been a while...

Wow. Time passes so quickly. I've been out of the blogging game for quite some time now but I miss it. I find that it helps me to process thoughts, be creative, and provide somewhat of a 'lasting' record of events.

That being said, here goes the last over 18 months in review. Let's do it by topic:

Family - a lot is going on. Presently in the early stages of adopting a child. R and Z are now 8 and 4 and time is flying. They are so much fun.  I document a lot of our fun on my instagram account, @akworm.

I love my wife more each day and we are continually working to better our relationship. Through ups and downs she sticks by my side, always spurring me towards my best self. Though I don't always receive her with grace, she showers me with mercy and I couldn't ask for a better mate.

We always wanted a large family and always spoke of adoption being something we wanted to pursue, so we are. We are hoping and praying for a girl and have agreed to present to several birth moms so far. If you have ever wondered about adoption you can follow our journey at our YOUCARING site. I am posting weekly updates; started after we went active with our consultants. It has been awesome to see the outpouring of love and support of family and friends and we can't wait to get our baby (or babies, how fun would twin girls be?).

Work - Oh man. At the end of the 2013-14 school year I was laid off from my teaching job bc of budget cuts and seniority issues. It was a stressful summer but my principal stood up for me and I ended up with 1/2 my job back. I picked up another 1/2 job and split teaching between 2 schools all year. It was a hassle, but I tried to remember I was blessed to have a job at all. In the meantime I ended up doing a 1 year pastoral internship at my church where I was surprised to discover a gift for preaching. It was a humbling, growing, learning experience and it never would have taken place had I not been laid off from my teaching job. It is cool how God uses circumstance (providence) to get us where He wants us to be. I don't know what the future holds as far as preaching/ministering goes, but I know there is a calling on my life to spread the love of Christ. Right now it looks like using the platforms I have as a husband, father, teacher, and friend to shine God's light of grace, mercy, and love everywhere I go. It requires constant vigilance on my part to not let my self/ego/pride diminish the purity of that light.

UPDATE (10/16): So I realized I kind of left work hanging. After the 14/15 school year I was rehired back to full time at the original school I was at, teaching a brand new class that I helped develop the curriculum for. The class had previously been Photography, but is now Visual Media and Communication. I am really excited about the potential of this class. It teaches the technical aspects of photography, design, video, and writing/editing for digital media, and then applies these mediums over social media for the purposes of marketing and advertising. Pretty cool.

Running - To recap this in a coherent format I will preface by saying I have continued to run, a lot, for the last 19 months. Picking up where I left off here are some excerpts:

Jan 2014 - ran Frosty Bottom 50 mile (actually only 43 miles) 9:55. Inadequate training caused significant struggle in the last 6ish miles

Feb 2014 - Little Su 50k (only was 26.8 bc of reroute mistake) 4:51, 4th place men, 6th overall. 2 runners in front of me took wrong turns. yay me!

March 8th, 2014 - first ever race win! Snow Canoe loop 11 miler, 1:49. BOOYAH!!! sunny and CCCCOLD! 6-8" groomed snow so loose/packed, -8˚ at the start, warmed up to probably 5-10˚. Went out hard and maintained the entire race. Ran in 2nd place until the final mile and 1/2 and then made my move and held on for the win. top 3 were within 30 seconds of each other. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

June 2014 - first 24 hr. race, Mr. Miles. 67.5 miles for 3rd place. This type of race requires it's own type of mental fortitude. 4.5 mile laps on a trail loop; complete as many as you can in 24 hours. Starting at noon I ran consistently until about 5am the next day, then kind of threw in the towel only completing 1 lap in the next 7 hours. Good learning experience of what it takes to keep going.

August 2014 - Resurrection Pass 100 time again. I went into this one feeling undertrained but knowing I could complete the distance bc I had done it before. Ran the first half calm, strong, and within my abilities, but on the climb out from the 42 mile aid station the wheels fell off. I was unable to consistently run again for the rest of the race. Walked all night, alone with my thoughts into the morning and the 70 mile aid station, 2 hours later than the previous year (19:30 hours). I called it there. Another DNF. Looking back I believe it was stress. Stress I had been carrying all summer about not having a job. Nothing was wrong, I just wasn't mentally tough enough on that day. Two weeks later ran the Lost Lake Race again for a PR in 2:23 (15.5 miles).

September 2014 - back to Fairbanks for another Equinox Ultra (40 mile). Not my best performance on a rain soaked, cold day but gutted it out for a 8:01 finish.

Spring 2015 - The previous February I had put in for the Cascade Crest Classic (CCC) lottery and had not gotten in. I entered again and was drawn so I would be racing it in August. My good running friends Tony C, Shawn, and Marti had also gotten in so I would travel and pal around with them while in WA. I spent the spring splitboarding (until I broke my tailbone) running, XC skiing, and playing hockey (more later). My goal was to get as much climbing in as possible since CCC has 22k feet of it over it's 100 miles. I also did some pulk (sled) pulling for the first time, running and pulling Z while R would XC ski. It was great and got me thinking about possibly running the Susitna 100 in 2016. I also entered the Mount Marathon lottery again and was drawn, so I would be racing that classic mountain race on the Fourth of July.

June 2015 - entered and ran the Mr. Miles 24 hour race again. This time I was shooting for 100 miles, 23 laps. I was also using this as a fundraiser for our adoption. I ran consistent laps through an 80˚ day and into the night, but my time in between laps got longer. Into the night the 2 people ahead of me struggled and went to bed while I kept plugging away. I ended up with 17 laps, 76.5 miles, which was good enough for 1st place men, 2nd place overall. I was unable to run the last 4 hours with a foot that wouldn't allow me to bear weight. I could have gotten at least another 3 laps in if my body would have cooperated, but I learned that I could keep going even when things got tough, painful, and boring.

July 2015 - the training continued to pile up as I ran less miles, but more vertical feet than ever before. The Fourth of July found me on the start line of the 80th running, and 100 year anniversary of the Mount Marathon Race in Seward, Alaska. And oh yeah, the world's top mountain runner, Kilian Jornet, lined up too. It was an exciting day; everything I hoped for. I wasn't fast but I met my goal of qualifying for next years race so I don't have to lottery again. It was amazing to run in front of 60k people, up and down a 3000 ft mountain in a 3 mile round trip. So much energy, so much fun!

August 2015 - The event I'd been training for all year fell at the end of the month. This one is deserving of it's own write-up, but I don't know if that will happen so I'll give a recap here. A 100 mile finish has eluded me since the first time I attempted it back in 2012. The Resurrection Pass 100 was my first attempt and first finish, but I DNF'd (did not finish) the next two attempts. In a way, the two Mr. Miles 24 hour runs were also 100 mile attempts as I thought it was doable in the time/format allowed, but also the distance escaped my grasp in the nighttime hours. Going into CCC, failure was not an option. Unless I timed out (reaching a specific distance on the course by a specific time, after which one is not allowed to continue) or significantly injured myself, I was going to finish. I had read probably 20 race reports written by everyone from elites to back-of-the-pack runners, giving me what I felt was an intimate knowledge of the course. To keep this blurb short, I enjoyed every minute of this race. I found myself looking forward to the challenges of the course bc I had read so much about them. The tunnel, trail from hell, cardiac needles, and every aid station was familiar, but new. There wasn't a moment I questioned why I was there or what I was doing or contemplating quitting...it was awesome, awsomely difficult. I ran for 73 miles with Marti and it was great. My friends I went down with, Tony and Shawn were a great source of fun, inspiration, and support, as was my family and friends back home. With HAM radio tracking my peoples were able to follow my run through the night and I could definitely feel their thoughts and prayers. I was hoping to 1. finish in 32 hours (which is the cut-off) 2. not get injured 3. finish sub 30. Crossing the line in 29:23 was elating, knowing I had achieved my goals and made my family proud (who are honestly proud of me for even trying).

Fall 2015 - so far I have taken some needed time of from running. Volunteering at the Kesugi Ridge Race by sweeping the second half of the course is the only 'running' I've really done. However just recently I have started again, training our new puppy to have some trail manners. Most exciting on the running front is that my CCC finish qualifies me to enter both Hardrock 100 and Western States 100 lotteries that are held in December. I'm going to drop my name in the hat for both, but Hardrock is my ultramarathon dream race. It is arguably the toughest 100 mile trailrace in existence with over 30k feet of climbing at altitude (9000-14000ft.) I'll keep you posted on that front.

Miscellany - soooooo other stuff...I started playing 'real' hockey on a men's team and some shinny once or twice a week last winter. Pretty fun stuff and a great change of pace from running. R began XC skiing so have enjoyed getting out on the sticks with him. Planning to splitboard a lot this winter to get some climb training in without the impact. As mentioned earlier we have a new puppy: a beautiful yellow lab. She's about 4 months old and a ton of fun. We're all adjusting to her and her to us. This is what crazy people who are adopting, homeschooling, and involved in 800 other things do with their free time. Boys are schooling, running, biking, learning to skate, swimming, and having fun. Tiff is cutting back on work and enjoying her role in the home. It is tough but rewarding to be mom, educator, and spouse to a crazy man.

Wrapping it up, this has been a long post and lot has been omitted, but it gives me a platform to begin from when blogging in the future. Thanks for reading, or not. I don't think anyone is still out there following anymore but that's ok. I have always enjoyed talking to myself.

God speed.
worm.

blog catch-up...

So when last I left off I had been building towards the Resurrection Pass 100 and was two weeks out, getting ready for my last long run before the taper, the Crow Pass Crossing.

I've run the Crow Pass Crossing three times before with my best time being 5:10 in 2008. This was the year before Geoff Roes broke 3 hours on the course. He is still one of only 2 people who have done so. 2013 was the first time I had run the race since 2009, which was in the days before I ever trained for running so I was excited to set a personal best. I was confident I would even though I wouldn't be running it all out, not wanting to risk injury before my second 100 mile attempt.

The race ended up being sold out and I had to get my bib at the pre-race meeting, claimed from a no show runner. It was a little nerve wracking not knowing till the last minute, but I was pretty sure I would be able to get in. All in all it was a great day. I ran it in 4:34, shaving 36 minutes off my previous best. The awesome thing was that the next day, I didn't even feel the race in my legs at all. Aside from a couple scratches the 25 miles of brutal singletrack hadn't made a dent in my fitness. This was a great confidence booster going into my taper for Res.

Sadly, a second ResPass finish was not to be this year. Cold temperatures, steady rainfall, and washed out trail took a toll on my body. Though I was on pace to better my 25:37 from the previous year, I dropped out at mile 70 with significant lower back pain (from bad form due to the temps) and severely jacked up feet (macerated and blistered from the wetness). I was bummed because I felt fine mentally, felt  fit enough, but had to make the decision to quit, not wanting to incur the damage from another 30 miles of running. Even later that day, apart from my damaged feet, I wasn't feeling any muscle soreness, only the residual lower leg trauma that comes from running for 17 hours.

Any decision to DNF brings with it regret and questions, but I have to believe that I made the right decision and move forward.

In September, I made the journey to Fairbanks to once again run the Equinox Ultramarathon. It is a 40 mile race, held concurrently with the Equinox Marathon and marathon relay. It is by far the largest event I have run. It is around 1000 people and the course utilizes a mix of road and trail. There are several points along the run with lots of spectators and so all day there is a great energy on the course, at least until mile 20 when the ultra course turns away from the marathon course. At that point it definitely feels like a typical ultra where you run alone a lot and maybe only see a couple other runners.


Last year I had run this course in 8:28. This year my goal was to break 8 hours. I hooked up with Brandon Wood and his friend Marty early in the race and we ran together most of the first 20 miles. Running with friends makes the miles really fly by and this day was no different. At mile 20 the course hits a 3 mile dirt road stretch that I remembered really struggling with the previous year. I decided to just put my head down and hoof it. This worked well and I briefly lost my companions. It was short lived however and at the next aid station I regrouped with them, but our party had grown from three runners to five. It would get as large as six I think before we started to spread out again. We yo-yo'd about two miles before we hit a singletrack section and I took off. I was feeling good and just started to stretch my legs. I ended up keeping a good pace for the next ten miles, cruising the second out and back that I had struggled on last year. In the last four miles I really started to push it. I wanted to break 8 hours, bad, and knew I had to keep up the pace. I ran the last three miles in just under thirty minutes, with a 8:45 final mile. I was surprised that I could push that kind of pace after almost 40 miles of running. I finished in 7:54.44. My brother-in-law, who had travelled with me, ran Equinox as his first marathon ever and posted a time of 3:32, which was good for 11th place! He is crazy talented.

After the summer/fall of racing I took a couple months easy, because I was anticipating racing a couple of my first winter ultras. I'll write those up next time.

Best summer ever?!

I would probably have to say best AND busiest. Since the last post a lot has happened. Rapid fire style:

-1 week trip in CO coaching soccer, which actually felt like a paid running tour for me. Ran in the Springs, Golden, and the great Flatirons behind Boulder.

-Closed on our new home and moved in, well kind of. True Hinshaw style we are ripping everything out and putting new in: carpet, hardwood floor, removing popcorn ceilings, new paint - EVERYTHING MUST GO! Gonna be great when it's finished though...

-Moving day was followed immediately by a 1 week guiding trip through the Chugach, Wrangell-St.Elias Nat. park, and Valdez.

-4 days in Seward for the 4th of July. Met one of my running heroes, Rickey Gates. Saw him smash the 32 year old record, but get 2nd to local phenom Eric Strabel.

-Ran my first 'road' marathon, the Hatcher Pass Marathon. 4000 feet of climbing over the course with the only downhill being the last 1.5 miles.

-Tons of time with the family in the great Alaskan Summer. It has truly been un-freaking-believable! 70's and low 80's even, day after sunny day. Plenty of time to play and just hang out with my amazing wife and boys.

-Lot's of big runs in the mountains preparing for my second 100 miler, which is only 2 weeks from today!!! Freaks me out but I think I'm ready. My training this summer though possibly lacking in overall volume, has been made up for with overall quality. I feel strong on big runs, without any real recovery time necessary even after tough outings. I think it is healthy though that I am scared at the prospect of running 100 miles again. It will happen, and it will again be one of the coolest things I have done.

Crow Pass Crossing tomorrow and then the taper. Stay tuned...

SUMMERTIME!!!

Yes, that's right. It is officially summer. The weekend of the 18th saw fresh snow, but the weekend of the 25th was 70˚. It happens that fast up here. In the whirlwind that was the last 3 weeks I have finished another season of coaching high school soccer, completed another year teaching high school, changed to my new school, packed up 2/3 of our home, and squeezed in some great runs, not as many as I should at this point in the training schedule, but you get it in where you can fit it in.

Here are the totals for the weeks:
May13-19
3:29, 21.31miles, 2805'
(not a great week, but we'll call it a mini taper)

May20-26
7:22, 40.08miles, 5351'
(decent, included an uphill race and a great run in the heat)

May27-June2
8:00, 32.74miles, 4715'
(ok but should have been better)

The highlight of the last several weeks is two-fold: getting off school, which gives me tons of time w/ my amazing family (wife and 2 boys), and some great 70˚+ weather. We had 4-5 days of extreme sunshine for this time of year. It easily erased both the standing water in my yard and the memories of a horrible spring.

On May 23rd I ran Kal's Knoya Ridge Run. The conditions were poor on the trail with so much mud my legs were caked by the time it was over and I had to shower with my shoes on so I could see to untie them. I bested my last year's time by 2 minutes, which placed me in the top 25 of a race for the first time ever. It was my best finish with 33rd overall. I ran comfortably hard the entire race and was able to pass 3 people in the final climb. Pretty happy with the effort as I also ran back down afterwards at a decent clip to make it an all around training run. My buddy Jared ran this as well so it was a fun day out.

Two days later I ran a great 13 mile run up into the front range of the Chugach from my house in the heat of the day. Great training as you never know what race day will hold.

Last week was ok with 3 decent runs, 2 of them being a hard and long-ish. On Wed. I ran up Wolverine Peak, an almost 5 mile climb followed by 5 quad busting, toe bashing miles back down. It's always great to tag a summit though. I left the trailhead a little after 8:40 and it was 73˚ and sunny. This run was completed 'Ashland style' ie. shirtless. It was awesome to be out peakbagging late in the day without the crowds, the mountain almost to myself. There were some sketchy muddy sections on the descent but I cruised through without a hitch.

2 days later I hit the historic Crow Pass Trail for what I planned to be 24 miles from the Eagle River Nature Center out to the river crossing and back. Crow Pass is a prime example of brutal singletrack trail. Twisty, rocky, rooty? yes. Thorns, blowdown, widow makers? check. River and streams crossings? yes. Moose and bear danger? You betcha. It is the complete Alaskan Trail experience. In fact, if you crave this experience you can race in the Crow Pass Crossing, a 25 mile crossing held each July. Anyway, I love training on this trail because rarely is a trail rougher, so if you can feel comfortable cruising here, anywhere else will feel tame. The only thing the trail from the Nature Center lacks is lots of elevation gain.

I was running along, making decent time when I rounded a corner and SCRUNNCH! my left ankle rolls outside onto itself. Yowch! Unfortunately but fortunately this happens about once a year. Unfortunate bc now I was 8 miles out on the trail and would have to get back. Fortunate bc once I worked through the shock, pain, and disappointment, I would probably be able to ease back into running by the end. Each time this happens it feels like a major injury, but usually I can run again after walking then jogging for a bit. This time it didn't feel like this would be the case so grabbing a branch for a crutch and turning around I called it a day and began to gingerly limp back to the Nature Center. The further I went to more it loosened and by the end of the run I was once again clocking 9:30s down the final 2 miles of trail, albeit on an unsteady ankle. In addition to the ankle roll I whacked my head on an overhanging log and got quite a knot. I also came home with scratches all over my arms and legs. Once again the Crow Pass trail had chewed me up and spit me out, but I feel tougher for it.

Now into the next week...

spring is here! (training week 13)

Officially spring has touched down in Southcentral Alaska. After May 5th's 3 inches of snow in town, the sun has been out regularly, but more importantly the temps aren't dropping below freezing at night anymore. This makes for rapid melting of the remaining snow. The giant piles in parking lots and empty lots is shrinking daily. Roadside clean-up is in full swing and green grass can even be seen in places. Soon the trees will green with buds and then BAM, summertime.

What this means for running is a return to the trails, albeit soggy ones. This week was not my best. The previous week left me with a tweaky calf so I took it easy so as not to make a tweak become an injury, and it largely worked.

Tuesday morning's 'run' was spent on the bike logging a quick but hilly 8 miles. Wednesday I made my first pilgrimage up Flattop Mountain, Alaska's most climbed peak. Early morning temps kept the snow crusty and dangerous. Though mildly tempted by the glissade tracks off the peak, it only took one look at the slope to determine, "I don't want to die today." The initial slope off of the top is 60˚ and the snow could best be described as razor blades on concrete, so I gingerly backtracked down the kicked steps to the top. Even though the entire run was snow covered, my up time was only 2 min. slower than my record up time, set on a dry trail. It was great to bag a peak before most people were awake for the day. Thursday I headed out to Turnagain Arm Trail for 5 miles on singletrack. It was exhilarating to be back on a wooded, snow free trail. Though muddy in parts the miles ticked off quickly and left me recharged back at the truck. My thoughts turned to Resurrection Pass and my desire to be physically and mentally ready to break 24 hrs. on that run.

The weekend was packed, so pushing Saturday's long run to Sunday AM was a no brainer. However as the weekend developed into Sat. night something wasn't right. It hit 2am Sunday morning as my wife, my 5yo son, and I began to spend the next several hours dueling with a nasty flu bug. Put simply it wasn't pretty. Our single bathroom was a war zone and the next day was spent drowsing groggily and playing movie after movie for the boys as that was all my wife and I could do without passing out. Monday I took off work to recover and yesterday's run was bypassed as well. Today, after 5 days without a run I'm feeling rested, recovered, and ready to roll. Tonight's agenda is a run-dinner-run sandwich for 13+ miles. Gotta get it where I can fit it.

May6-12
2:45, 20.28 miles (only 7 running), 3035'

 My boys get their ride on at the Charity Walk, a fundraiser for the high school team I coach. It's like a carnival for free. Z's first time on a horse. Yeehaw!

My 2013 Yearbook Staff celebrating the end of the year at the Moose's Tooth. This is most likely my last yearbook as next year I am taking a new job teaching Photography at King Career Center. I love yearbook and love all the kids I've had on staff. Gonna miss 'em.


My little man and his cousin at the inaugural Cougar Kickers Soccer Camp. A one day camp to give back to the community on our brand new turf facility. Shirts designed by yours truly. Sweet!

the animals are testy (training week12)

We are in the process of buying a new house and that plus coaching, kids, and training makes for a busy spring. So this week was a little mellow bc as soon as I decided I wouldn't be running Sluicebox, I slept in the next day. However the day after that I hit the track for some speedwork. This time I pumped out some 400 meter repeats after a 4 mile warm-up.

The weekend back to back (b2b) was a tough one. I ran the first on Sat., heading out at 9:30pm. Running that late after a long day was difficult, but I got out and got it done. My left calf was a little tweaky, so the next day I cut the planned run by about 25%, running at 8pm Sun. night.

So beside all of the fun spring weather in Alaska, this is also the time when one has to really be alert for wildlife. Seagulls are beginning to bully the Ravens from their winter haunts; the bears are awake and hungry, lumbering through the cities outskirts in search of food; and the moose are either calving, browsing their first spring alone, or feeling the effects or burgeoning manhood. The later is what I encountered on my run Sat. night. I was running down Campbell Airstrip Rd which is on the east side of Anchorage and flanked on either side by parklands. A largish bull moose appeared who was giving me the stink eye from first glance. I stopped and he took a couple steps toward me. I retreated back up the road a bit and he reluctantly crossed. Even though he was 30-40 yds away any time I made a move he would whip his head around and size me up. After a few minutes I realized I would not be able to get past this guy on my own. I waved down the next car and asked if they could drive between me and the moose as I ran by. The obliged and as I passed I was glad I hadn't tried to pass alone. As we came alongside him he lowered his head, stamped the ground, and did a couple of 360s. He was pissed! I think he really wanted at me. The driver of the car commented out his window, "He's not very happy!" which was putting it lightly. The rest of the run went off without a hitch but I'm ready for the upper elevations to melt out so that I can return to the woods with a bit more confidence as the animals move up into summer feeding grounds. It's coming, slowly but surely.

April29-May5
5:37, 32.44miles, 2129'

change of plans/rolling on (training week 11)

I'm into the 40 miles a week range and I'm feeling good about the running. Spring is always such a busy time with wrapping up the school year, coaching soccer, and family goings on. Add to that selling and buying a house this spring and I feel fortunate to have been able to carve out the time to get the runs in. It helps immensely to have a supportive spouse and lots of daylight this time of year. Most of my runs are in the early AM and this time of year there is light whether I run at 5:30am or 9:30pm, which really helps as I don't like to take time away from the family.

Health wise I'm injury free with just minor tightness after runs in the usually places, but really no muscle soreness, even after multihour efforts. I have also really been testing myself as far as running in all conditions. The 20 miler long run on Saturday was first thing in the AM with no food since the night before and I didn't bring any food/water on the run. It went off without a hitch: plenty of energy and no issues. Followed that up with a 10 miler Sunday at 9pm after a long day with the family and immediately after a BBQ. Completely opposite conditions but the run was great. Managed 9:16 pace with a ton of climbing thrown in. Sweet.

So for changes: I am not going to be doing Sluicebox 100 in June. I'm bummed, but it is the right choice. Too many things were stacking up against it: cost, moving/remodeling, week long guiding trip right up to the day before...just isn't right for this year. I look forward to doing it next year though. My big races then will be ResPass 100, where I will try to break 24 hours, and Equinox Ultra (40 miles). I am also planning on adding the Hatcher Pass Marathon to my schedule, which I couldn't do before because it was the week before Sluicebox. It will be my first official 'road' marathon. The course is up and over Hatcher Pass on a gravel/dirt road. Should be great.

Had I known I wouldn't be doing Sluicebox I would have put my name in the lottery for Mt. Marathon in Seward on the 4th of July. This storied race sees runners climbing from sea level to 3022' and back on a super technical trail, 40˚ incline much of the way. One of my favorite trail runners, Ricky Gates, will be running it this year and it would have been awesome to participate at the same time, but whatevs...it's all good.

As we keep rolling on towards summer, I'm getting stoked!

April 22-28
7:34, 43.89m, 2110'

day2 pub run
day4 speedwork - pyramids on the track, 100-400 and down then 100-200. then my IT got tight
day7 great 10 mile

all my workouts can be found at movescount search for worm.

My boys are too fun!

Is it spring yet? (training week 10)

Finally, towards the end of last week we started to see some sun, warmer overnight temps, and some legitimate melting! I think it is actually spring. The trails are crunchy and rough in the mornings and soft and wet in the afternoons. I have been sticking to the roads/multiuse paths lately to get my time in. I am still struggling with motivation to run but it is getting better. This week I switched my long runs back to Sat/Sun and it was much better, not having to stress about trying to fit it in on Friday.

Apr15-21
7:01, 40.89, 2505'
day2: doubled up with am run and pm pub run
day3: cold one
day4: convinced myself in the am that I would run in the evening and slept in. the run didn't happen that day.
day6: good 21.5 mile long run. took it easy and felt great the next day
day7: cranked out 8 miles on the dreadmill in the evening bc the day got away from me

So not much excitement but life is filled with the in-between.

 I teach yearbook at Service High School. They came in on Wed and are LEGIT! Students are really digging it this year. Cover design/photos by yours truly.

 Seniors at our school get to participate in "Senior Fun Day." They get breakfast at school then bussed to Kincaid Park for a BBQ, Karaoke, hanging out, prizes, inflatable games, and all around good times. Here's a photo strip of me with a couple of my students. We gots our stunna shades on.

Baby Z turned 2 on Sunday. What an amazing little guy. He really is our miracle baby. So much fun wrapped up in one little hurricane of emotion and activity. I wouldn't want it any other way.

back in the saddle... (training week8,9)

After 2 weeks of crud I eased back into the running over the past to weeks. Spring in Alaska this year means lots of new snow, sun during the day, but frigid still overnight. That has made it much harder to be motivated to get out of bed in the morning and get my run on. The snow has also made for good skiing so I have foregone some of the long runs instead opting for some splitboarding. I am still basing my training loosely on mileage, but mostly on time. I figure if I can get the time in I will be ready when stuff melts out enough to run...which I hope happens soon. They are actually calling for more snow later in the week...bleh!

Mar31-Apr6
5:17, 16.87, 2361'
shorter runs on M,T,W. 2:15 of splitboarding in lieu of long run on Sat.
also practiced with my jv soccer boys on Monday. man, that killed my knee.

Apr7-13
7:30, 29.19, 4626'
runs on M,T,W w/ :45 of soccer on M,W as well. Friday was my big day with a 2 hour run in the AM followed by a 2 hours of splitboarding in the afternoon. was hoping to get out Sunday splitboarding as well but ran out of time, not light though as the sun is currently setting around 9:30!

This week I am switching my long runs back to Sat/Sun instead of Fri/Sat. Since the runs have gotten longer it is too difficult to get them done on Friday when I work. I will switch it back once school gets out.

Here's a pic from splitboarding on Friday afternoon. Sweet sun and snow, was blowing like crazy up top and cold though.

the creeping crud, PLUS 2012 recap & 2013 plans (training w6,7)

I ran my 20 miler two weeks ago with a head cold. I felt fine and the run went great, but two days later, BAM! chest cold. I have bronchial asthma so as soon as a cold settles into my chest I am out of commission. This was a bad one. Two weeks of hacking, no energy, hit-by-a-truck feeling, cold. In the weekend between I had my Wilderness First Responder recertification, a 24 hour classroom/scenario course. It was brutal but I made it through.

This past weekend I decided to jump right in on Saturday for a scheduled 24 mile run. I made it as far as the front door in my running shorts before I called it. It was 530 AM, cold, and I could still feel a rattle in my chest. What's two more days off? So this morning I went on my first run in 16 days. It went pretty well so I think I am ready to ramp back up into the training.

Training for what? Well, I am planning on two 100 milers this year, with some other races thrown in for good measure. My current race schedule for 2013 looks like this:

May 23rd: Kal's Knoya Ridge run (8.5k, 4300') completed this for the first time last year. It's a blast!
June 29th: Sluicebox 100 (Fairbanks, AK) this is my first goal race. I'm shooting for finishing.
July 27th: Crow Pass Crossing (24mi) running easy as a final long run before tapering for...
August 9th: Resurrection Pass 100 (repeat of last year) I hope to better my time of 25:37 from last yr.
August 24th: Lost Lake run (16mi) ran w/ a team last yr. & might again this yr., maybe...
September 21st: Equinox Ultramarathon (64k) had a great time at this last yr. Hoping to be up for it.

My goal for the summer is to complete the two 100 milers and finish with Equinox. The other races are if my conditioning and health allow. There is a new race, Kesugi Ridge, in Denali State Park September 7th that looks really interesting, but I really want to be ready for Equinox so I'll feel it out.

On a side note, thought I'd post my 2012 totals here for the record:
Mileage: 1573.33
Training Time: 298:53 hours
Elevation: 133,468 feet

These totals are for running ONLY, no other activities are factored in (ie. hiking, biking, ski touring, swimming). Also, this is only for runs recorded via GPS and recorded on Garmin Connect or Movescount. There were several outings without a watch that were not recorded.

What's funny is to contrast this with my recorded totals from 2011: 185 miles and 21,228'. I have been running trail races since 2003 but have never trained. Amazing what one can do with proper preparation.

HE IS RISEN! Happy Easter.

the new norm? (training wk3,4,5)

Another week down with no end in sight...well, I can see the end, but it's a long way off. Getting behind on the posts so I'm just gonna crank this one out with the numbers and minimal details. Feel free to post with questions if you want more info.

Feb25-Mar3
6:45, 37.51mi, 2984'
day1,3 - run w/ 2m tempo on 3
day2 - 2 laps on Hilltop

Mar4-10
5:45,  32.77mi, 2939'
day6 - 14 mi long run included 6mi run with soccer team at a quicker pace

Mar11-17
7:17, 36.23mi, 2126'
day1 - snowshoeing w/ Dan after soccer, banged my knee
day5 - ran from my house (South Anchorage) to my buddy Matt's house (Eagle River). great conditions: sunny, mid 20's, trail everything from snowy singletrack to dry tarmac to windblown powder to slushy overflow. ran with a head cold and felt fine on the run. busy day Saturday nixed the run and Sunday woke up with a chest cold. have now been dealing with that all week.

So that's what's been happening. Oh yeah, it's been soooper cold this past week. It's been getting up to 20s and low 30s with sun during the day, but getting down to single digits at night. Creating really icy conditions on the trails and very hard to get motivated to run in the AM. Had my best icy face of the year so far:

Haven't run yet this week bc of my congestion. Next week's write up will be short. Oh well. A week off to get healthy ain't no thang.

a shock to the legs (training week2)

Feb18-24

I am attempting to get back into a regular running routine and my body is taking notice, specifically my legs. My overall fitness feels pretty good, but my legs have been shocked by this weeks' workouts. I do notice that I tend to be much more aware of myself when I am training regularly. Hard to explain but my time seems to be more intentional when I know there is an ultimate goal. I am working on not wasting the minutes, but being (mentally) present daily wherever I am; whether it's with my wife, the boys, at work, or at play. My life is much more rewarding this way.

day1&2 were a wash with travel back from Phoenix and a day at home with the family.

day3 I ran 3 miles in the morning on the dreadmill, and 4 miles in the evening. My body was still cold after spending time in PHX and I couldn't bring myself to run outside.

day4 splitboarding lap at Hilltop

day5 up super early, 4am, to get in a 2 hour run. I intended to run another hour on the dreadmill but it didn't happen. My morning run was difficult: 4-8" fresh snow, still snowing as I ran, 1300' climb, cold, mostly unconsolidated trail. It was good to work hard though.

day6 went out during nap time for an hour on the dreadmill, got eight and a half minutes in and my little guy decided he wasn't gonna nap that day. Went in and got him squared away and did an easy CrossFit body weight WOD. 2 rounds for time of 35 squats, 35 knees to elbow, 35 squats, 35 situps, 35 lunges, 35 squats. Afterwords my thighs were pumped, weird to see them so huge. I have been feeling that workout for 3 days now.

day7 rest

Not a super crazy week and actually less mileage/time than last week.

On Friday, after worship practice, my boys and I witnessed a burning mobile home. R thought it was cool to see all the fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances, but it was sad to see someone's home being burned. We took the opportunity to thank God for what we have, and pray for those affected by the fire. It is important to seize those teachable moments.

 

 Fur Rondy parade in Anchorage

3 days in the desert (training week 1)

Feb 11-17

This past week began my first in training for my races this summer. As it stands now I am going to attempt two 100 milers this summer. The first being the Sluicebox 100 in Fairbanks at the end of June. The second will be Resurrection Pass 100 the first week of August. I am also planning on running the Equinox Ultra again in mid September. I considered racing a 100 out of state this year, but I decided not to spend the money to travel and instead will be running the only 3 summer ultras Alaska has to offer. This will give me a chance to gain some more experience in the ultra world before attempting to run a Hardrock qualifying race, Hardrock being my ultimate goal race....someday.

day 1 was a flop, recovering from food poisoning.

day 2 got 5 miles in pushing my youngest son, Z, in the B.O.B. I felt pretty good considering I was pushing him thru soft snow conditions on the multi-use path.

day 3 splitboarding up the local ski hill, Hilltop. It's a quick roundtrip that usually takes me about 40min. 360ish feet of climbing.

day 4 rest

day 5,6,7 in Phoenix.

I have traveled to PHX every President's Day weekend for the last 8 years. I coach with the Alaska Northstars, a select soccer team, taking players to showcase tournaments in an attempt to get players seen by college coaches. Last year on our trip to Portland, I discovered Forest Park and enjoyed running there last month. This year I did some research and found a couple of really good places to run within the Phoenix area. On Friday I 'ran' in Phoenix Mountain Preserve. It is a great network in and around a mountainous area right in the midst of the PHX metro area. It was actually a pretty brutal trail to run in regards to elevation and trail surface. Also, I was out in the heat of the day, which was around 75˚. I had a 6 mile route planned that proved to be pretty ambitious and instead ended up doing 3.75 in an hour on the "circumference trail" (local name) or 302 (park name) I chatted with a grizzled and tan desert/mountain man on the way up the first peak, Piestewa. He gave me some good info and I had a great time. The trail was actually super technical with loose rocks, steep grades, and continual up and down.

The next day I ran in the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve. This area contains a great set of manicured trails visited primarily by locals hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. It was almost sundown when I got there and I headed out on the Dixie Mountain Loop. The trail was very runnable and I saw no one. This was in contrast to the previous day when I saw many people on the trail, but only one other runner. As I contoured around the back of Dixie Peak the sun had officially set and the trail was plunged into the flat light of dusk. I made my way down the trail to the parking lot.

On Sunday I went back to the Sonoran Preserve to try to finally get in a good run. Today I had no time constraints and timed it so that I was in the cooler part of the day before dark. I ran comfortably and really enjoyed the desert scenery. I finally felt like I got a good run in, completing 7 miles of trail in just over an hour.

Until this trip I always dreaded going to PHX. The heat is a nice change from the Alaskan winter, but the sprawl, traffic, and lack of things, um, natural don't appeal to me. Finding these two desert gems though have me looking forward to trail running there again next year.

The sweetest part of the trip though wasn't actually on the trip, it was the next morning as my wife and I were bombarded in bed by my two boys. The look on their faces as they wrestled and cuddled was the best homecoming reception ever.

running again, again

After the ResPass 100 I ran two more races, the Lost Lake Trail Run in Seward in late August (15.75miles) and the Equinox Ultramarathon in Fairbanks in mid September (40miles) after that I took 10 weeks off from running to figure out what's going on with my Posterior Tibialis Tendon.

This is something I have dealt with off and on for the past 3 years, but culminating with daily pain after the Equinox Ultra. My ortho recommended 6 weeks rest and then re-evaluating, after which it wasn't any better and he referred me to an ankle specialist. 2 more weeks till that appt. and he said, "yes, surgery to re-align your foot could work, but I won't do the surgery on you." I have Posterior Tibialis Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD) or acquired flat foot. My tendon currently has tendinosis, which is structural damage in the tendon on the cellular level. It is progressive, but the doc said that right now I have good tendon function so he wouldn't want to do surgery as it could mean my end to endurance running. He said I might need it eventually, but not guaranteed.

The Tx is to wear custom orthotics at all times, ice, rest as needed, and listen to my body. So I went for my first run in 10 weeks on Tuesday night, the Pub Run. Only 2.88 miles in 27 min. but was great to get out and reacquaint my lung, legs, and mind. Looking forward to ramping up my running and then start training again in late January.

my first 100 part 4: the details

Ok, so it's been 3 months since the last post but I had promised to divulge the details of my race in regards to gear, food, footwear and clothing. This is that post.

The easiest way to do this is in a list form, which I will follow with details about when/how used. Since this race is largely self-supported I carried quite a bit with me from mile 12 on.

Gear:
2 handheld bottles: nike, amphipod - used both for the first 12 miles
Salomon skin set 10+3 pack: carried from mile 12-100 - pack contents follow
-3 20oz. bike bottles
-minimal first aid kit: random bandages, space blanket, tweezers, pocket knife, antihistamine, ib, tylenol, spare contacts, tape
-mtn hardwear long sleeve t
-nike run gloves
-nike liner hat
-spare socks: feetures
-handheld strap
-small vasoline
-black diamond spot headlamp
-2 AAA batterries
-silk weight long john bottoms
-Montbell wind/rain jacket and pant (8oz. total weight)
Suunto Ambit watch
Garmin 405 watch (back-up picked up at mile 50)
Nike sunglasses

Footwear:
Hoka One One Mafate: wore the entire race
Hoka One One Bondi B: backup at mile 88, didn't use
Feetures Elite light cushion/low cut socks: brand new at race start, only wore one pair but had a backup in the pack

Clothing: (I changed shorts, shirt, and visor at mile 50)
2 pair nike running shorts
2 adidas sleeveless running shirts
2 headsweats visors
Salomon s-lab calf sleeves

Food:
Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem mixed in a 12 hour concentration, carried in a 20oz. bottle, Caffe Latte flavor
Hammer Nutrition Gels: orange in a 5 serving bottle, chocolate, espresso, raspberry - 1 per hour -OR-
Hammer Nutrition Bars: oatmeal raisin, cashew/choc chip - half bar per hour -OR-
Snickers bars - half per hour
PB&J sandwiches - as needed (only had one per 50 mile segment)
Salt Stick tablets: 1 every hour, tapered off at the end, which was a mistake
flat Coke: mile 88
food eaten at aid stations: salted potatoes, peanut m&m's, banana, payday candy bar

Misc:
BODY GLIDE!

I think that's everything. I had no major blisters or chafing (except, weirdly, on my bum), and no digestive issues other than a short bout of mild nausea after mile 50 that was either from the potato or bouncing light on the trail. Everything gearwise went well. Don't think I would change anything except having a usb battery charger pack to recharge my Suunto on the trail, and if there were more climbing I would have brought my Black Diamond Z-poles.

Food wise I needed to get more salts in during the later stages of the race. I started peeing a lot, like every hour, during the last several hours of the race. At the time I thought this was a good sign that I was hydrated but in talking with a nutritionist later I discovered that it was bc of an imbalance of salts. I should have kept up on the salt tablets and also supplemented with some sort of electrolyte replacement drink every so often.

All in all though it was a highly successful 100 mile race and I wouldn't change much in terms of gear, clothing, and food.

Please comment with any questions you might have. Thanks.

my first 100 part 3: Go time!

(this is a long one so grab a cup of coffee or tea, find a comfy chair, and enjoy)

I couldn't really believe that it was actually time. As I rode from the meeting area to the start area I engaged in conversation with one of the race directors, Pam, and long time volunteer, Phyllis. We made small talk about the race that included a recap of my yearlong journey to get to this point. Phyllis made a comment that included "...if you finish..." I immediately piped in, "I WILL finish."

That was my mindset going in: I WILL finish. Even if I have to walk it in, the dreaded 'death march,' I am going to finish. Unless of course I actually break something. Short of that though I was committed to the task at hand to run 100 miles. At the starting area I had overheard someone say that they were "hoping to finish." That won't cut it. One must decide they WILL finish. Only then is one truly ready for the race before them. Ray Zahar, one of the three men who ran across the Sahara desert, said that running extreme distances is "...90% mental, and the other 10%, is mental!" I was ready to experience first hand whether this was actually true. My training of 50 miles per week was definitely on the low end for those preparing to run 100 miles, but that was what I could squeeze in. So though I questioned the physical side of the race, I was now unwavering in my mental resolve. Phyllis replied, "Ok. I'm gonna hold you to that. I'm not gonna let you sit down at the top of the hill." (mile 96 where we would turn and run back down to the finish). "It's a deal," I replied.

Coeur d'alene CG to Hope TH, mile 0-12: The Interviews

The first 12 miles start at Coeur d'alene Campground on Palmer Creek Rd. and run mostly downhill to the start of the Resurrection Pass trail on Resurrection Creek Rd. At 3:00pm sharp someone yelled go and we shuffled off. David Johnston did a quick head count as we ran: 15 starters. People were running easy, chatting, and enjoying the beautiful day. It was around 70˚ with clear blue skies, a little warmer than I preferred because I'm a heavy sweater, but a gorgeous start to the race. Runners began to separate into groups as we increased the distance, mostly grouping by their pace. My main goal at this point was to run easy, which was going to be difficult to do because of the downhill grade of the road and the excited energy of everyone running, and my secondary goal was to find someone to run with later in the race, primarily through the night as I knew it would be difficult alone. I chatted with 2 brothers who were doing the race for the first time. I thought they may be a good match for me to run with but they were pushing the pace a bit much for me so I let them pull away and resumed running at an effort I was happy with. I caught up with 3 ladies, all teachers, and ran/talked with them for a bit. One gal was on her first 100 mile attempt (she was out front of their small group), another on her 2nd 100 miler, and the third lady was a veteran with over 20 100 mile finishes. Their pace seemed good, if not just a touch fast, but the conversation was easy and the miles passed as we talked. One of my race strategies was something I had come across on a blog and had committed to memory, "In the first half of the race walk before you think you should. In the second half run before you think you can."At a slight uphill I began walking and they pulled away as well.

At this point I was almost right in the middle of the pack with 8 runners ahead of me and 6 behind me. I began running again and caught up with Mike Smith. We talked as we ran and I quickly learned that Mike was a very accomplished  runner with over 60 100 mile finishes since he began running ultras in 2000. In fact, ResPass would be his 7th 100 this year! If everything went well, he was quick to add. Wow! I thought, this is someone to learn from. I began asking him rapid fire questions and learned he had ran most of the 'big ones': Western States, Hardrock (3 times actually), H.U.R.T., Leadville, and on and on. It was his goal to finish all the different 100 mile races around the country. We talked about running at altitude, training, and the strategy of just finishing. In the short time I talked with him I definitely learned a lot. About 4 miles before the trail head, my brother-in-law Shane and his wife Mandy, my wife Tiffany and all the kiddos pulled alongside us in the minivan and hooted and hollered. It was great to be able to see them before setting off into the night. I introduced them to Mike and we chatted a short bit as we ran next to the van. We said our goodbyes and good nights and they headed to the campground. Mike pulled off to meet his crew as we ran into the trail head parking lot. I figured I would see Mike again on the trail as I grabbed my loaded backpack from the aid station. I strapped in and headed off onto the trail.

Hope TH to Resurrection Pass, mile 12-31.5: My time

Crossing the bridge over Resurrection Creek began the unsupported portion of the race. After running the first 12 miles on a gravel forest road, the next 76 miles would be on singletrack trail across a mountain pass in the heart of the Kenai Mountains to an area called Cooper Landing, and then back. Cooper Landing, 50 miles into the race, would be the next aid station and also the turnaround for the race. I set out from the aid station alone. I figured I would run a comfortable pace, walking the hills, and eventually someone would probably catch up to me that I could run with. I knew at this point that there were at least 6 people ahead of me on the trail with the teachers and Mike close behind me. I soon caught up with Pete who was running ResPass for a 7th time. We chatted briefly but he was moving slowly and seemed to not want company so I forged on ahead. Since these 38 miles were unsupported I carried everything I would need on my back: water, food, extra clothing, first aid, and a button that pictured a skeleton running and said "keep on trucking." This was my motto for the race. The mantra I developed was "Stay Strong, Keep Moving, All Day." In previous races and long lonely runs I had repeated various mantras to keep me going and motivated. Once it had been "Chocolate Muffin, Chocolate Milk, Krispy Kreme." Whatever it takes sometimes...Today though, I knew my mantra was sound: if I could keep moving forward I would finish. No stopping today except to refill my water bottles at streams along the way, that was my goal. The miles passed without much thought. It was still beautiful out and I my sleeveless shirt and short-shorts were thoroughly soaked with sweat. I knew I had a complete change of clothes at the 50 mile turn-around and a long sleeve shirt in my pack so I was too worried about cooling off as night arrived.

I had run the first 12 miles in 2 hours, 30 minutes faster than I had planned. It had been tough to go slow early on, but now I settled in to the routine I had developed over hundreds of miles in training. I would run for 20 minutes then walk for 2, also walking any hills or inclines that would potentially elevate my heart rate or breathing. The first half of my race strategy, "walk before you think you should..." echoed through my head almost constantly during this section. I climbed through the river bottom, cow parsnip lining the trail, continually gaining elevation through the forest. At East Creek, about 25 miles in I passed a small tent that was pitched back off of the trail. I didn't see it until the last minute and barely could hear voices over the rush of the creek. Looked like a couple of people eating a meal, I figured they must be backpackers and continued on not giving them much more thought. The trail had left the river and the forest began changing from primarily Cottonwoods to a mix Spruce, Alder, and Birch. Lots of mountain bikers use this trail and must ride side-by-side through this portion because it was like a double track trail with singletrack down the center. I bounced between the middle and outside lanes trying to find the smoothest, most runnable surface. It was slightly off camber and mildly annoying. The trail crosses several smaller creeks as it ascends, switch backing in and out of the drainages. On one climb out of a drainage I saw the rump of something just around a corner up ahead on the trail. It was slightly shadowy and I was wearing sunglasses so I couldn't really identify what it was. It suddenly turned and for a moment I could see the head, maybe a coyote? A lynx? Not quite sure and it trotted off. I whistled at it, they way you would whistle at a dog, but of course it didn't come back. Shortly after this I began to hear the faint sound of bear bells behind me, someone was catching up.

Even though this was a trail that had frequent bear sightings, I hadn't brought any 'protection' other than my wits, which some who know me might argue is no protection. Anyway, bear bells have always annoyed me, bear spray would have added weight and taken up valuable pack space, and of course I wouldn't run with a gun. I had a whistle though! I've found that being aware of one's surroundings seems to be the best defense when recreating in areas where dangerous wildlife is present. Common sense like, if you're near a salmon stream make noise, if a bush is moving in the woods on a windless day don't go near that bush, stuff like that. The bear bells behind me would ring out as I took walk breaks, then would fade away as I ran again, but they were gaining. I was out of the woods now and into the alpine meadows of the pass itself. As the trail undulated along the taiga, right before the sign marking the pass proper, the bear belled runner jingled in behind me. "Hi. I've been chasing you for the last 5 miles."

Resurrection Pass to Cooper landing TH, mile 31.5-50: Into the night

It was Diana, one of the teachers I had run with earlier. She and her husband were at the tent I had passed back at East Creek. She had stopped for a hot soup dinner and had now caught me. She had wanted to run with someone through the night as well and had chased me down. I'm sure it hadn't been too difficult. We reached the Devil's Pass intersection and cabin shortly after meeting up. Pam and another volunteer were there, having biked up the Devil's Pass trail to monitor the race and mark the only tricky intersection on the entire course. It was nice to have human company and hear a little bit of cheering after so many hours on the trail alone. I was in good spirits as the slowly setting sun illuminated the mountain pass and peaks around us. We wound our way down through fields of alpine wildflowers that glowed iridescently as they caught the golden rays of sun, which was beginning it's long summer descent from the sky. At this time of year in Alaska, the sun drops from the sky for hours. It was close to 9pm at this point but would still not be fully dark for another 2-3 hours.

As we ran, Diana and I shared conversation about everything from our jobs in the school district to running and racing philosophy. It was nice to be able to have this running dialogue and the hours and mile passed with relative ease. Diana quickly adopted my run/walk and walk the hills strategy and so we remained together through the one technical downhill portion and around Swan Lake. The moon was on fire as it rose from the mountains behind Juneau Lake. As dusk settled around us we cruised along the trail hugging the shore of the lake. We were both quiet and reflective at this point, almost 40 miles into the race. This is also the point, mileage wise, that I anticipated hallucinations. It had happened before at this distance and it was nice to have someone to confirm what I was seeing.
Me: "The moon is on fire, right?"
Diana: "Yep, looks like it."
Me: "Ok."

Darkness settled in around us about 6 miles from the turnaround and headlamps were dug out from the pack and illuminated. My batteries were weak and I considered replacing them with fresh ones from my pack, but Diana's lamp shone past me and I could see ok. I decided to wait until the aid station. Passing the intersection with the Juneau Falls sign I knew we were a 5 mile downhill away from Cooper Landing. Diana hadn't really eaten much since meeting up. She reported that her stomach was pretty unsettled. We were both pretty quiet at this point and I kept checking in with her, encouraging her to eat and drink. I don't know if she did though as she was running behind me the entire time. All of a sudden I saw the reflection of golden eyes right off the side of the trail. We immediately stopped and I said something like "there's some eyes!" Shouting and whistle blowing ensued and the creature moved back off the trail, only to stop, turn, and then re-approach the trail. Thinking this was a bear we continued to shout. As my eyes adjusted and depth perception sharpened I could make out that this animal was small and I could make out small pointy ears on the top of its head. "I think it's a lynx," I said and moved forward slowly. It was less than 15 ft. away at this point and instead of running it just crouched down. We walked slowly by and it remained crouched right off of the trail. We passed within 4 ft. of it. Amazing! Glad it wasn't a bear!

We continued down what seemed to be the longest downhill ever. The lights of cabins and cars on the Sterling Hwy below played tricks on our perception of where we were. More than once I thought we were right above the aid station, only to go further and further down. Finally, we began passing the leaders of the race. Dave Johnston first who encouraged us we were close and that there was "a feast down there," then the others. The quiet second place guy, the brothers who had picked up a pacer and seemed to be having a great time, then Emilio who assured us we were actually almost there...really though. He said we would pass 3 glow sticks on tress and then hit the TH and aid. Sweet! I spied the first yellow glow stick. It was really there, almost halfway finished with the race! The next two glow sticks were such a welcome sight then we emerged from the trail and into the warmth of the aid station!

The volunteers attended to us immediately. Getting my name and drop bag they made me aware of what was available: soup, potatoes, various snacks, water, first aid..."Do you want a chair? Food?"
"Not yet, just some dry clothes and the outhouse." As I changed clothes I could hear wretching coming through the thin wall of the outhouse. I felt fortunate and blessed that everything was going so well for me at this point. Feet were good, knees felt fine, no major chafing, stomach was solid, not too tired...Wow! I think I really can do this.

Cooper Landing TH to Resurrection Pass, mile 50-69.5: Each step closer

I emerged from the outhouse refreshed, but stiff and returned to the aid tent. One of the racers, Tony was sitting with the first aid gear spread before him. He was being tended to so I busied myself with restocking my pack for the next 50 miles. I didn't want to sit yet because I had read so often "beware the chair!" So I remained upright until everything was readied, then I sat. The volunteers took my pack, refilled the water, and brought me a few salted potatoes. I ate a couple and asked for a handful of peanut m and m's. "I'm starting to get cold," Diana, who was seated next to me exclaimed. The power of suggestion made me feel cold all of a sudden as well. "Yeah, let's get moving," I said, or maybe just thought, not sure at this point. I had changed into another sleeveless shirt but thought I'd heat right up on the climb out. Even though it was dark and 2:37am it was still probably 58˚ or so. We began power walking up the hill out of the parking area. It seemed much steeper than I had remembered it. Diana led at this point and really pulled me up the hill. I was hitting a major low mentally and just kept in mind that each step forward at this point was a step closer to the finish.

Since we were not moving that quickly, I started to cool off and began thinking about adding a layer. I didn't want to stop our forward momentum though so I was relieved when Diana announced that she was cold and going to put a jacket on. I dug my long sleeve shirt out of my bag and continued on. Did I mention how much of a low this was? My stomach was mildly revolting, partly from the food I consumed at the aid station and partly from using my headlamp. The bouncing beam in front of me made me nauseous. Diana stooped down and picked something up.
"Did you drop something?"
"No, picked something up."
It was a small plastic Mulan figurine. Weird. We continued on. Sometime later, "You still have Mulan?"
"Yep. I'm just holding it."
I was actually a bit envious that I didn't have something to hold on to.

We passed the rest of the 100 mile runners coming down this hill. They were in various states of mind. Most seemed done. Mike though was still just plugging away. One woman was clearly over it. 5 people would drop at the 50 mile aid station.

At the top of the climb we switched positions. As the light of day increased, so did my mental state. I was sick of the headlamp even stating at one point that I was going to chuck it into the woods as soon as I didn't need it. I didn't though and was very glad to turn it off and put it away. We resumed our run/walk rhythm but the ratio was now closer to 10:2. Wrapping around Juneau Lake for a second time I was almost feeling good, but not quite, especially since I knew that the short technical climb was just ahead. Starting up hill I immediately started to feel poor again. I tried to power through it though and soon realized that Diana seemed to be dropping back. I stayed with my routine and would hear her coming closer when I walked, then dropping back when I ran. My hydration bladder was empty at this point and so were my backup bottles. After stopping at a stream to fill up Diana was right behind me. We walked up a short rise and then she said, "Should we run this part? It's flat." I replied sure and began to run. I wouldn't see Diana again until around mile 95.

Cruising into the alpine meadows of the pass I could see Tony up ahead. I seemed to be catching him but was not really concerned about it. There was still a lot of race left. I caught him right at the Devil's Pass intersection but I stopped to ask Pam, who was still there, if she could put my headlamp in my pack and getting out my sunglasses. She kindly complied and I was on my way. I commented to her that I thought my mind was so bored that it had checked out of my body, which made the physical task easier. Little did I realize that this would be the battle for the next 30 miles of the race.

I caught up Tony again shortly and discovered that his back was bothering him. I was feeling good so offered my condolences and continued running. Sun filtered through the surrounding peaks, warming everything it touched including my skin. I stripped off my long sleeve shirt and enjoyed the feeling of the crisp morning on my bare arms. Soon I passed the post marking the pass proper and glanced down at my watch, 7:57am. I couldn't believe it. I was an hour and 3 minutes ahead of my realistic time goal.

Resurrection Pass to Hope TH, mile 69.5-88: Mind games

The next several miles/hours seemed relatively uneventful. Feeling good after the pass sign only lasted the next hour, maybe less. I passed Emilio during this section below the pass. He was sitting and holding his knee. He gave me encouraging words as I passed, "Good pace!" I would see him again. After leaving the meadows and beginning the descent I again felt low. My run/walk ratio was now often 10:5 or even 5:5. The 'triple track' section angered me. Tony and Emilio both passed me through here, my 5th place standing dropping back to 7th. I soon passed a couple of hikers who asked if I needed anything. I let them top off my water bottles as I was running low. One of them commented that it was really commendable what I was doing; I was his hero. The encouragement was nice to hear, but did not much alter my mental state. Arguing with myself became the norm as I ran in and out of the creek drainages.
"I want to stop and lay down."
"But if you stop you're not any closer to finishing."
"But I don't want to move anymore."
"I don't care each step is closer to the finish."
This dialogue repeated over and over inside my head, my body just waiting for my mind to decide. The consensus seemed to be that we'll keep moving because that gets us closer to finishing. I did though compromise and allow myself 5 breaks, hands on knees, breathing heavily, but no more than 20 seconds. This seemed to keep everyone happy.

At East Creek I passed Diana's husband who seemed to be anxiously awaiting her. I let him know that I had last seen her quite a ways back and she had been hurting, maybe even walking. He said he'd bike back to her and bring her some pop tarts, at least I think that happened. Finally, I had lost the majority of the elevation gained the previous day. I so wanted the next turn or creek crossing to be the one that would bring me into the final descent through the big spruce forest with it's carpet of pine needles across the trail. Finally I was there. I don't know why but it was comforting to be in the shade and cool of this forest. Part of it was because of the softness of the trail, but also I had an idea of where I was: less than 10 miles from the trail head. My GPS watch had died back at 15 hours in and 64ish miles. Using the backup watch with time only didn't provide any mileage details. Someone was on the trail behind me. It was the leader of the 50 mile race that started in Cooper Landing at 6am. "Are you running the 100?"
"Yep."
"Tough as nails, bro!"
Really? I didn't feel super tough right now. The second runner passed without a word, then the third. He offered a word of encouragement and continued on. Moments later behind me I heard, "Is that worm?" It was my buddy Jared who was running his first 50 miler. Seeing him and chatting for a bit was immensely uplifting. As he pulled away I asked him what mile he thought we were at. He said he wasn't positive but probably around 80 for me. I'd hoped I was further but this knowledge combined with seeing a familiar face propelled me into a high that would last the next 2 hours. I was back to running 15-20 minutes and walking 2-5 now. A little bit later some passing bikers confirmed that I was now 7.5 miles from the TH. "Almost there!" they shouted. To which I replied, "Yeah, and then 12 more on the road," to which astonished exclamations were heard.

I was back in the river bottom alternating between periods of cottonwood forest and encroaching cow parsnip. Resurrection River was right next to me and I was plugging away. I was on pace to arrive over an hour ahead of my realistic time goal. I had told my wife Tiffany that I would get to the Hope TH between 12:30 and 2:30. Another of my brother-in-laws, Brandon, had planned to begin running back towards me at 12:30 and run the rest of the race with me. Expecting to see him any moment I was surprised when I realized how close I was to the end of the trail and hadn't met him yet. Cresting the last rise in the trail I barreled down hill to the clearing before the bridge. Brandon took about 3 running steps towards me when I shouted out to everyone. It was amazing! 22 family members and friends were surrounding the area. I was 1:30 hours earlier than I planned. They had just arrived and had gotten the kids sat down. Running down to my wife and kids surrounded by cheers I felt on top of the world. They encircled me as I quickly relayed the night's events and answered some questions rapid fire. After congratulations and a quick group picture I crossed the bridge and checked in with the aid station. They seemed surprised I didn't need anything but my family had met me with flat coke, a banana, and something else to eat (don't recall), and had filled my water so I was good to go. There was a drop bag there and in retrospect I wish I would have grabbed the food inside as I would run out later. I forgot that I had given my last snickers bar to a 50 mile runner who had been without food since the pass. With Brandon leading the way, we hit the road for the final 12 miles.

Hope TH to Hope School, mile 88-100: The HILL (from hell)

The final 12 miles would retrace 8 miles I had previously run, but instead of running back to the campground it would turn around at mile 96 and finish at the Hope School. The first 4 miles on the road were familiar because I had run them the previous day, but had also run them during my failed 50 mile attempt. My momentum from the extreme high coming off the trail lasted most of the next hour. As the family and friend caravan drove out, all hooted and hollered from their vehicles. I felt truly blessed. Brandon and I chatted and ran and I felt myself fading. No biggie, I was prepared for this. I wasn't prepared though for the hill. 1600 feet of gain over the next 4 miles. It was brutal, unexpected, demoralizing. It honestly erased the pain of the previous 92 miles. All I could think about was the hill. Brandon encouraged me along, but I was moving agonizingly slow. Looking back I'm sure Brandon was bored out of his mind on that climb, but I was so thankful he was there. I really could not have finished without the encouragement, prayer, and support of so many. I kept looking for the first big switchback because I knew that meant I was almost to the second big switchback that was the turnaround. The hill kept going and going and going. About 2 miles from the top I saw Diana for the first time since mile 64. She was walking up the hill, faster than me, with her husband biking behind. I wondered if she had been walking this whole time and had caught me b/c I was moving so slow. Somewhere in this stretch I also passed Tony. 50 mile runners were streaming both up and down the hill at this point but they were a blur. I kept moving forward, even breaking into a power shuffle for the final 1.5 miles (I knew the distance b/c my bro-in-law Shane drove by and clocked it in the van). I asked Brandon to walk directly in front of me so I could close my eyes. I walked this way for probably 20 minutes, just listening to the sound of his footsteps and open my eyes occasionally so I wouldn't fall over. Finally we were there. I saw Phyllis and said, "I know you said you wouldn't let me sit down, but I have to. Just for 5 minutes." "Ok," she replied, "but don't expect me to help you up." I ate a candy bar and sat on the ground. When it was time Brandon helped me to my feet and I shuffled off. Pretty soon I was able to break into a run and slowly, slowly I could increase the pace. I re-passed Diana, who was still walking, Tony (but he was still on his way up), and some 50 mile runners. I was flying...probably not really but compared to the up portion I was. I asked Brandon to not get too far ahead b/c it was easier for me to maintain momentum if he was close. He complied and in no time we were at the bottom of the hill. It had taken almost 2 hours to hike up the hill from hell and 45ish minutes to run down. Only a mile or so to go. I was actually running now and amazed with the bodily/mental contrast happening inside of me. I felt amazing, but desperately wanted to stop running, but wanted to go on forever. Tears welled up in my eyes as I reflected on the last 99 miles. I couldn't believe it. After a confusing intersection the school was in sight. Pumping my fists into the air I cruised in. My 4 year old son came running down the street to meet me. My 'entourage' was cheering. I felt amazing. I actually crossed the finish line twice: once officially and once hand in hand with my son.

I had done it. I was exhausted, ecstatic, and truly humbled. Such a mix of feelings. I held my 15 month old son in my arms and kissed his forehead repeatedly, fighting back tears that didn't seem to make sense other than just the welling up of so many concurrent emotions. Surrounded by family and friends, powered by their prayers and support, I felt so blessed.

Wow. 100 miles. 25 hours 37 minutes. 6th place. I couldn't really believe it. Still can't...

my first 100 part 2: pre-race

When people found out I was planning on running 100 miles the typical question of "why?" would be followed with some variation of "how long will that take/will you sleep/stop/eat?" I was hoping that I could complete the run between 25 hours (optimistic time) and 28 hours (cut off). As for sleeping, I knew that people didn't typically sleep so I would answer no, to which people were typically dumb founded. "I couldn't run that long..." or could they?

The mental part of ultra running is the part that I am really intrigued by. I firmly believe that most people are not really aware of what their bodies are actually capable of doing. I was turned onto the book Deep Survival by a blog post over at irunfar. The article and book gave great insight into what it would actually take to finish this thing, namely decide to do it and accept nothing less. This became a motivator in the remainder of my training through the spring.

As the runs got longer, and I was finally able to chase the receding snowpack out onto the trails, I embraced the mental challenge. On one particularly brutal run on the Crow Pass Trail my resolve was tested. What I expected to be a 48 mile out and back (traversing the entire trail twice) turned into a 35 mile run/power hike through ankle breaking terrain. Hobbling into the parking area 10 hours after beginning the run my body was hammered. Mentally it was difficult to wrap my head around the idea of running this long multiplied by 2.5, but once I remembered that the ResPass Trail was much more runnable, and several hours later when I was no worse for wear physically (other than being tired) I became charged up. I could totally do this thing.

In the few weeks leading up to race day I began my taper. It was eased by working out of town one of the weeks and battling a little cold, but come Friday July 27th at 3pm I was raring to go. I drove my truck and camper down to Hope, AK solo, leaving Anchorage around 10am. My final preparations had begun on Monday with lists, sorting, and packing race day gear, food, and personal items for the weekend. I also recorded my planned splits for various distances on the trail. Included in these splits, especially the later stages, were both realistic and (optimistic) times. The race could be broken down pretty easily:

Start at Cour d'alene campground  Mile 0 - 3pm
Run downhill to the Hope TH                12 - 5:30pm
Resurrection Pass (high point)                31.5 - 10:30pm
Cooper Landing TH (turnaround)           50 - 3am
Resurrection Pass                                    69.5 - 9am (8am)
Hope TH                                                  88 - 2:30pm (12:30pm)
FINISH at Hope School                          100 - 6:30pm (3:30pm)

As I drove I thought over the last six months. So much preparation had gone into this event. Sacrifices had been made by both myself and my family: time away, energy (I was tired a lot), and money (consuming much more food nowadays and buying gear). I am blessed to have an understanding and supportive wife who recognized this was important to me. In fact my wife Tiffany and my two sons were going to join me later that day, as well as my brother-in-law Shane and his family. I knew that would be a boost on the trail, knowing they were thinking of me and praying for me.

I pulled into Hope School with about 2.5 hours to spare until start time. After some gear shuffling I set my alarm for one hour later and forced myself to lay down in the camper. I laid with my eyes closed but couldn't sleep. I was supposed to have found a camping spot, but hadn't been able to. My wife texted me not to worry about it, they would figure it out when they arrived. With that off my mind I just tried settle myself until the alarm went off. After a clothes change I filled my bottles, mixed my Perpetuem, grabbed my drop bags and headed to the assembly area.

It was finally almost time and I couldn't wait...