Psycho Summer 50K

Yesterday was the Psycho Summer 50K at the Wyandotte County Lake Park in Kansas City, KS. After attending the Royals game on Friday night with Sarah and baby and staying in a nearby hotel, the 50K starts at 8am on Saturday morning, which is great for sleep, but bad for heat! But I think that's part of the idea of "Psycho Summer"...

The temperature hit 100, or close to it in the afternoon. It was hot, but mostly shaded so it could have been worse. I didn't get sick or too dehydrated. I think there were a lot of other runners who the heat got the better of them and they had to drop down to 20 or droped out altogether. I was just happy to finish.

After completing the first loop the second two loops were mentally much easier because I knew the distances to aid stations and knew how to mentally attack each section. I ran with a pack of 3 most of the first loop but couldn't quite keep up the last two loops so mostly ran alone, which I enjoyed.

My official finish time was 7:59:16. I know that seems soooo slow with an average time of 15:28/mile but I must say this includes a lot of running and only walking the hills and most technical rock scramble sections. I completed the First Lap in 2:24:33, the second loop in 2:43:01, and the third and final loop in 2:51:40.

Previous finishes: 2008 Winter Version and 2008 Summer Version.

TATUR'S Midnight Madness 50 Miler

Ran the Tulsa Area Trail and Ultra-Runners' "Midnight Madness" 50 miler last Friday night in Tulsa. This was my second time to do it. First time being in 2010. See 2010 Report.

I drove down with my good friends Tyler Ray and Kevin Johnson to Tulsa on Friday evening. The race starts at midnight....I was just starting to get tired and sleepy when I started running...partly because I had a crazy week and only 5 hours of sleep the night before! First lap was...hot! 90 degrees thereabout. No wind. Humidity. By the end of those 10.3 miles I was dragging.

At the end of the second loop, I felt better than at the end of the first. By the end of the third loop, it had gotten light and I soaked for five minutes in an ice bath to bring my core temperature down. At mile 35, Tyler joined me and he paced me for the last 16 miles. I soaked again in the swimming pool (with ice water up to my neck this time). The last 10.3 miles were tough but Tyler and then Kevin paced me into the finish line.

I never really had any low moments. No nausea. Minimal soreness. No ankle problems. I really felt fine with a fairly consistent pace throughout the 51.5 miles that the course actually measured.

This is a great race on a great course that I highly recommend.

Eliana Beth

My whole world changed for the better about a month and a half ago as Sarah and I added little Eliana Beth to our family. Born May 2nd, 2012. Didn't know I could love this much!

Camp 2012

Probably my favorite 2 weeks of the year are spent at Camp Quaker Haven the first two weeks of June every year.  As a camper and then a counselor/youth pastor and in other leadership capacities, 2012 was my 21st consecutive year at camp.

Pikes Peak Summit and Back

On Wednesday, May 30th, Rebecca Angell (Sarah's youngest sister) and I hiked the 13 mile trail from Manitou Springs, CO to the summit of Pikes Peak, a 14,110 foot mountain. We started at 4am with headlamps and summited about 10:30 am. We staggered around at the top and refilled with water, took a few pictures, and then started the long trek down. I found the downhill part much more physically and mentally exhausting, especially on my ankles and knees. The downhill part took over 5 hours and the whole thing took 12 hours, arriving back at the trailhead at 4pm, weary and exhausted, but thrilled to have just completed the 26 mile journey.

For Rebecca, it was her longest mileage covered on foot by far in her life. The following days I could barely walk with my calves especially locked up. I believe it was 5 days before I was able to run again.

Andy Payne Marathon

Just 15 days after my sprained ankle, and with it still a bit swollen and stiff and with only a couple of runs after 11 days off, I ran the Andy Payne Marathon at Lake Hefner, in Oklahoma City. The course is a double-out and back along the bike trail at Lake Hefner. I had run Andy Payne before, in 2007, I believe, and enjoyed the small race atmosphere. This time was no different.

With a pretty big half-marathon going on at the same time, the course was pretty full the first half but was a ghost town the second half. I ran with some guy from somewhere in the Dallas area from mile 3 to mile 25.5, but I can’t remember his name. I learned his whole life story.

The temperature was in the mid-70s at the 6:30 am start and climbed into the 80s by mid-morning. The whole day there was a strong wind from the south and it gusted to probably 30-40mph regularly. There was hardly a cloud in the sky the whole time and it was hot and miserable the whole way. This was very likely the hottest and worst conditions for any marathon I’ve run, though many ultras have been worse.

I was shooting for a sub 4 hour finish but it just wasn’t happening with the heat and humidity and sun and wind. I finished just a few minutes over 4 hours but wasn’t discouraged in the least. In fact, I was just relieved to be done and glad it was over and glad that I didn’t experience any nausea which often comes with the heat.

My ankle swelled a bit during the marathon but didn’t necessarily hurt any more than before the race.  Sarah and the baby joined me on the trip there (leaving at 3am) and back and rested in the shade while I ran. We were home in time for lunch at 1pm from OKC!

Lake Perry Rocks 50K

My 70th marathon/ultra-marathon was more eventful than I would have liked and also was a “first” in many ways. It was a 50K at Lake Perry which would make my 3^rd 50K there, this time run by the Trail Nerds. It was a nice cool dry morning on a perfect course under nearly perfect conditions in every way.

I picked some of my favorite people to run with, Coleen Voeks and Deb Johnson, and we stuck together pretty much the whole way. We came through the exactly half way mark right at 3 hrs and we all feeling great. I was leading our pack most of the way between miles 15 and 25 and gaining a lot of ground and we were narrowing in on a negative split, sub 6 hour finish. But, that’s not how it went down in the end this time.

At mile 27-ish I rolled my ankle and fell into the shrubs. My foot was flat to the rock and the ankle hit the ground as I fell. The flash of pain was intense and I thought I was going to puke. I got up and tried to walk it off and after 5 minutes or so was back to a slow run, with my confidence coming back, though it still hurt a bit. Then I bit it again, this time much harder and much worse. The pain was just so intense. My face turned white. Deb shared some ibuprophen and the foot started to swell really fast…though I knew not to take my shoe off until after I crossed the finish line.  I got up and hobble step walked and sometimes ran really slowly on the safe flat debris-free areas, though there weren’t very many of those.

I crossed the finish line in 6:12, I believe, which is still a decent time for a 50K, especially with having to nearly crawl the last 4+ miles.

My ankle swelled up to nearly cantaloupe size after the race and stayed that way for a few days and continued to be sore and stiff for 10 days. On the 11^th day I ran 2 miles pain free and started back in. 15 days after the sprain I ran a marathon (Andy Payne) pain free for the most part. 18 days after the sprain I hiked Pikes Peak. 5 weeks after the sprain it’s just slightly swollen and just slightly awkwardly stiff but I am still running on it, as long as it doesn’t really hurt too bad. I’m staying off the trails until it’s truly healed, though.

April Marathons

Eisenhower Marathon

I ran the Eisenhower Marathon on Saturday, April 13 in Abilene. It was a hot and humid but not nearly as bad as 2011 when the temperature really sored. A mostly cloudy sky helped a lot to keep the intensity of the sun away. It was that kind of day in Kansas where you could just feel ‘it’ in the air – it was the same day when so many tornadoes broke out all over the state later in the afternoon/evening. Apparently one came right across the highway where the course was, but several hours after the conclusion of the marathon.

Before the start the Race Director gave the announcement that the storms weren’t supposed to come until later in the afternoon but if something did pop up to make your way to the nearest house and seek shelter. Then she said if no one was home find a way to get in their house and into the basement. Several hundred runners burst out laughing about the blanket permission from the RD for such an intrusion. But if a real tornado was coming we for sure would have done it.

This marathon was my first ever run with a GPS watch – my new Garmin. I found it really helpful for keeping the pace and meeting my goal, which was sub 3:45. I finished in the chip time of 3:44:48. My watch measured 26.7 and I don’t have any clue if that margin of error for the watch is normal for that distance.

This was the 3^rd time I’ve run Eisenhower and I keep going back because it’s a nice race with great hospitality and feel.

Garmin Marathon in the Land of Oz

I ran the Garmin Marathon in Olathe on Saturday, April 21. I was the pacer for the 4:00 hour group. This was my 4^th time as a marathon pacer and second time as a pacer for this race  (3rd time running running this race overall). Also, my first time to serve as a pacer with a GPS watch. I’m not sure if the watch made it easier or harder, I’m thinking harder. But I’m also convinced that the course was long by over a half-mile, either that or I need to leave the GPS at home next time.

I love this race and this course, especially the out and back section on the asphalt paved Indian Creek Trail. It’s shaded and scenic and a fun break from the concrete roads from the first 12 miles.

I was following my smart pace strategy really well except for the fact that I was following it perfectly on my watch and not on the course mile markers. So after 10 miles I had to speed up a bit to catch up with goal pace and unfortunately, this is where I lost several of my very large pack that I started with. But I still had a pack of a dozen or so until the last 10K when a few just could keep the pace and I finally finished with about 4 or so right by me, with a few going ahead and several just a bit behind me. If I would have had two of me I believe I could’ve pulled in about 6 more with the 4 hour goal.

My final finish chip time was 3:58:59 which averages to 9:08/mile.

This completed my 69^th marathon/ultra-marathon. I am hoping to complete my 70^th in May – hopefully the Lake Perry Rocks 50K.

Rockin' K 2012

Rockin' K 2012 is now history and I completed the 50 mile trail run there for the 3rd year in a row and 4th time in the past 5 years. The race is one of my top favorite trail ultras (top three being Flatrock, Heartland and Rockin' K; Freestate is also a favorite). I ran the marathon loop feeling great most of the way and surged into the turnaround feeling kind of worn out but I've felt so much worse at that point before, I really had nothing to worry about. I'm thankful for my friend and running partner, Andy Bowman, who came to pace me again this year, for the third year in a row, for the last 24 miles. The second loop was ugly but I survived it. I really don't have much more to say about it. It was slow, it was ugly, I slowly stumbled through it and eventually I was sprinting to the finish!

I've chronicled every detail of the course before, section by section. The remains the same just about every year. The weather in 2012 was by far the best of the 5 years I've run it - the most reasonable temperature with the most reasonable wind though the gusts were still pretty brutal much of the day.

A friend of mine asked me on Sunday morning why it took me so long to finish the 50 miles race (like 12 hours and 34 minutes)? He said didn't you finish a road 50 miler in like under 9 hours? He is right. It's just so different. Then my friend asked me if maybe I just wasn't trained up well enough or maybe I was just not tough enough. Then I punched him.
Phil and Stacy Sheridan have become world class race directors and they announced that this will be their last year leading this race. It will be so sad to see this change but look forward to returning to Rockin' K nevertheless. Links to Rockin' K 2011 and prior years.

Brew to Brew 2012

The 44 mile Brew to Brew race from Kansas City, MO to Lawrence, KS can be added to my list of ultras successfully completed. Considering all the circumstances regarding the day the result was a pretty good success and I am very well pleased with it. I finished in 8 hours and 42 minutes. Could I have finished a little bit faster? Probably. Do I want to try again some year and finish faster? Sure!

The forecast was for record high temps of 90 degrees on April 1st. It hit that, at least, I would say and there wasn't any clouds most of the day. I drank at least two bottles an hour during the hottest part of the day. I don't think I got dehydrated but the heat took it's toll with about 10 miles to go and I lost my drive to push hard and kind of wimped out and slow down. My legs were pretty trashed but not in an out of the ordainairy way or anything. It was a great first ultra of the month and one I would love to do again since it's mostly roads and gravel roads with some short "other" sections".

Official results: https://enter2run.com/results/default.aspx?event=11323&r=2218.
I have fun running with my friends from Lawrence and KC areas as made a few new friends along the way! Time to heal up for Rockin' K 50 this Saturday.