloves.  But as the run progressed, it got warm.  There were about 3 or 4 groups divided, based on 5K times, or more like fast, medium, slow, and walking pace.

T-TOTS training group

After varying distances of 3 to 6 miles, the training groups were treated to pancake breakfast back at the start.  Flap-jacks were flapped by none other than the Head Tatur himself...aka Brian.


Head TATUR

While everyone was eating pancakes, I went on to cover some more distance on the snake trail.  I just couldn't stop at 6.  At the end, I finished with about 9 miles.  It felt great to be back in the woods again.


nice hill training

 

cruising flat section



nice climb

Happy Trails!!!

Route 66 Marathon



mile 16.25



nice bling


Nov. 21st was the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, OK.  My duty for the day was pacing people who wanted to finish in 5 hours, or basically be a guide along the course as to where a person should be if they wanted to finish in 5 hours.  To keep an even split (11:27 per mile) is pretty hard.

Today, the challenge was gonna be more with a strong south wind, and warm temps.  As the day progress, people were having issues from cramps to dehydrations.  Running in these conditions does take a toll on a person if not trained properly.  Drink, drink, drink...was the call from the beginning.

At mile 12-ish, people were given the option of taking a detour to the center of the universe...an extra .3 mile added to 26.2...thus making the total distance of 26.5 miles.  By this point, my group had fallen apart, and I opted for the extra .3 and went to the center of the universe.  Just had to make it an ultra :)  But as a 5 hour pacer, I had to make up time for the detour.  We made it up in the second half of the marathon.


Center of Universe medal

From mile 16 to the turnaround at mile 21, we had a strong headwind.  I was on pace at this point.  Coming back with the tail wind, I finished almost 9 minutes ahead of schedule.  I even tried to slow down, or walked at times.  I finished with 4:51:46.  It was a good run for me...totally relaxed run.  For others, I'm sure it wasn't one of their best times.

I'm ready for some dirt trails now.  Happy Trails!

Mother Road 100, part 3



start line



The last 100 miler of Mother Road series is done!  And it was a great race...from the race organizers to all the aid stations to the finish line.  Thanks to Thomas Hill and Bret Sholar for scheming these Mother Road 100 milers.  The 2006 MR100 was my first 100 miler, and been hooked ever since.



me and my brother



The start was Baxter Springs, KS.  The morning was very cool.  The rain had all but moved out.  There was slight northwesterly breeze..just enough to donn some light jackets.  My plan was to start out very slow the first half, and pick up time in the second 50.  My goal time was 20 hours or less.









mile 10





Mile 18, Miami

From start to Miami, OK is 18 miles, my pace hit 9 min./mile.  I was feeling very good.  But I was going too fast.  I knew I had to back down some if I was to maintain pace at halfway.  My fluid intake was good...everything was working great.  My crew was on schedule with what I needed.  One thing they always say is NEVER try anything new on race day...wellll...I broke that rule.  About a month back, when I was doing Heartland...I had bad stomach issues that forced me to drop at 67 mile...I think I took in way too much sodium.  This time...I was not going to take any salt sticks or endurolytes.  I was going with pedialyte..you know...lil kids drink.  And it worked!  (I learned the hard way at Badwater).

Coming into mile 26 (Narcissa), I slowed it down some...doing about 10:15 pace now..time is now 4 hours.  Good time...but still pushing abit than I wanted too.




Afton, mile 34.5

 

Afton weigh-in, mile 34.5

On some sections before Afton, we got on the old R66 road with gravel.  I was wearing a very lightweight shoe (7oz).  Racing flats just don't work well on gravel road.  Actually, it hurts.  I came into Afton (mile 35ish) about 5 hrs 45 min.  This would be the first weigh-in.  My weigh-in the day before was 180...mostly from water and carbo-loading.  My normal weight is 173.  My weigh-in at Afton showed 172.  I got a caution.  I told them what my norm was...and that suffice.  I took in some soup, and off I went again.  Up to this point, I hadn't sat down to rest.  My legs were feeling good.  Everything was going smooth.  But one thing started to bother me abit....almost 6 hours..and I haven't pee'd.  I was taking in fluids..water, pedialyte, perpetuem, ginger ale, but just not getting the urge to go.  I told my crew that I may need to take in more fluids and see what happens.

mile 40, drinking and drinking

For 10 miles, I slowed down more (12:15/mile)...so that I could drink more fluids and see if I could go pee.  7 hrs. 45 min., I was at mile 45...and still no bathroom break.  I was really concerned now.  I was hydrating enough, and sweating just fine.  I was feeling fine.

mile 45



mile 47, climbing small hill



At mile 48, nature finally called.  It was a relief to know the body is still functioning like it's suppose to.  From there, it got back to normal.  I had never gone 8 hrs without a bathroom break.

I came into Vinita aid station (mile 49.2) for another weigh-in.  This time it showed 171.  Again, I was told "you're borderline".  Again, I told them what my norm was.  It was all good.  I told my crew to stop at McDonald's and grab me a burger...I was really getting hungry.   I wanted some fries too..but I wasn't taking that chance.  I told the crew to meet me at 50 mile mark where we had to cross a timing mat.  I crossed the mat at 8 hrs. 51 min.  It was my fastest 50 miler.  I can't even come close to this when I do only a 50 miler.  That's one reason I'm not crazy about 50 milers...I'm never happy with my time.



mile 50, plain hamburger and drink



After a short break eating my hamburger and drinking a coke, I changed into my night clothes, and put on my headlight.  It was getting colder by the minute...temp was in low 30s.  Slowly, I got back into a shuffle, then running again.  I was getting ready for a good second 50 miler.  Under 20 hour mark was looking good.  Nighttime running is usually my best running.  And on this course, daytime was abit of a downer..because there were miles of long, flat stretches that seemed to go on forever.  I was looking forward to nighttime when I can pickup pace.  And the cold temps is my most efficient running.



mile 60, leg issues

Somewhere coming out of Vinita, I may have stepped wrong with my left leg, or something.  Between mile 55 and 60, my left quad just started to hurt really bad.  Every step was getting painfully.  I informed my crew that I needed something to wrap my leg with to keep it as stable as possible.  I left my ace bandage at home...dang it!  I had to wrap it with some pre-wrap spongey and tape it.  It seemed to work.



Coming into Chelsea (mile 67), I had lost alot of time.  My pace was about 20 min/mile for last 7 miles.  I took a short break at the aid station...ate some chicken noodles, pig in blanket, fruit cocktails...I was hungry.  I also took some tylenol.  My leg was still hurting.  I slowly got back on the road again.  68 miles in about 12 hours... I was still looking at a 20 hour finish.  I was still upbeat.

I passed Bushyhead aid station (mile 74.5) in 13 hrs. 15 min.  I was into a slow run again.  My pace was now around 16.5 min./mile...not what I had hoped for...but I was moving.



TATUR A.S. (mile 77)



I reached Foyil/TATUR aid station (mile 77) just under 14 hrs.  My energy level was going down.  I sat down for about 10 min., ate a sandwich, some soup, and headed out into the night again.  I had about 6 hrs to cover 23 miles to make 20 hour finish.  On a normal day, it's no biggy.  But this time, I was having doubts.  However, I was now just focused on finishing.  The 20 hour mark was out the door...just finish.



night time running

I hitted Claremore (mile 87) in 18 hrs.  I was still running slow, and throwing in some walking.  My pace was now around 14 min/mile.  I was beginning to think..I might still make 20 hours.  But I was really getting hungry.  I down some smoothies, ate a small turkey sandwich, and off into the night again.

For the next 2 or 3 miles, I was just walking...I couldn't get into a running mode.  Verdigris aid station (mile 93) was next.  I got there in 19 hrs. 15 min.  I had 7 miles left.  Could I make 20 hr mark in 45 minutes?  The answer was no..but I could still hit 21 hours.  I was completely exhausted, but I kept running slow and walking briskly at times.

At mile 97, I looked east and saw the break of dawn.  Now I was thinking..I have got to beat the sunrise.  With 1 mile to go, I told my crew to go head to finish line.  I was giving all I have.  I came into the track, circled the track one time, and into the finish line.  I crossed the line in 21 hrs. 38 minutes. 18 sec.,  and I beat the sunrise.

3 for 3 on the Mother Road!  what a blast!

My crew was every bit golden.  They were fantastic!



mile 23, drinking on gravel road



 

me and the crew



Finish!

Thanks to all race organizers, volunteers, and congratulations to all runners!



the bling!



The final week of preparation.  Taper week.  Next saturday is the last of the Mother Road 100 miler series.  or that's what they say.

Let's hope for some cool weather running...and chilly night.

"Get Your Kicks On Route 66"

Mock Marathon run

Last long training run for Route 66 marathon this weekend.  The run will on the marathon course, up to 22 miles of it.  It should be a great day to cover 20-22 miles, at a nice leisurely pace...11ish min/mile.  As for some of us Mother Roadsters 100, the taper will be all of next week.  Rest..Rest..Rest...then party hardy.

Happy Halloween!

The kid in me will be out and about...I am going to enjoy eating all the candy this weekend.

Have a safe Halloween everyone!

24 The Hard Way Finish

The event was "24 The Hard Way".  And the name says it all.  There was nothing easy about this event.  This is the first time I've ran a 24 hour race on pavement.  The object was to cover as many miles in a 24 hour period.  There were also 6 hour and 12 hour portions of both pavement or trails.

Saturday morning, we were greeted with some pretty strong winds, and possibility of rain.  We got the rain during the day, and went away.  But the wind was to stay...and it was brutal for the roadsters.

9am sharp..the 24 hour race began.  My plan was to start out slow, and keep a steady pace for as long as I could (10-12 min./lap).  I did for about 30 miles.  For there, the wind took its toll on me.  I was fading away slowly.  But still tried to keep a 15-18 minute per lap.

At 1am, I finally ended up taking a short 20 minute nap.  Sometime around 4am, I took another nap, about 40 minute.  It was tough to get going again after each nap...but just gotta do it.

At the 20th hour, I was around 80 miles.  I thought..should I push hard for 4 hours to reach 100 miles, or should I just keep steady pace and make it to 90?

Of course, if this was the only race for awhile..I would've done everything I could, but since I've got another run in less than a month..I thought I better play it safe and opted for 90 miles.

I completed 90.4 miles (94 laps) in 23 hrs. 28 minutes.  It was a great run...no blisters, no major soreness, just some pain in the right calf muscle.

One more note... big thank you to all the volunteers...you guys are the best!

Chisholm Deupree (RD) and crew put on a great show.  Thanks a bunch.

Congrats to all runners!!



Awesome Bling!



Five Fingers

barefoot runner

The Five Fingers... I love them.  These are the shoes,,if you wanna call them "shoes".. is what I like to run in.  It's great for pavement...a bit tough on concrete...but not really for trails.  This weekend...I hope to run part of the 24 hour run in my Bikila's.  Just love running barefoot.

24 The Hard Way

Oct. 23, 2010... I'll be running for 24 hours on pavement, and see how many miles I can cover.  I know I can cover 100 miles in less than 24 hours... but how much more can I do before the 24th hour?  who knows.  But again, this race is all about pacing myself, not a complete burnout.  My goal is keeping steady all day long, and all night.

My friend Chisholm Deupree, great ultrarunner, is heading up this event.  The race is well organized, with lots of volunteers pitching in.  I'm ready for another long run.

Heartland 100, Oct. 9, 2010

It’s been 2 years since I ran Heartland 100. The weather was rainy and cool then. It made for good running. This year, the weather was expected to be warm (mid-80s)…hot to be more exact when running all day.

Friday, we had the usual packet pickup, pre-race meeting, and dinner. The dinner was great. After dinner, I went back to my hotel, and prepared my drop bags. I put what I might need at certain aid station, based on a time schedule I had worked out. The most important was the night gear. I figured I would be needing my headlight, and change of clothes at mile 63.5 (Ridge Line aid station).

Saturday, I wake up around 3:15am, and started getting ready… the usual pre-race prep. I get to the start area in plenty of time. The temp was cool, but I could tell it was going to get warm as soon as the sun comes up. I decided then I would just take my 60 oz. hydration pack, and one hand held bottle. Normally, I just take one hand held bottle, and I’m fine on a 100 miler.

Promptly at 6:00am, the RD yells “Go!”…and we’re off into the darkness. My game plan was to start out really slow, no faster than 11 min./mile… and maybe go as slow as 12 min./mile for the first 25 miles. I wanted to keep this pace thru-out the day, then maybe negatives in the night when it got cooler. This time, I didn’t have a goal time to finish, other than just to finish. My focus was to maintain a slow, steady pace thru-out the day, and pick up some time into the cool night.

I reached the first aid station (Battle Creek, 8.2 miles) about 1 hr. 27 min. I was pretty much on pace. My estimated time was 1 hr. 30 min. I knew some hills were coming up…which means some walking. This is the time when the sun comes up, and the scenery is just awesome. I continued with my slow pace looking over the prairies where the buffalos roamed once, it felt great.





I reached the second aid station (Lapland, 16.8 miles) in 2 hrs. 59 min. I was still on pace… the faster side of my estimated pace (ETA 3 hrs. 6 min.). Time is 9 am, and getting warmer. I changed out my long sleeved shirt, and ate some watermelon and salty potatoes. 4 or 5 minutes, and I was on my way again. I’m drinking plenty of water, and taking in salt stick tabs.

Between Lapland and Teterville, there’s a mix of rolling hills and long flat sections, nothing major. I keep on with my steady pace… trying not to push it. I pull in to Teterville (mile 25) in 4 hrs. 40 min. My ETA was 4 hrs. 41 min. Time is now 10:40am… and very warm. I had ran out of water in my hydration pack. I ate a turkey sandwich, some chips, and mtn. dew. I got my hydration pack refilled, grabbed some orange slices, and off I went again. I had soaked my hat with water, but it didn’t take like half mile before it was dry as a bone. The south wind was kicking up now. I’m not crazy about tail wind, and I was getting hot.

Teterville to Texaco is 6.2 miles. Somewhere in the middle of this section, my stomach was beginning to have issues. I took in some ginger chews, thinking that would settle my stomach. I was walking the hills now. For some reason, I was getting a bad feeling. I was struggling abit. I reached Texaco Hill (mile 31.2) in 6 hrs. 17 min., almost 20 min. slower than what I planned. I thought… that’s no biggy. It’s still early, I can make that up in the night. I ate a turkey sandwich, chips, and drank some mtn. dew. It was really getting hot now…close to noon. I took about 10-12 minute break, and took out again.

Texaco to Ridge Line is 5.3 miles. This section has rolling hills and long flat sections, and absolutely no trees nearby. The bad thing about this section is you can see for miles, and seems like you’re not getting anywhere. After a fair amount of walking, I was able to run some parts. I got to Ridge Line (mile 36.5) in 7 hrs. 46 min. I dropped another 26 minutes, so now I was 46 minutes behind schedule. But I thought to myself, I need to not think about time, rather keep a slow, steady pace. So I blocked time out of my mind. At Ridge Line, I took my time in eating some more and refilling my hydration pack. A few runners had caught up with me and took out ahead of me. It’s good not to get caught up in the rush.

Ridge Line to Matfield Green was 6 miles. I estimated about 1 hr. 15 min for this stretch. About a mile coming out of Ridge Line, my stomach went haywire. It felt like bricks. I was walking more and more. I finally made it to Matfield Green (mile 42.5). It took me 2 hrs. Every part of my body was fine, except my stomach. I wanted to run, but my stomach was not liking it. I tried to eat something, but now, nothing was tasting good. Water was not tasting very well either. I took a short break, then headed out towards the turnaround. If only I can reach the midway, I think everything will look up… that was in my mind.

Matfield to Lone Tree (mile 50) was 7.5 miles. My estimate was 1 hr. 30 min. I walked about 7.4 miles of this section. Things were really going south now. I was not feeling good. And it was only my stomach. My legs were feeling fine. I reached Lone Tree (mile 50) in 2 hrs, 15 min. I was now 12 hrs into the race. I had never reached mile 50 in that timeframe before. It’s usually been 9 to 10 hrs. Just about everything negative set in. I took a 30 min. break, and try to eat a hamburger with some sprite.

What worried me more was my night gear was back at Ridge Line (14 miles back), and the sun was about to set. I had no headlight. Fortunately, Lone Tree aid station had a spare headlight that I could use. I was glad for that.

From Lone Tree, it’s a long climb back out for 2 miles. The temps were finally cooling off. I was thinking to myself…this is it…I’m ready to take off and make up time. From Lone Tree back to Matfield, I was able get into a rhythm…a slow jog now and then. But my stomach was still not getting better. I was having a rough time.

Back at Matfield again (mile 57.5), I tried to take in some broth. It was not going down. And water was not tasting good. I had to make myself get up and go to the next aid station (Ridge Line). After a slow start again, I was into a rhythm again… mostly power walking. But more than anything, I was losing strength now, since nothing was going down for the last 10 miles.

I finally reached Ridge Line (mile 63.5). I was now 16 hrs. 52 min. into the race. I have 36.5 miles left. Now the question was… do I continue to walk like I’ve been for the last 26 miles, or do I just hang it up??  It was a tough decision, but I was not about to torture myself again with a “death march”. If I’m not able to run the majority of the race, I’m not continuing. This is my second DNF at a 100 miler. It was a good decision.  But there will be another 100 miler.

Heartland

The last week of hard training. I feel ready, I am ready... 100 miles in the Flint Hills of Kansas. This will be my second time running this race. I had high expectation last time (sub 20), only to finish 23:38. This time, I just want to enjoy a good run, a finish without a complete burnout or meltdown. Bring on the Praire Chickens.

2010 Badwater Recap Video - The most popular videos are a click away

Lisa Smith-Batchen 50 miles in 50 states

Beginning April 19th, and ending June 19th, 2010, one of the world's premier ultra-runner Lisa Smith-Batchen will be running 50 miles in each of the 50 states. Though many have ran a marathon distance in each of the 50 states, no one has ever ran 50 miles in each state. And she'll be running just about every day.

Accompanying her will be a nun, sister Mary Beth Lloyd, age 61. Sister Mary Beth is not new to ultrarunning. She has accompanied Lisa on many occasions, including the picture below which I took when I was at Badwater 2008. They are on the climb out of Panamint Valley, the second of three major climbs at Badwater.

May 15th, Lisa and Sister Mary Beth will be in Tulsa, running her 50 miler in the state of oklahoma. I will be joining them. I'm looking forward to taking part of an great adventure. Their cause is to raise funds for orphans in the United States and abroad.