Hawk 100 Race Report

Since I haven't posted since April, I will give a brief update on training. I have upped my personal training to 5 days a week and I averaged around 60 miles a week training for the Fall races that were coming up.

My first race of the fall season, The Hawk 100 was held at Clinton Lake in Lawrence, Ks. It is a 4 loop course, 25 miles per loop and the trails are super technical. There is very little elevation, but the subtle constant ups and downs will eat your lunch. The trails have a lot of rocks, small and large, along with tree roots. The small rocks through out the trails took it's toll on the bottoms of my feet.  In addition to overall soreness and lost toenails I built a LARGE blister on the ball of my right foot.

There are three manned aid-stations. The start/finish, Lands End and West Park Road. You hit Lands End first, then go to West Park Road, do a 2.5 mile loop up Bunker Hill and come back to West Park Road, then head back through Lands End to the start/finish.

Before the sun came up I was ducking under a tree that was leaning over the trail and I did not know it had two trunks. After I cleared the first one I started to stand back up without looking up and drilled my head on the second trunk. That hurt for quite a while, then about 6 miles into the race on the North Shore I got stung by a wasp on my calf. I was thinking if this is how the day is shaping up, I am in trouble. And it did not disappoint.  

Head lamp, water bottles, starting line...

The weather for the race was a little warm for September. At the start of the race it was around 55 to 60 and it got up to around 85 or so. I started the race with two 20 oz. bottles knowing it was going to be cool. I actually went through them pretty fast. The first aid station was 4.5 miles in and I drank a bottle and a half. Got them topped off and went the 6 miles to next other aid-station on the course. I went through both bottles before I got there.

Heading out of the West Park Road aid station
I said all that because I started cramping really bad on the way back to the start/finish on the first loop and struggled with it for 30 miles. When I felt cramps I would drink. I asked another friend/ultrarunner Elden Galano along with the aid-station workers which are very knowledgeable about running many are ultra runners themselves what to do. They seemed to think by telling them how much I was drinking and how many salt pills I was taking that I was over hydrated.

I stopped the salt pills and just sipped on my water for a while and that is exactly what it was. I was to the point I though I was going to have to pull myself from the race. I would take in some water, wait a few minutes, be able to run because I wasn't cramping and start to run and instantly I would cramp. It was the worst feeling in the world. I felt helpless.

The aid station volunteers were right and it worked (One thing I've noticed at Kansas races, they staff their aid stations with awesome volunteers). I was very thankful for the helpful advice. Then through the day I started having to deal with the sore feet. Running a 100 miles, you are going to have some sore feet through the race and deal with blisters and toe nail issues. This is my least favorite part of the sport.

At the West Park aid station on the forth loop I asked a good friend and fellow ultrarunner Chris Wristen to try to bandage up my big blister to get me to the finish line. It lasted around five miles or so. There really was no helping it at that point anyway. I just toughed it out the rest of the time. 

It was easier dealing with the issues because at mile 50 I came in to the start/finish aid station and was ready to leave at dusk, the same time Elden was heading out, so we did the loop together.   Amazing the difference company makes.  Elden's one of the race directors of Rockin' K 50 mile I like to run in the spring.  He is also the only 3 time finisher of the Hawk 100, having run and completed it every year it's been in existence.

 

 

Elden had lined up a pacer for the final loop, and I chose to stay with them as well.  Debbie is a friend and a great ultra runner as well.  She had also spent the day running the West Park Road aid station.

 



 

Debbie did everything in her power to keep our spirits up, keep us in calories, and keep us moving.  She did a phenomenal job cause I was dragging, and she managed to get me running and moving.  When I wanted to stop because my feet hurt she kept me going. 

 

Hawk 100 is a very well planned/managed/staffed race.  The volunteers were great, the race directors Danny and Coleen are top notch.  The course kicked my butt.  Wichita doesn't have anything that can be considered technical.  I get to train in rain, sleet, snow, hail, tornadoes, floods, 60 mph winds (north and south) 100+ temperatures, high humidity, but I don't get to train for the technical part of trail running.  It's hard on my feet and legs but it's something I have to suck up and power through if I want to run ultra's.  Because the Wichita area only has one.  Heartland is next month.  Country roads, rain, wind, cows, I can handle that. 

 

I did finish, my fourth 100 mile ultra finish, second this year (second since back surgery, for all the people who said I wouldn't be able to do it anymore).  I don't have the official time because Patsy didn't write it down, but it was under 29:13:32 which was when she looked at the clock.

 

 

Coming in to the finish line

 

 

The closer I got to the finish, the more I wanted to be done, so with a little over a mile left, I decided to step it up and run it in and be done.  Patsy commented that this is the third time I have done this to her, she always has an idea of what time I will be coming into a particular aid station.  And she's always within 20 minutes one way or the other of being right.  Except for the finish.  This is the third time out of the four 100's that I have finished an hour or more before she expected to see me (and one 50 miler).  It's why my finish pictures are always so bad.  She's running to the finish line trying to get her camera out to take a picture before I get there. 

 







Some of the credit for that hour of time goes to Debbie, cause she pushed us along every runnable step for the last 12 miles.  I greatly appreciated Elden and her through the second half of this race.  It made a huge difference in my outcome.

Jacket, race shirt, bib and finishers buckle

 

Today I got a massage and got the tightness worked out of my muscles and other than some allergies to the adhesive in duck tape, mite bites, some heat rash, sore toenails and lingering pain from blisters, I'm feeling really good. Flatrock 50K in two weeks, Heartland 100 in 4 weeks, and volunteering with KUS at Pumpkin Holler 100 in 5 weeks.

 

And there's a 55K in December at Isle Du Bois I'm thinking about running.  Just because.

 

 

Update

I am now back to training and trying to increase my mileage as quick as I can. After I recovered from my foot surgery, I pulled my hamstring really bad. It is now healed. I was able to run during the healing process, but it was limited.

I did a local trail marathon that is one of my favorite races of the year after about four training runs. My hamstring tweaked at mile 8, but I was determined to finish the race. I even came in right around the time I thought I was going to. I finished in 4:43. Was happy with this time, especially with the limited training I was able to do.

I am working on acclimating myself to the heat ,so the week after the marathon I got in two 7 mile runs during the week and a 10 mile run on Sunday. Last week on Monday I did a 8 mile run and Tuesday I got in a 7 mile run. The rest of the week was a bust, got very busy. This weekend I tried to make up for it and Saturday I did 15 miles and today I did 12 miles.

It is coming along, but I have lost some stamina in my legs. It might just be mental, but I believe I lost some muscle while recovering. I did a lot of air squats and other exercises in training to try to strengthen them while recovering, but I don't think it was quite like being able to run on them.

Personal training is going really well. A couple of weeks ago I increased to four days a week. I did not think I would notice, but it is very noticable. I go Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday morning. That Friday night to saturday morning is tough, I get about 14 hours rest between the two workouts. My hope and prayer that it make a difference in races other than just running and training.

This is what articles say other people who train for similar events do, so it must be benificial. Cross training is very important to strengthen core and all other areas of your body to endure the wear and tear a race will put on it. I have been able to recover more quickly from big races since I started this.

If next week doesn't get crazy, I should be able to get three runs during the week in and increase my weekend runs. That is the plan anyway. I am such an inpatient person, it is hard to increase miles slowly. My body lets me know what I can do and reminds me I am not Superman. Have to play it smart.    

Progress

Well, progress has been slow. I was going to start doing some runs and ease back into training coming back from surgery. I agreed to do some sprints with my trainer and I ended up pulling my hamstring. So, trying to get that healed up has been very slow. I start to feel great and do a run and it irritates it and I am back to square one again.

If I know me well enough, I was going to over due it before the doctor was going to completely release me. So, the hamstring injury was what I needed to keep me from going against doctors orders. When I feel good, it is hard for me to sit on the sidelines and wait.

After my hamstring heals, I will be ramping up my training for all the fall races I am planing on doing. Right now I have 3- 100's, a 50k, a marathon, a 10 miler and a 10k from now till the end of the year. I am very excited to get back to training.

Since I have been trying to come back from foot surgery I have done 2- 6 mile runs, a 15 miler and a 10 miler. I can tell I have a ways to go to get back to ultra ready. I have been doing my personal training 3 times a week and I am bumping that up to 4 times a weeks starting June 12th.

Please continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers that I heal up quickly. As all of you know, it is frustrating not being out on the trails training.

Thank you!!!!

Past training/Rockin' K

I am horrible at this blogging thing. I have not a tremendious amount of running training since Rocky Raccoon. I had 3 days of Syllamo shortly after. It didn't go real well. I did the 50k on Friday and got 10 miles into the 50 miler on Saturday and my Morton's neuroma really started acting up. Only I was not going at a real fast pace anyway and if I sat long enough for my foot to feel better, I wasn't going to be able to make the cut off times.

So I called it and went home instead of sticking around and doing the 20k on Sunday. I had a great time getting to know some of my Kansas City friends a little better. That made the trip worth it all. The trails in Arkansas are really pretty and very challenging. Expesically for a Wichitian.

After that we had the worst snow storms we have had here in 40 years. So training was nonexistant for a good two and a half weeks and getting ready for Rockin' K was difficult too. I had my worst showing there to date.

I struggled with blisters and me having super tender feet, it was pretty painful for me, but the most positive part about it was that my neuroma did not bother me at all. I will gladly take that trade off. It was 70+  degrees in the afternoon and the wind was blowing like crazy like it always does there.

I ended up third to last place, but that doesn't matter as much as the fact I finished it with the struggles I was having. I am very proud of myself for that. I stand by my slogan "It's not about the time, it's all about the finish". I finished in 12:28 and change.

I am having surgery this Friday morning to get my Morton's neuroma taken care of in my left foot. I will be totally down for 4 weeks and then I will start hitting it really hard. This will also give my back some time to rest and hopfully fell a lot better.

I am ready to see where I can go in the running world. I have had all kinds of setbacks, but that is not going to stop me from giving it my best effort. I have been continuing to traing with Marquis three times a week and have had a good time getting into the Insanity videos. I am constantly striving to get stronger and inprove my health.

Marquis has offered to increase my training to 4 days a week starting in May to help me get to the next level and beyond. I am looking forward to what is in store in the near future. I will do my best to keep you all posted on my progress.

I appreciate you all taking the time to read my blog and thanks for your support.

Post race training

Well it has been two week since I posted last. I will catch you all up on what went on. I went to training the Monday after the race and was able to participate. I was really surprised. I mostly did a lot of stretching and some sprints that were more like a light jog.

I went to training all three days the week after the race. I was able to do some weight training to second session and Friday got back up to doing actual sprints and feeling like I was able to give full effort. I chose not to do any training runs that week.

Last week I guess you can say I resumed a regular training schedule with both running and personal training. This week I had a different mind set when I was doing my training runs. I was not doing them because I knew I had to, I was doing them because I wanted to and was glad I had the ability to run, it felt really great.

Marquis is going to put me on some four day a week training sessions in the next couple of weeks to better prepare me for my next race weekend. It is 3 days of Syallmo which is a 50k on Friday and 50 mile on Saturday and a 20k on Sunday. There is going to be a ton of climbing in this race, so we are going to be doing a lot of resistance training to strengthen the legs.

Hear was my training schedule:

Monday- Training
Thursday- Training
Friday- Training

Monday- Training
Tuesday- 6 miles
Wednesday- 10 miles
Thursday- Training/8 miles
Friday- Training
Sunday- 10 miles

Rocky Raccoon 100 Race Report

I did not do any training runs the week before the race, because my trainer had me doing wind sprints both Sunday and Monday. My hamstrings were very sore. So the best thing I thought I could do was rest the whole week.

We left for Huntsville (Hunstville is an hour this side of Houston) on Thursday evening at 5:00 and arrived at 12:40. Had to wind down, so I didn't get to sleep till around 2:00. Got up Friday morning and remembered I saw a sign for a Prison Museum, so we got some breakfast and went to the museum.

It was very interesting and sad at the same time. Saw a lot of terrible things there. Every thing from guard uniforms over the years to a memorial wall of the employees that had died at the hands of inmates or in accidents transporting inmates, etc.  to the actual electric chair that was used before they stopped executing prisoners in that manner. They call the chair "Ol' Sparky".

They had displays of items confiscated from the inmates over the years which included:

home made Converse from prison clothes and soles of their prison issued shoes

 

Prison monolopy.  When it was confiscated the prisoner asked if he could send the game home to his mom. He was told he could if he made a second game for the museum.

An actual cell.  The size and with the furniture and accessories that prisoners get.  It was a little creepy.

I was pretty tired, so I wanted to go back to the hotel and chill for a while. Patsy saw a salon that had just opened and it even had a grand opening 20% off all services. So she went and treated herself to a pedi/manicure. While she was gone I started to get hungry, so I asked her to bring back some Popeyes.  We ate well on this trip.  Mcd's, IHOP, Popeyes, Schlotzskys Braum's...

It was then time to head down to race headquarters and pick up my packet and then the race briefing.

I got to see Coleen, Indika, Deb, Hannah and some other famillar faces. Hung out and caught up and then headed back to the hotel.

Got to thinking when I was laying out my things for in the morning that I did not want to wear my Nathan vest after all. It was going to be way too warm during the day for me to wear it. I go shirtless as a lot of you already know.

I didn't bring my waist belts to put things in, because I did bring the vest. So we ventured out to find a sporting goods store or running store at 6:00 in the evening to get a waist belt. Come to find out there is no such store in Huntsville.

There was a Marshall's and it has been known to have accessories for running. While we were there we decided to to do some shopping for ourselves also. They did have a waist belt that did the trick. Very thankful for that. It really did come in handy.

We then went to Schlotzskys to get so dinner before heading back to the hotel for the night. I had plans of crashing around 9:00 and I layed there and could not go to sleep. So I watched a little more TV and was able to get to sleep sometime after 10:30. I slept really well. This is very unusual for me the night before a race. I was not as nervous as I have been before past races.

The alarm went off at 4:15 and I got around and prepared for the adventure ahead. Made a stop at McDonald's on the way and picked up a bowl of oatmeal and drank a Monster. It was in the mid 40's Saturday morning. Being in shorts was a little chilly.

I was told this was an easy course, and the fastest 100 mile course and I didn't give it the respect it deserved.  It was more difficult than I expected.  The tree roots were pretty rough on me.  I was a little worried about 5 loops but that didn't bother me at all.  I didn't see this sign, it might've concerned me if I had.  Patsy was a little make that A LOT freaked out by it.  Alligators.

Hannah, Indika and I all found each other at the startline and chatted while we waited for the race to begin. My intention was to stay with them as long as I could. Was looking forward to the company through the race.

Hannah (fellow Wichitan ultra-marathoner) and I at the starting line.

Not sure when it happened, but I was going along and looked back and they were no where to be found. I thought about waiting for them, but I decided to just keeep pressing on. The "DREAM" was to attempt to get that sub 24 hour buckle. I knew it was a clear long shot just coming back from surgery, but why not dream big?

I made it through the first loop in 4:00 and felt great. I did not waste anytime at the aid-stations and was moving, as expected really well. The second loop I slowed to around 4:45 loop. Patsy was at the 3 mile and the 15 mile aid-stations, because they were the least busy of all the crew points. So each time I came in to the start/finish, I just turned around and left for another lap, because I was going to see Patsy in 8 more miles and I had plenty of fluilds.

Nature Center Aid Station, three miles from start/finish

This worked out great for me and her. I had two crew stops that I spent more time in than I wanted to. One with stomach issues and the other I was preparing to go out before it turned dark. All the others I was in and out in just a few minutes. This is something I really wanted to improve on and I feel I am really close to being where I want to be. It is just going to take a little tweeking on preparation. The stomach issues are always going to be there in a race. Will just have to do my best to deal with them.

 The third loop was around 30 minutes slower than the second loop and the fourth loop I came in about 20:04. That was a 5:00 a loop average. I was really happy with that. The body was not feeling as fresh as it had earlier in the race. The last loop I did quite a bit of power walking. Ranging from a 13:30 to a 19:00 minute mile pace. This was a lot better on my feet than trying to run which would have been at a much slower pace than what wanted to run and would've been harder on my body.

I use Infinit Nutrition product which eliminates the need for a sports drink, gu or salt tablets. It is a great deal for me. I was happy I did not need to use any gu the whole race. I mainly eat fruit at the aid stations and my crew stops. I did have a few cheese quesadillas and p,b & j's, but mostly fruit. I brought applesauce and mandarin oranges that come in individual cups that I had at crew stops and ate banana's at the other aid-stations. I also brought gummies and jolly rancher hard candies that I like to suck on while I am running.

It's a well run and well staffed race.  I most likely won't run it again, but that has nothing to do with the course or the race itself, it's just there are so many ultra's, and so little time and I want to experience as many in different places, courses, climates and terrains as I possibly can.

I want to give my wife Patsy the best thank you for all her love and support getting back into where I am today. She has sacraficed a lot of time away from me while I do my training runs and was my sole crew member at the race. She did her best to get in as many cat naps as she could. After the race was over and getting very little sleep, she drove 8 hours to get us home. Kudos to her and may God reward her greatly!!!!

I also want to thank our trainer Marquis.

He did an outstanding job getting me mentally and physically prepared for this race and just being a real good friend. He did a great job strengthening my back and pushing me to places I didn't want to go (or wouldn't have gone) on my own. Looking forward to where he is going to take me in the future.  I was able to sprint full out the last 150 yards at a sub seven minute pace with sore muscles, hurting feet and a tired body solely from the sprints, hill work, dashes and sled work he's done with me.  (If you are in the Wichita and want a great speed, agility, and strength trainer, look him up.  You won't be sorry).

Finish line...you would not believe how good a finish line looks after 100 miles, 26:31:42

Lastly I want to thank all my family and friends for the overwhelming love and support you show. I love that there is group of people that come together and rally around you and help you.  It's a huge boost to know there are people that care for you and want you to succeed, without competing against you.  We all feel like we are in it together, not against each other.

 

 

I got some cool swag, a great jacket, but  most importantly, I got another buckle for my collection. 

1 week to go!!!

Well this week it was time to scale back on the miles to get prepared for the race next week. I went into the runs this week with the mind set of just get in the number. I did not push the pace or try to break a time I have done at that distance in the past.

Not going to lie, I am getting pretty nervous about next Saturday morning already. I fell I have prepared myself the best I could with the time constraint I was under. After I was released to train after my surgery, I knew I only had 11 weeks to get ready.

I made my own training plan and pushed the envelope in get the miles back to where they needed to be in a very short time. It was a plan that I would not suggest to anyone wanting advice in how they should create a training plan for themselves. The old saying "do as I say, not as I do."

I am excited to get back into the racing world. I am not a super competitive person anymore, but I love being in that atmosphere and interacting with other runners and hearing their stories of their past experiences and the story of how they got to where they are now.

You get to learn a lot about someone in a very short time. You have the luxury of being around people that you already have a like interest with. Looking forward to meeting new friends also. Please pray for me that my back will hold up okay.

Going to do a few more short runs early this week and training on Monday with Marquis.

Here is my week in review:
Monday- Training
Tuesday- 10 miles
Wednesday- Training/6 miles
Thursday- 8 miles
Friday- Training
Saturday- 14 miles
Sunday- Training

2 weeks to go!!!

Well I made it through another week of training without a injury. That is a huge deal for me with a big race coming up. I again did not get all the miles in that I had planned on, but I am not worried about it.

I had a rough time on my Saturday run and my back just gave me fits on Sunday. I am trying the Icy/Hot patches and Thermocare braces. They are helping somewhat, but it still is pretty sore most of the time. I am looking forward to the day that I will be pain free.

My Saturday run started at 3:00 in the morning. I met a couple of fellow ultra running friends for a run. This helped me prepare for night running for my next race. I always like to get one or two of them in before a 100 mile race.

Not sure if I will do another night run before February 2nd, but glad I got one in. I fell good about how it went other than feeling sick during most of the run. I stayed up with the group for the first half of the run, but I fell back for the second half. I don't want to talk about that run anymore.

Well here is this weeks mileage and training:

Monday- Training
Tuesday- 19 miles
Wednesday- Training/7 miles
Thursday- 11 miles
Friday- Training
Saturday- 23.25 miles

3 weeks to go!!!

Well I had a pretty good training week. I am feeling a little better about the race coming up. I am now concerned more about how my back is going to hold up more than if I have done enough to feel like I can run it well. I am going to look for a back brace to see if that will help me in the later miles.

I did miss out on my Sunday run this week again. I am finding it really hard to get it in. I really don't like getting up early in the morning to do it, because I have to be up at 5:00 in the morning for work everyday of the week and I have to be up at a decent hour on Saturday to get my long run in. So Sunday I like to sleep in before church.

I know that is a terrible excuse for not getting it in, but it is the truth. I am still dealing with pain in my back as it heals that is going on 6 months now since I realized I had a problem with it. I look forward to the day when I will be pain free.

Well here is my mileage this week as well as my training sessions.

Monday- Training
Tuesday- 19 miles
Wednesday- Training/8 miles
Thursday- 10 miles
Friday- Training
Saturday- 34 miles

4 weeks to go!!!

Well I didn't post last week, so I am going to play catch up. I have to admit. The week of Christmas, I was not very disciplined in getting my runs in. It was a fall back week for me, but I took that to the extreme. I did pick the coldest day we had to date and did one of my runs in it.

The other run I did was on the treadmill at the Y. It has turned in to one of my best friends during these months when the days are really short. I work till 3:30 or later anymore, so I don't have much daytime to get a good run in. I am missing my trail.

This week I got in all my runs but the most important one. The long one. The reason is that I went to Independence, Ks and ran the Winter 25k Flatrock at Elk State Park. So with a 2 hour drive there and back and the fact it took me four hours to do it, the day was just shot.

Sunday, I had church in the morning and training at 3:00 in the afternoon. I did not have a 6 to 7 hour block to get the long run in. I was disappointed that I was not able to get it in, but I felt like crap all day, I guess it was for the best.  I have two hard weeks to go before I scale it back for the race.

Week of Christmas:
Monday- Training/15 miles
Wednesday- Training
Friday- 10 miles

Last week:
Tuesday- 12 miles
Wednesday- Training/10 miles
Thursday- 16 miles
Friday- 8 miles
Saturday- 15.5 miles
Sunday- Training/2.5 miles