tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56499010832941603932024-02-20T22:20:42.215-05:00Life on the Run(Approximately mile 67 at The Pacific Crest Trail Ultra-100 in the Hood (Oregon) in Sept. 2009. Photo by Terry Sentinella)Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-63415704769137197482011-10-04T13:54:00.002-04:002012-02-06T18:43:42.475-05:00New Website: www.YassineDiboun.com<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>This site has moved over to www.YassineDiboun.com....<i><span style="color: red;">Thanks!</span></i></b></span></div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-65987277863014452522011-09-19T18:52:00.001-04:002011-09-24T11:57:48.333-04:00Pine to Palm 100<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefcifAdTERWWlEG08i8bfFARlZALUdjp86usY8lvZBvQcP75J4mk07JDzCnU6wSRHlTw6IbvRfKdF31Zb9SU-TpyItPWoOgLbQMQprJ4justisHXux2O_ktFvrquvaq_fY6y1Svb0vOw/s1600/p2p+logo+white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefcifAdTERWWlEG08i8bfFARlZALUdjp86usY8lvZBvQcP75J4mk07JDzCnU6wSRHlTw6IbvRfKdF31Zb9SU-TpyItPWoOgLbQMQprJ4justisHXux2O_ktFvrquvaq_fY6y1Svb0vOw/s320/p2p+logo+white.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.roguevalleyrunners.com/P2P100/raceinfo.html">Pine to Palm 100</a>, held in southern Oregon, was to be the grand finale of my calendar that was chock full of races for 2011. Last year I was unable to run the inaugural year because our daughter Farah was born three weeks prior. It ended up being uncharacteristically cold, windy, and rainy for the time of year so I wasn't too hung up on missing it. This year my wife Erica would be chasing Farah around Portland while I made the trip down for year number two and this rugged point-to-point 100-mile mountain run put on by <a href="http://halkoerner.com/">Hal Koerner</a>. Amazing how much changes in 365 days!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the things about 100-milers (which I told to house guest and first time 100 runner Derek Shultz) is that you have to <b style="font-style: italic;">expect the unexpected. </b>I think this is one of the aspects that draws me to these long and grueling journeys on foot through rugged terrain. Anyway, as we got closer I started getting really excited for my fifth career 100-mile run and was looking forward to some respite afterwards.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The race started up a paved road at 6 a.m. and I shared my light with defending champion and friend <a href="http://timothyallenolson.wordpress.com/">Timothy Olson. </a>After a couple miles we turned into some singletrack and then started making our climb up Greyback Mountain. Timothy and I were feeling great, catching up on things, and celebrating our birthdays which fall on the same day (Aug. 28th...along w/ my daughter's b-day too!).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As you can see on the profile above by mile 10 we already climbed about 5,000 feet and Timothy commented how we have seen some absolutely amazing vistas together in prior races, etc. This one was intense...bright pink glow of the sunrise....looking down on mountains...seeing volcanoes off in the distance. We were both feeling so good...At this point I already feel that I've experienced the epitome of nature's beauty...another thing I love about trail ultra running. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3APNJTFbT_J8DE_Wo3GAyln8fZ2wQepsormmgBe8sVR5i0fLeBclo2z3V5HySG1fyuigf-sAb5_9UOGBMAMPvIBF_CFgT0Uq8y7dLq4zMerPseVemrD3O8NwW2MGoAvbNtUx9u0pGp60/s1600/298304_2204395027850_1186616021_32258174_738737031_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3APNJTFbT_J8DE_Wo3GAyln8fZ2wQepsormmgBe8sVR5i0fLeBclo2z3V5HySG1fyuigf-sAb5_9UOGBMAMPvIBF_CFgT0Uq8y7dLq4zMerPseVemrD3O8NwW2MGoAvbNtUx9u0pGp60/s400/298304_2204395027850_1186616021_32258174_738737031_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Photo: Tetsuro Ogata)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What goes up must come down and Timothy and I started bombing down the trails. I was really being mindful of not letting too much out too soon. I let Olson go and just got into my own groove and eventually we popped out at O'brien Creek aid station at mile 13.6. I told Hal, Carly, and volunteers that I was having such a good time...really enjoying myself running the trails. Hal told me that there was a long cruiser downhill dirt road in this next section as I pulled out of the aid station.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I didn't mind this part at all especially since it was going to connect me to more of the same trails that I just ran. It was an opportunity to cover some ground, get dialed in nutritionally without having to constantly look down at the trail, and to hopefully close the gap on Olson a bit. I came up next to a house that had a couple of dogs fenced-in barking at me voraciously. All of the sudden one runs all the way to the end of the yard and somehow comes out running towards me barking. I didn't like the way he was looking at me. I open my water bottle in case I need to do a spray/kick combo (which unfortunately I've had to do in the past w/ dogs) but a good hard yell sends him running away w/ his tail between his legs. I smile and keep moving on in pursuit of <a href="http://timothyallenolson.wordpress.com/">Timothy</a>. As I approach the aid station at mile 21-ish I see Timothy's long "goldi-locks" about 60-90 seconds ahead on the road. I make a quick transition and keep rolling down the hills toward Seattle Bar aid station.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">About a half hour later <a href="http://halkoerner.com/">Hal</a> pulls up next to me in his <a href="http://youtu.be/pUG3Z8Hxa5I">"Swagger Wagon"</a> and tells me that I'm on 4-hour marathon pace. We chat for a minute or two and he tells me where I'm headed, etc. and what to expect leading up to Seattle Bar. I also knew that I'd see my friend and crew chief Todd Janssen (who just finished Leadville 100 and is an offical <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/30/idUS225231+30-Aug-2011+BW20110830">"Lead Man")</a> for the first time. When I roll into the aid station I get weighed in, see a bunch of friends including <a href="http://conductthejuices.com/">Craig Thornley,</a> Sonya, and Willie's mom....and Todd passes me everything I need for the next section.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I learn that Timothy is now like six minutes ahead (I had to make a quick "pit stop" just before Seattle Bar) but Hal and company remind me that there's still lots of race left. This next section is a big climb...much bigger than I expected...about 2,500 feet but it really zapped me pretty good. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We finally made it to the top where, again, we were treated with some sweet views as we ran a high ridge. I really liked this section even though I was starting to feel some major fatigue. Down we go again and this time it's a super steep descent. In three miles we drop over 2,000 feet and most of it doesn't involve many switchbacks. I rally down to Squaw Lakes and see Todd again as I tell him about the brutal course. He assures me that I'm doing great and that he'll see me again shortly after I circumnavigate the lake. Around the lake I go at a moderate pace. It's beautiful and I really want to take a plunge but I plod on to the next checkpoint.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Todd lets me know that Chris Downie came through shortly after me and he was looking strong...and that Timothy was like 20 minutes ahead or so. I was feeling rough but Todd talked me up a bit, told me I'd get through it, and walked w/ me as I ate some chips, a gel, an S-cap, and drank a cup of coke. This combo got me fired up about two minutes later. I started running down a long dirt road at a pretty good clip. I was feeling much stronger at this point and felt confident about the next section of the race. Just when I start getting into some consistent running grooves I start climbing up again towards Kilgore Gulch. I started mixing in some hiking and running and it was just a matter of time before I turned around to see the machine Chris Downie moving towards me w/ a focused look on his face. We chat a bit and work together for maybe ten minutes and he continues on ahead of me.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is where the race started falling apart for me. I didn't want to lose touch of Chris so I started cranking up the hills despite my fatigue. Then all of the sudden I feel a sharp twinge on the outside/bottom of my foot. It stopped me in my tracks...I re-grouped...walked...pretended it didn't happen...walked some more....tried running again...and felt it again. The more I tried running the worse it got. It didn't take long for me to realize that my race was over. I was so disappointed and depressed out there hobbling down the trails by myself. I had thoughts of how Hal <a href="http://halkoerner.com/2011/09/04/utmb-takeaway/">walked/ran his way around Mont Blanc</a> this past August in close to 40 hours...thinking that maybe I could do that too...but then the pain again! I sat down at times and just looked around...tired...bummed...thinking how cool of a section this would be if I were running. Then I started getting angry with myself thinking that I raced too much this year in this first year of parenthood for me. I wasn't in a good space. I picked up some sticks and used them as makeshift hiking poles and was wondering when other runners would start passing me. It took close to an hour before the next runner came and I told them to let my crew know that I was done and that I'm walking my way in to DNF.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As I got about a half mile from the aid station at Hanley Gap I see Todd and Amy Sproston (who just placed 11th at World 100k championships and who was supposed to pace me at mile 80) running toward me. They were great and are awesome friends. They were disappointed for me and concerned and helped me get situated. Jason Hill (another crew member of mine) got me some ice and advil and wrapped me up as Todd put me in the back of my hatchback. I was lucky to have them in my corner and to have my vehicle with everything right there. Rennaker cut my wrist band and Pine to Palm 100 was over for me. Then I blazed a big fatty with the rastafarian aid station workers below (joking!).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzuqpBFCIeVuPZwoMiEpKsbk4-IBTo4fA3XBd7iEeFLQFh1ysYGpawG3XI1cfotEqx09GJpuD0khfQoDk9nWT2jt1uT_Mbh-kYHmd6k59NLLEAWqibBTqZzDTv9GAXLsssJtnn17LM3A/s1600/rastas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzuqpBFCIeVuPZwoMiEpKsbk4-IBTo4fA3XBd7iEeFLQFh1ysYGpawG3XI1cfotEqx09GJpuD0khfQoDk9nWT2jt1uT_Mbh-kYHmd6k59NLLEAWqibBTqZzDTv9GAXLsssJtnn17LM3A/s400/rastas.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In all seriousness I think Pine to Palm 100 is a beautiful and legit course. Last year I heard some negativity regarding the race but I think it was largely due to the weather fluke. There were some amazing views this year on the top of these mountains and magnificent trails. Yes there were some dirt road sections but I feel that it's worth it to have these roads in order to enjoy a point-to-point mountain 100-miler. Obviously I will have to return to get my buckle and see the other half of the course. Thanks Hal-daddy, Carly, Hal's parents, Kelly, all the volunteers and medical help and ham radio operators. This is a race to put on the calendar...(but practice some long downhill running!).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Big congrats to Timothy Olson who shredded the course from start to finish and defended his title. Chris Downie who ran really strong again and Derek Shultz nabbed a podium finish in his first 100...well done man! Willie Mcbride finished strong and ran a solid race...also in his first 100. Shahid Ali nailed it under 24 hours...quite impressive my friend. Everyone else that finished or attempted it...bravo!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Time to move on, enjoy some down-time from running, & let the body heal. It's been a great season! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>Happy Trails!</i></b></span></div>
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<br />Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-39902498421807828482011-08-24T15:26:00.000-04:002011-08-24T15:26:21.136-04:00Waldo 100k Race Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqEcc96Lhkq0dwvoSa3JZ5HFFws6SWG5KHMZJrR7dgiR1uezv5" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqEcc96Lhkq0dwvoSa3JZ5HFFws6SWG5KHMZJrR7dgiR1uezv5" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the many mysterious things about ultramarathons (especially longer ones) is that you never quite know what is going to happen once the race starts. Waldo 100k, being one of my all-time favorites, was a race that I had hoped to run really well and secure a spot for Western States 100. It was my second time running (ran it in 2009) and I knew about the different grueling sections of this mountain trail race. I had somewhat of a strategy in my mind and felt like I was in decently good shape going in...although there was definitely some like-minded stiff competition.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-n6N367p/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-92-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-n6N367p/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-92-M.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(5 a.m. start time at the base of Willamette Pass Ski Area- All photos courtesy of Long Run Picture Co.)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-8mw5q8K/2/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-102-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-8mw5q8K/2/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-102-M.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Up the ski slope we go into the dark forested hills...Always a nice way to start a 62 mile race!)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We all were packed together but I really wanted to try to remain out front because of what I remembered from 2009. The road is really dry and dusty and I remember my mouth being caked w/ dust and dirt. So this year I ran just behind Mackey and Jace Ives and just ahead of the rest of the pack as I interspersed some power hiking and running. Eventually twilight broke and we were able to click off our headlamps and we were simultaneously greeted w/ some sweet downhill singletrack. This part was really fun for me although I did trip once, and I had to make a pit stop in the bushes, naturally.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After Aid Station 1 we started our ascent toward Mt. Fuji. My buddy <a href="http://jasminedialogues.tumblr.com/">Nick Triolo</a> and I teamed up and enjoyed some effortless miles together just like we were back home in Forest Park. Dave Mackey was well ahead in first, Jace Ives in second, Nick and I in third and fourth, and Ian Sharman in fifth. Then there was another pack of runners not far back at all that consisted of former top five/ten runners such as Neil Olsen, Mark Lantz, and a few others that could downright run such as Downie, Kleffner, Joel Lanz, Gunderson, Aliza, Denise, etc. etc.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-5PDbLsJ/3/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-3-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-5PDbLsJ/3/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-3-M.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-jLZvp7m/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-170-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-jLZvp7m/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-170-M.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-H43L8rg/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-2-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-H43L8rg/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-2-M.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(The top of Fuji at sunrise is such a nice little pick-me-up...but there's plenty of running left to do!)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Another thing I should mention is that this race starts at over 5,000 feet above sea level and goes above 7,000 multiple times, topping out at almost 8,000 at the highest point. Coming from basically sea level in Portland makes it less efficient for oxygen to be transferred to the muscles that are crankin' up and down the mountains. More on that later.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As we started descending Fuji I took an awkward jump on a technical section and felt some cramping in my right hamstring. I was really surprised and I yelled angrily and emphatically at myself, "What the bleep was that!!!" We were only about 15 miles in and I couldn't believe this was happening. I let Nick pass by, and then Ian Sharman, and I watched them disappear down the mountain and out of sight as I had to knock it back and re-group.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I knew I had Cheri Redwine waiting to hand off some food and a bottle of Perpetuum to me at mile 20 so I just cruised into that aid station still in the same position...just a few minutes back of Nick and Ian. I quickly headed out and started feeling a little better as time went on and I was packing more calories inside. I may have been trying to catch up while maintaining a somewhat high level of intensity and this, in turn, eventually caused some stomach distress. Neil Olsen then caught up to me and we switched out spots a couple times. I couldn't believe this was happening but I tried to stay calm and to just realize that it was a long day ahead of us still.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-fZhgCsZ/2/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-141-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-fZhgCsZ/2/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-141-M.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-jx2GNkj/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-143-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-jx2GNkj/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-143-M.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By mile 32 I started coming around a little and made it there a few minutes faster than I anticipated which made made me feel good. The way I was strategically planning was that Mackey and Sharman already have spots to WS100 so I just need to finish in third place. I thought that maybe Jace and Nick would falter a little as the race went on and I would be there to scoop up third and it would all come together as planned.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The miles kept ticking by, the temperature was definitely getting a lot warmer, and unfortunately every time I tried turning it up a notch I felt like I was going to cramp again! I just couldn't shake it no matter what I did!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The crux of the race is the second climb up to the Twins roughly miles 37-44 and I knew this going into the event. Despite knowing this and my goals I had the worst time up this section. I could not for the life of me muster up any power on the climbs, the snow (and heat) were slowing me down even more, and some negative thoughts were starting to creep in a little. So much of this sport is mental so I knew to stay strong and to re-focus.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Just after mile 44 I came rippin' around a corner and I see Jace Ives sitting on the ground! "Jace what's up?!!" He said that he was dropping out even though I tried encouraging him to take a break and to finish up if he could. He looked pretty worked and told me that Nick was about ten minutes ahead. I felt for Jace but this got me jacked up....Here I come Nick! Where are you?! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Miles 44-49 are mostly downhill and I tried to hammer as much as I could but every time I tried to kick into a faster pace every muscle in both legs wanted to cramp. Very frustrating. At the base of Maiden the volunteers told me that Nick still remained 10-11 minutes ahead and I knew we were about to tackle one of the most difficult parts of the race--a three mile 2,000 foot climb from miles 50-53! At first I actually thought, "well, if I try to mix in some running with strong power hiking I might be able to clip off a minute or two and then I can hammer the last eight miles to the finish and maybe Nick will fade a little". It sounded good theoretically until I attempted to run some of Maiden. By halfway up the mountain I was walking so pathetically slow that, now, I think Nick was putting time on me!<br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Finally I made it to "Leap of Faith" (another brutal exposed, rocky section) to find that Nick indeed put a minute or two on me. Despite my supreme suffering at the top we were afforded some breathtaking views of the expansive area...WOW! so awesome!.....and then all of the sudden I hear someone yell from below, "MAKE IT STOP!!!!"----Who the heck is that??? And then I see Chris Downie with his muscular and tattooed torso moving toward me. He moves past me and buries me as he disappears down Leap of Faith at a dangerous pace. I felt so deflated mostly because my quads were fried and I was literally walking on some of the downhills, which I never do!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The final eight miles were a little better at times as I was able to get into some decent running grooves again but any time I hit an uphill section I started walking. I know I lost a lot of time in this section as well but I knew the end was near. I just hoped not to be passed again with only a couple miles to go.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-6fc6rzg/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-27-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-6fc6rzg/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-27-M.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-4xxNMwJ/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-26-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-4xxNMwJ/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-26-M.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Body language says it all....Disappointed!...and tired!)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-tfHf3V7/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-28-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-tfHf3V7/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-28-M.jpg" width="422" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-4cVffvd/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-31-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://gallery.longrunpictures.com/Ultras/Waldo-100K-2011/i-4cVffvd/1/M/Waldo-100K-2011Fuji-31-M.jpg" width="422" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I finally made it to the finish line in fifth place overall and fell into RD and friend <a href="http://conductthejuices.com/">Craig Thornley's</a> arms. I got another Waldo hat and despite the hard-fought 10.5 hour journey I let Craig know that I think Waldo is one of the best races in the world. It may seem like a grand statement but this course is so magnificent, challenging, well-organized....the volunteers are top-notch (so helpful and funny!). I think people in the Pacific NW are so used to this type of beauty, etc. that we take it for granted sometimes. Waldo is a special race for sure and I can't wait to return again someday. Thank you so much Craig, Curt, Meghan, volunteers, aid station workers, and search and rescue...It really shows in how much passion you put into this race.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Just like every race there is a take-home lesson. I'm not going to sit here and type in detail the excuses of why I had a sub-par race...The bottom line is that some days everything is clicking and other days you're a little off. If the weather were perfect all the time then you wouldn't appreciate it as much. Same for racing...you gotta take the good w/ the not-so-good. I am grateful to have experienced the 2011 Waldo 100k!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Shout-out Section:</span></u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><u><br />
</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><ul><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First and foremost a huge congrats to friend/training partner/neighbor <a href="http://jasminedialogues.tumblr.com/">Nick Triolo</a>...definitely a breakthrough race...Ran strong from start to finish...Super proud of you...There's no one I'd rather see grab that WS 100 spot out from under me!</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The top two on mens and top two womens side- World Class athletes! Congrats <a href="http://davemackey.blogspot.com/">Dave</a>, <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/">Ian</a>, <a href="http://alapierre3.blogspot.com/">Aliza</a>, and Denise!</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Downie made a strong close...nice work! Friends <a href="http://joekleffner.blogspot.com/">Kleffner </a>and <a href="http://williegmcbride.blogspot.com/">Willie </a>ran strong races</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cheri Redwine for crewing for me...Thank you so much...you were a big help!</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rob Hendrickson in your first 100k...strong work man</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And to all that attempted and/or finished that burly mountain 100k!!!</span></li>
</ul></ul></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Results are <a href="http://waldo100k.org/2011-results/">HERE</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>More pictures/splits/info about race <a href="http://waldo100k.org/">HERE</a></b></span></div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-47082885565808115422011-08-15T18:13:00.000-04:002011-08-15T18:13:43.063-04:00Mt. Hood Circumnavigation- August 9, 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjB2U2AwyKFVAMoe4W5C9NXd7Oh75UFCvG2P9xaIXl5XkRrxQfk6r9iciC6iG_ULHfrEv9y_MNVnAwrVA5tAXLcEgLquOMsvLXjd52_6qsJwOD94Hth0cDQdK-OwCZ0b8k2np4Y2Xwn0/s1600/running+down+hood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjB2U2AwyKFVAMoe4W5C9NXd7Oh75UFCvG2P9xaIXl5XkRrxQfk6r9iciC6iG_ULHfrEv9y_MNVnAwrVA5tAXLcEgLquOMsvLXjd52_6qsJwOD94Hth0cDQdK-OwCZ0b8k2np4Y2Xwn0/s640/running+down+hood.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(A great shot of me running down the trail catchin' a little air! All photos: Joe Grant)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had been wanting to do this run ever since I moved to Oregon back in August 2009 but something always seemed to get in the way. There is a short window of time when one can circumnavigate the mountain so the days are somewhat numbered. Coordinating with everyone's race schedule, personal schedules, and the condition of the mountain wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I think everyone was just yearning to get out there and I am so glad we made it happen. It was honestly one of the most special runs I have ever been on and from the pictures you can get a sense of why. Words or pictures really don't do it much justice so I'm just going to leave you with a few pics, some links, and some facts and thoughts about our run.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDwXPtwwlQemGmIF369X6YOwATK2AE9kI85J9W2tBsrP8FfiR-I1Eh_AshR-S7m0MRTBI2SCBQ0KbMeLDOFkTjW-WxHKzLChNpTJUM5CxpPHB2ZHdMi2LtujxtTwfHQRzrSeCDwy3aHk/s1600/mt.+hood+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDwXPtwwlQemGmIF369X6YOwATK2AE9kI85J9W2tBsrP8FfiR-I1Eh_AshR-S7m0MRTBI2SCBQ0KbMeLDOFkTjW-WxHKzLChNpTJUM5CxpPHB2ZHdMi2LtujxtTwfHQRzrSeCDwy3aHk/s640/mt.+hood+poster.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(This looks like something out of "The Sound of Music"!!!!! Pictured: Me, Ian Sharman, Nick Triolo, Joe Kleffner.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><u>"The Crew"</u></b>: Left to right- Trevor Hostetlor, Joe Kleffner, Nick Triolo, Me, Joe Grant, Willie McBride, Ian Sharman)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"The Facts": </span></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Start time 6:30 a.m. at The Timberline Lodge (6,000 feet above sea level) and we ran it counterclockwise. </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">About 41 miles with about 12,000 feet of climbing for the run.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">10.5 hours at a casual pace for the entire circumnavigation.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Elliot Glacier was tough to cross because of a major washout so we had to do a little "rock climbing"!</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Joe Grant was like a hummingbird running ahead of us and lagging behind capturing the most quality pictures...I still find myself re-visiting his page over and over in awe of the beauty of Mt. Hood and it's surroundings. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>You can see the amazing photos by clicking <a href="http://www.alpine-works.com/2011/08/mount-hood-circumnavigation/">HERE </a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A cool site called <a href="http://www.volcanorunning.com/">Volcano Running</a> where you can find more information about these types of circumnavigation adventures here in Oregon.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Click on members of "The Crew" to visit their own personal blog/websites: <a href="http://www.alpine-works.com/footnotes/">Joe Grant,</a> <a href="http://jasminedialogues.tumblr.com/">Nick Triolo,</a> <a href="http://mountains00.blogspot.com/">Trevor Hostetlor</a>, <a href="http://joekleffner.blogspot.com/">Joe Kleffner,</a> <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/">Ian Sharman</a>, <a href="http://williegmcbride.blogspot.com/">Willie McBride</a></span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We all bonded quite a bit during the 10 hour run, and before and after, and I feel that we created some really great memories out there. I am grateful to have experienced that with you all.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> This run is an instant classic. Now...on to the next!!!</span></i></b></div></div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-75765380297633473862011-08-02T02:04:00.002-04:002011-08-11T17:49:45.870-04:00Mt. Hood 50-miler Race Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mthood50.com/_/rsrc/1299811925472/config/customLogo.gif?revision=18" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.mthood50.com/_/rsrc/1299811925472/config/customLogo.gif?revision=18" width="305" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Two years ago I ran my second hundred miler <a href="http://runforyourlife-yassine.blogspot.com/2009/09/100-in-da-hood-race-report.html">(100 in the Hood)</a> on the same trails <a href="http://www.pcta.org/about_trail/overview.asp">(PCT)</a> as the<a href="http://www.mthood50.com/"> Mt. Hood 50-miler</a>, which is now being directed by Todd Janssen. I was new to Oregon at that time and I feel that my running has come a long way since then as well. When I ran 100 in the Hood I literally didn't know more than a couple people, and I ran half the race on an injured leg. Needless to say I didn't have the greatest journey out there but I still got my finisher's buckle. Fast forward almost two years....and many miles later to this past Saturday and that whole experience was redeemed out in the same beautiful mountains and trails with lots of like-minded friends. The whole event and day turned out great!...and I was home before supper!</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Off we went into the trails and cool air at 6:30 a.m. I ran with Amy for a mile or so... then <a href="http://mountains00.blogspot.com/">Trevor </a>and I reminisced on how these were the exact same trails we met on some two years ago. It was a tight little pack for a while and I could hear <a href="http://joekleffner.blogspot.com/">Kleffner,</a> <a href="http://jasminedialogues.tumblr.com/">Nick,</a> <a href="http://mountains00.blogspot.com/">Trevor</a>, etc. talking behind us as I stayed out front and eventually pulled away a little bit.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">After Aid Station 1 I had to pull over into the bushes and I was passed by a runner with a mohawk (Mike). I caught back up to him and learned that he was from Florida and this was his first 50. We ran together for a bit until the turn-a-round and then I started pulling away sensing that he was fatiguing a little bit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMEo8J01Km8oXauri_ZfPj3uJE_nuah3cRQAi2vc4r06KXMH5ORdzCn909u6GQ81D9zbZu9V4bZqwO839LFYoHRmGjap0l2HD6KC67pYdaPAjA0T2CE44U4sCuBzJm3Bt6T9Z5TxLiTah/s320/IMG_0280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMEo8J01Km8oXauri_ZfPj3uJE_nuah3cRQAi2vc4r06KXMH5ORdzCn909u6GQ81D9zbZu9V4bZqwO839LFYoHRmGjap0l2HD6KC67pYdaPAjA0T2CE44U4sCuBzJm3Bt6T9Z5TxLiTah/s400/IMG_0280.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKkTygp3TRX9wl2LyLxIypWjgEgcX-D2WLT9Th3CYjNIzSTQbZ82hzekJ5sbsu8VNMtYxovhknJvR87Iiznns_KL_Osi6Z-xycVly3fhqDg3MxhfNwtcGZodaURWOxs4rPpKYpSVcXfzr/s320/IMG_0272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKkTygp3TRX9wl2LyLxIypWjgEgcX-D2WLT9Th3CYjNIzSTQbZ82hzekJ5sbsu8VNMtYxovhknJvR87Iiznns_KL_Osi6Z-xycVly3fhqDg3MxhfNwtcGZodaURWOxs4rPpKYpSVcXfzr/s400/IMG_0272.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><b>(The trails were so soft and cushy and the scenery was amazing for the first few hours)</b></span></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm not super crazy about double out-and-back courses but one positive side is that you get to see everyone multiple times. Charles was doing his first 50 and I gave him some words of encouragement and saw many other familiar faces as well. The pack of <a href="http://jasminedialogues.tumblr.com/">Nick T</a>., <a href="http://joekleffner.blogspot.com/">Joe K.</a>, <a href="http://mountains00.blogspot.com/">Trevor,</a> etc. were only a couple minutes back at the turn-a-round and the temps were starting to rise a little at this point.</span></div></td></tr>
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A couple miles later I was having some gastrointestinal issues again and I had to make another pit stop into the bushes. I can usually get in and get out pretty quickly and when I was getting back out into the trail my friend/neighbor/training buddy <a href="http://jasminedialogues.tumblr.com/">Nick Triolo </a>startled me. I was happy to see him running so well and we started back at it going after 1st place mohawk Mike. Pretty soon Joe Kleffner caught up to us and we all ran together for a bit. After a couple miles we caught Mike at the aid station and Nick and I zoomed past him. We were having fun out there...yellin...making animal noises...talkin' gibberish....until I fell pretty hard and nailed my back on a root...Thankfully Nick was there to peel me off the ground and help me up!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74mK8FUdFeFQgN3YWnT8RxUGzDE-w0Vho8xa0RE3C6ruKkwQbzwbtlLl4FEOeNAyQtAYYYR0TeiLrhPHursal-yE48JkHe2JCIUmKm4E0pomq1ZSelc-C1Zun13MDfT94BrZiSx9fQWk/s1600/206139_655239133643_28203299_34595631_4274527_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74mK8FUdFeFQgN3YWnT8RxUGzDE-w0Vho8xa0RE3C6ruKkwQbzwbtlLl4FEOeNAyQtAYYYR0TeiLrhPHursal-yE48JkHe2JCIUmKm4E0pomq1ZSelc-C1Zun13MDfT94BrZiSx9fQWk/s640/206139_655239133643_28203299_34595631_4274527_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Nick and I going for broke...Is there any other way to go?!?!?! Photo: Jason Leman)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We hit the start/finish at mile 28 at around 3hours 20 minutes which seemed pretty quick for me. As I do in most races I wondered if I stepped over that threshold. I grabbed my bottle of Perpetuum and re-stocked and Nick and I made a pretty quick transition heading south on the PCT. This next part of the race was the lowest point for me. Miles 30 through about 36 just sucked for me! I even walked some short portions and this is a race that doesn't involve much elevation change (only about 5,000 feet of climbing over 50-miles). I honestly thought that I wasn't going to be able to hang with Nick. We rolled into the Red Wolf aid station and as soon as we got in who do we see/hear coming in behind us???? Uhhh...oh yeah...I forgot...that guy that has the fastest 100-mile time on American soil.....<a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/">Ian Sharman!</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nick and I weren't moving nearly as quickly or efficiently as Ian and he strolled right past us and bounced out of sight. We just continued onward and the heat was really starting to take a toll on us now. Luckily we came across a knee deep stream after our descent where we splashed our heads with the cold water. That really refreshed me and eventually we made it to our turn-a-round at about mile 40. When I saw 10 miles to go sign I felt motivated and the food there combined w/ the cold water energized me. I pushed on out of sight with an attempt to go for Ian.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I felt that I nailed that climb pretty well given that the last time I did it was in the middle of the night at like mile 92! Needless to say it was much easier this time and I felt like I was getting into some good running grooves after the slog from miles 32-36ish. I was getting updates from people that Ian was 5-7 minutes ahead...then the closer I got to the finish the farther I was getting away from him!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I came in right at 6:45 flat and I found out that Ian put 10 minutes on me in the last 5 miles....the guy was sprinting to go under 6:30 and he just made it w/ a few seconds to spare! Nice work Ian....Thanks for not killing me in an Elvis suit or something similar! Apparently we both broke the prior course record and I felt really good coming up over that finish line....just like I did in 100 in the Hood...The whole race brought up a lot of memories for me and I think it helped fuel me too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">A few minutes later Nick came in looking just as strong as he ran all day and then the rest of the amazing athletes came trickling in as well. Good job to friend and ultra phenom <a href="http://amysproston.blogspot.com/">Amy Sproston</a> who crushed the course record for the win, and there were many other inspiring runs out there this past weekend. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>Congratulations to <i>ALL</i> that ran the Mt. Hood 50!</b></span></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks so much to Todd Janssen and all the volunteers...You guys really put on a fun, well-organized event....Great food...Chiropractors....Glass pints...nice shirts....oh yeah...and very well marked!....and thanks to <a href="http://www.inov-8.com/Home.asp?L=27">Inov-8</a> for being one of the main sponsors and for them giving out so much schwag. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;">Full Results from the race can be seen by clicking <a href="http://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=11622">HERE</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6G2d8kC5FmpBuR2WuIDj4l8QXTAhkL489cQouWRa5r5YXuMFgDZCMVWFNbcPaFJXb__ORVZXUHJCfLugKkMrd-i_KM5c_mZQhqWpVkjLXCVpw4eJAU_Es6AWkvXbW7LNoaJNOqeeVWfUS/s320/IMG_0282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6G2d8kC5FmpBuR2WuIDj4l8QXTAhkL489cQouWRa5r5YXuMFgDZCMVWFNbcPaFJXb__ORVZXUHJCfLugKkMrd-i_KM5c_mZQhqWpVkjLXCVpw4eJAU_Es6AWkvXbW7LNoaJNOqeeVWfUS/s320/IMG_0282.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-54211022376491826512011-07-29T15:47:00.000-04:002011-07-29T15:47:18.780-04:003 Non Joggers: It's 39! "No Meat For Old Men"<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYtSGqS-yWwm9Mta8Tn2qeJcSvn0TmPDz2ZfusiOJ0eYdH_2dbYUEClsMo-L-eEvCXnMVT32ZQLXjhErD9MZ24UD0oDZvD1BxD3EjMpBOTdkeM1RMkOL6Ad7ULHwa5ZsLqUvA_oa9kBc/s1600/RunDMC-figures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYtSGqS-yWwm9Mta8Tn2qeJcSvn0TmPDz2ZfusiOJ0eYdH_2dbYUEClsMo-L-eEvCXnMVT32ZQLXjhErD9MZ24UD0oDZvD1BxD3EjMpBOTdkeM1RMkOL6Ad7ULHwa5ZsLqUvA_oa9kBc/s400/RunDMC-figures.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Red track suits aren't just reserved for Run DMC...Carl The Mailman rocked his at Forest Park 50k)<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">I made another guest appearance on the entertaining podcast by 3 Non Joggers here in Portland, OR. Not only did I laugh a lot but I scored a mason jar of home-made gazpacho from Carl's wife. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Thanks!</span></i></b></div></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Have a listen <a href="http://www.3nonjoggers.com/">HERE</a>...and see why people are going <i>NUTS</i> about these guys!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am featured on episode #39- "No Meat For Old Men"---Enjoy! and don't forget to pass this along on twitter and enter for prizes.</span></div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-54413783666803407842011-07-22T21:58:00.000-04:002011-07-22T21:58:02.108-04:00Floradix Iron Supplement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.chemistdirect.co.uk/images/productimages/large/floradix_liquid_iron_formula37646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.chemistdirect.co.uk/images/productimages/large/floradix_liquid_iron_formula37646.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As a vegan endurance athlete one of the most important nutrients that I need to keep an eye on is my iron levels. Iron leaves the body much quicker in athletes because we sweat so much and a deficiency can definitely compromise endurance and overall energy levels. Even though an iron shortage is much more common in female athletes I have been taking this product <a href="http://www.florahealth.com/product_az_usa.cfm?sbyletter=F&sbr=decr&prod_id=205">Floradix </a>for a couple years now. I take it not only for the iron but for the other vitamins such as B and C. Floradix Iron and Herbs is one of several top notch products that I regularly take made by <a href="http://www.florahealth.com/home_usa.cfm">Flora Health</a>. This past March I was lucky enough to take a tour of the facility to see the attention to detail put into each and every bottle. They grow the herbs right on their own farm in northern Washington state and methodically extract the nutrients into the iron mixture. Besides the fact that it is vegan and easy on the digestive tract, one of the best things I like about this product is the absorption. Flora claims that each dose contains 10 mg of elemental iron from 87 mg of ferrous gluconate. This form of iron, being chelated with an organic acid, has a higher absorption rate than most other forms of iron.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>So if you are feeling tired....you may have an iron deficiency! </i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Check out this number one selling iron supplement made by the same company that brings you <a href="http://www.florahealth.com/product_categories_usa.cfm?category_id=6&prod_id=260">Udo's Oil</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gTS-0U12qgI/TYveGC4BTiI/AAAAAAAAC1w/6YBvRm-g5J0/s720/PNW%252520055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gTS-0U12qgI/TYveGC4BTiI/AAAAAAAAC1w/6YBvRm-g5J0/s400/PNW%252520055.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Plants and herbs being grown on the farm just minutes from the facility. Photo: Joe Grant)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jZcuxsNqMDA/TYvc9J6YvAI/AAAAAAAAC0U/LxNBBeWcEP8/s720/PNW%252520028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jZcuxsNqMDA/TYvc9J6YvAI/AAAAAAAAC0U/LxNBBeWcEP8/s400/PNW%252520028.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Getting ready for the Udo's Oil factory tour with Shane Hart. Photo: Joe Grant)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f_iz1I7P5ws/TYvdDvHVC1I/AAAAAAAAC0c/XF2CSglHpfk/s512/PNW%252520030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f_iz1I7P5ws/TYvdDvHVC1I/AAAAAAAAC0c/XF2CSglHpfk/s400/PNW%252520030.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Joe and I obtained so much valuable information straight from owner Thomas Greither)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b>If you have a few minutes please watch this inspirational and informative video on the history and philosophies of the amazing family/company. Thank you Flora ! ! ! </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BSc3R6Ze-xQ" width="460"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-83455450872353045182011-06-22T21:43:00.004-04:002011-06-24T21:18:57.027-04:00San Diego 100-Miler Race Report-- 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few months ago I decided that I wanted to run my next 100-miler in San Diego based on the location, the timing of the event, and the popularity of the race. I also had the plan to simultaneously raise money and awareness for the Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp-- an organization that I am affiliated with that helps students and adults with disabilities. You can learn more about that whole mission by clicking <a href="http://runforcamp.blogspot.com/">HERE.</a> When I initially met with Terri Taylor, the Communications Director for the camp, she asked me what goals I had in mind for the run. I told her that I wanted to raise a certain amount of money to help financially incapable students, and that I wanted to win (it is after all a foot race!). She later on told me that she thought that was awesome. Fast forward a couple months, over $3,000 in donations, and lots of solid training I showed up at the starting line in the mountains at 6,000 feet-- an hour east of San Diego, CA.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoBZz0tKwtLkL_p4mRTrqof2DLXSvgLom-s_HKpYsTDxFbGES-f-xIwTumEM2BtNjBPaC-zEBm13-PAA_lnFxfduYdkT2CrHsPfNlddmDDNM-TzK3ClRwydp1Q7AMK55dIpukUgLOckw/s1600/246944_10150211487257657_688282656_7346552_964555_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoBZz0tKwtLkL_p4mRTrqof2DLXSvgLom-s_HKpYsTDxFbGES-f-xIwTumEM2BtNjBPaC-zEBm13-PAA_lnFxfduYdkT2CrHsPfNlddmDDNM-TzK3ClRwydp1Q7AMK55dIpukUgLOckw/s320/246944_10150211487257657_688282656_7346552_964555_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Moments after the start...Dylan Bowman in yellow, me in center, Rod Bien on right--Photo by Brett Rivers)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I didn't tell many people about it but about a week before the race I was having some Achilles tendon pain. I had some anxiety about the whole situation but tried to stay calm, do some self-care techniques, and I got some work done on it such as acupuncture and massage. By race day I was feeling great but still had some apprehension about running 100 miles on a possibly compromised tendon that you can't really run without! My acupuncturist in Portland Ruth Oclander gave me a small piece of advice that stuck in my mind throughout the week and the race. She told me to imagine a bright white light (which signifies healing) around my tendon any time I feel a slight twinge, or if someone asks me about it, or just in general thoughts or anxiety about the issue.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The first few miles when you are rested, tapered, and well-trained just seem so easy. I effortlessly glided into the first aid station in first place after running alongside some deer through some gorgeous early morning single track.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGACmCfH1YpMVj_1BBnGOUHONDnDGFXjudC_EPgtD3MdoG3fJvtkbQhN9Ps4WQ_hjgxSkHe9k_GRohd5ailT3Wt_NwFNCyKsYZrhqWgTSpUg61B3wkOecW4IaYVVRLKc5uwhbLN86qsc/s1600/247863_10150218014077645_512102644_7124316_1239819_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGACmCfH1YpMVj_1BBnGOUHONDnDGFXjudC_EPgtD3MdoG3fJvtkbQhN9Ps4WQ_hjgxSkHe9k_GRohd5ailT3Wt_NwFNCyKsYZrhqWgTSpUg61B3wkOecW4IaYVVRLKc5uwhbLN86qsc/s320/247863_10150218014077645_512102644_7124316_1239819_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Cruising into Aid Station #1 at mile 7.3 all smiles...so far so good! photo Devon Crosby-Helms)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">During this time I thought I felt a couple little possible "blips on the radar" regarding my tendon but really focused on staying loose, relaxed, and the white light imagery. When I saw my wife Erica at the next aid station she emphatically asked, "is your leg ok!?" I told her that I felt it a tiny bit but that I thought I'd be okay. It was much of the same through absolute picture perfect trails until mile 23 and by now I knew that I was in the zone and was going to finish this baby! Erica passed a bottle of Perpetuum to me and I gave her and baby Farah a quick kiss and I strolled out of the aid station still leading the way.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The course was much more exposed, rocky, and technical than I expected and the sun was rising higher with the temperature with not a cloud in the sky. In the next section I could look back down the valley a bit as it twisted around and climbed and I would periodically get a visual on second place Coloradoan Dylan Bowman. At one point he gave me a fist pump in the air which I took as "we were both rockin' out". He was probably about five minutes behind me at this point.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">At around mile 30-ish we dropped down into a canyon where we were supposed to run a five-ish mile loop back to the same aid station before climbing out a couple miles up a steep paved road. Honestly this was one of the most difficult parts of the race for me. I was extremely hot and everyone was greeted (attacked) by swarms of gnats or flies on roids. I tried everything including taking my shirt off and swinging it around my head like a helicopter, and tying my shirt around my head like a bonnet. They were relentless all the way to the top of the paved road where they finally tired out a bit. <i> </i>I was so thankful for that and for the lady with a cooler full of popsicles! I kept pluggin' along toward the 50-ish mile aid station still in the lead with Dylan a few minutes back.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">When I came into the half-way point aid station my new neighbor and buddy Jason Hill helped me re-stock my pockets and mixed up another bottle for me quickly which was a huge help. I was definitely feeling the heat at this point but Jason, with his South African accent, encouraged me to keep killin' it! I badly wanted to take my shoes off and dump out the sand and tiny rocks and particles out of my Inov-8 X-talon 212's but kept the forward progress.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">At the Stonewall Mine Aid Station they told me that I would be ascending the steep Stonewall Peak and then I would be descending the other side. I was also told by Kim Gaylord (who helped me so kindly throughout the race) that Rod Bien was puking and that her husband Topher was having a rough time as well. I knew Dylan wasn't too far back and despite my fatigue I felt really good about how I power hiked and ran this section. It was this point in the race where I was starting to draw on things like the campers from the Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp. I thought about how we once took a bunch of students on a vertical one-mile hike up from Timberline Lodge to Silcox Lodge, and how they all persevered despite issues I can't even imagine dealing with on a regular basis. I was sweating profusely and the sun was beating down on me and the dusty exposed mountain. I knew I had to be getting close to the top and came to a "Y" in the trail where I was almost sure it said "Straight Ahead". I kept powering up...running...hiking...grunting....sighing a little....until I thought, "I haven't seen a ribbon in a few minutes". Then I saw some people up at the platform at the top overlooking the vast land. "That must be where I go down the other side, right?" I asked a hiker heading up the same way if there was a way down the other side and she said, "not unless you're a rock climber". I panicked at this point. "I'm off course!" I started scrambling all over the place and heading back down the trail toward my competition...something that you never want to be doing in a race!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I finally, which felt like forever, got back to the "Y" and realized that this is where I was supposed to descend. As I came across a couple hikers I asked if a guy in a yellow jersey came running past and they confirmed that Dylan had passed about 10-minutes prior. I was so pissed at myself and I just didn't have a ton of energy to muster at this point. I let gravity take me down to Paso Pichacho aid station at mile 64 where I was told by Kim and others that Dylan left seven minutes prior to me arriving confused about the whole situation. I needed calories, caffeine, and the incessant encouragement and motivation wasn't doing anything for me. My attitude was just kind of deflated but I got out of there relatively quickly and I knew that there was still a lot of race left. I made sure I didn't try any surges to soon in order not to burn out at one of the toughest times of a 100-mile race.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The miles seemed to just drag on at this point but finally the temperatures were starting to drop a little and we were in some shaded trails. I eventually made it to to grab my night gear and was getting regular updates from people that Dylan was consistently between 7-10 minutes ahead. After I donned my headlamp it became a different race...the trails are different and you just seem to get into a different frame of mind. You realize that you've been running hard since early in the morning and now, on one of the longest days of the year, you are running in the night! It's a crazy place to be mentally, physically, emotionally....you sometimes just want to say, "I'm done...I can't do it anymore...I'm cold..my feet hurt, etc. etc." but you have to stop the chatter and just keep pushing through. I thought again about the campers at Mt. Hood, their parents, and how much I want to finish this run for them...and for myself.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I came into the mile 80 aid station and stared at all the food and could not imagine eating any of it. My digestive system was just shocked and nothing appealed to me...I think I choked down a Powerbar and a potato and another gel and disappeared back into the darkness. I had passed the only relay team who were honoring their friend who passed away and I felt that I was just on my own for the rest of the run/hike. Honestly I just felt fine with taking second place and was focused on beating my prior best 100-mile time of 18:53...but didn't rule out the idea of something happening to Dylan and me still winning. I kept looking back every once in a while to see a couple head lamps off in the distance behind me and I just thought it was the two relay guys. Another hour passed and the lights were getting closer and I could hear their voices. I thought, "wow these guys are really moving pretty well!" As they approached me from behind around mile 87 I moved off the trail and said, "Strong work guys!" Then as I shined my light on the first runner I see a Patatgonia shirt and Rod Bien's face! I thought I saw a ghost! I yelled, "You're back!"....Rod yells to me, "I'm back from the dead!" and scurries past me with his pacer David Easa. I was so shocked and yet again deflated at that same time and I wondered if there were more runners reeling me in as well.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Despite this unexpected pass by Bien it really energized me and I picked up the pace to try and latch on the back of those two. There were like 30 mph winds up on the Pacific Crest Trail and we were approaching the 87.5 mile aid station. Then something happened that completely took me off guard. When I entered the lighted aid station I was yelling out my number and that I needed water and then I see Rod standing there looking at me. He turns to me and says to me right as I enter, "Hey Yassine...Do you just wanna finish this thing up together?" I think we both were pretty fried literally and figuratively from running 15 hours and what we had to endure throughout the day and without hesitation I said, "Let's do this". Rod introduced me to David and we kept powering onward as we got some cheers from the aid station volunteers. I was shocked again when Rod encouraged me to hang with them after I suggested them pushing on without me. I just didn't seem to have the same pep in my step as Rod was showing but I dug deep. Eventually the three of us started getting into some decent running grooves and the human contact helped me immensely.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">There was much more light on the trails from all of our headlamps and we got to know each other. Conversation is kind of strange at mile 90---you are just completely raw nerves....your brain doesn't work as well...it's cold, windy, you grunt, cuss, piss, fall, etc. etc. There were also periods of silence or negativity (mostly from me and occasionally from David) but Rod stayed positive and led us toward the finish. A 100-miler is so difficult to articulate and so is this experience of camaraderie I experienced with Rod and David. Instead of separately working against each other we worked together in a race against the clock abandoning the notion of placement, etc. It's kind of strange that Rod and I are both living in Oregon and we actually never met in person prior to this race. Like Rod said, "This is a cool bond that we will always share."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We finally made it into the finish line area with big smiles on our faces crossing together, tied for 2nd overall, with a time of 18 hours and 12 minutes...a personal best for Rod and myself! Race Director Scott Mills put a medal around our neck and we were so happy to be finished with the 10th annual San Diego 100-miler! It is such an amazing, indescribable feeling that you get from crossing that line. I am still trying to process it all...it seems like a dream...almost a blur...but it definitely happened and I learned a lot during this race. This run had so much meaning behind it not only for the charity fundraiser for the camp but for a lesson in not giving up and sportsmanship. 100-milers are a trip for sure! Thanks Rod and David...I'll always remember that....Big thanks to Scott Mills, all the volunteers and workers...and to my wife Erica and daughter Farah for being such troopers. I also want to thank everyone that donated toward the camp and made the whole weekend such a huge success.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Results---Photos---Stories, etc. from the San Diego 100-miler can be seen <a href="http://www.sandiego100.com/default.htm">HERE</a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Thank you to my sponsors that fuel me and help make my life and training so much easier: Inov-8, Udo's Oil, Drymax Socks...I really appreciate it!</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Congrats to Krissy Moehl and Dylan Bowman who ran such killer races both taking the win...and to everyone else that endured the race (which was much more difficult than I expected!)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">See Rod's race report<a href="http://rodbien.blogspot.com/2011/06/san-diego-100-miler.html"> HERE</a> and his pacer David Easa's report on "Sportsmanship" <a href="http://daveeasa.blogspot.com/2011/06/sportsmanship.html">HERE</a></span></b><br />
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</div></div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-40217034050145564192011-06-15T10:28:00.000-04:002011-06-15T10:28:16.246-04:00San Diego 100- Bigger Than Just a Race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht16hMfdXDr4KNa6ejuE7nplojR-n7Gp_JInf1zgXby5t4vKdBLgRis3WgadHQBu7eiiFFX1p8oXZPviD9GcgrjRk8ISR6YQbHgQgDzUyDXoyZIYKZOmud_k9OHaKhPiZKHXeEh2FSQvo/s1600/sdlogo08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht16hMfdXDr4KNa6ejuE7nplojR-n7Gp_JInf1zgXby5t4vKdBLgRis3WgadHQBu7eiiFFX1p8oXZPviD9GcgrjRk8ISR6YQbHgQgDzUyDXoyZIYKZOmud_k9OHaKhPiZKHXeEh2FSQvo/s320/sdlogo08.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><br />
It's been about three full days since I finished The San Diego 100-mile Endurance run. The race was epic indeed--a long day in the sun navigating rugged trails overlooking beautiful vistas in a part of the world I've never visited. However, the way in all unfolded was definitely not the way I expected. I will have more of a detailed report soon but as I am here on the east coast on vacation with my family I will leave you with a quick summary and some powerful glimpses into this wild and crazy sport of ultrarunning.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">*I led the race for 61 miles....got off course for about 7-10 minutes and blew the lead to Bowman....Deflated</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">*I kept motoring on knowing that there was still a lot of race left....finally the sun went down giving us cooler temps.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">*Mile 85-ish....Rod Bien passes me w/ his pacer David. It blew me away as I thought he was not a contender (I got updates that he was puking all day)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">* Aid station 87.5 I came in about 20 seconds behind Rod to find him standing there waiting for me. He asked if I wanted to finish this thing up together. I was surprised but didn't hesitate to say, "Let's do this!"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">*Finished much faster than I would have alone in a time of 18:12 and made a strong connection along the way. I learned a lot last weekend...and I still got a PR in the 100-mile distance.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><u>In a response to why or how we finished together here is what Rod wrote...:</u></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>I'll try and answer as honestly as I can from my perspective. I had a tough day. Nothing was coming easy to me on Saturday. Not sure why but it felt like a lot of work. The course was tougher than I thought. It is a harder course than WS.... or slower anyway but not as tough as AC. It was just quite technical and that caught me off guard. My first 50 miles just sucked. However, when I came into mile 58, I heard Yassine had gotten off track and had lost the lead after getting lost for about 10 minutes. I felt bad for him as he had been in the lead all day. At that point, for whatever reason, my stomach turned and I was able to run hard. At that point I was 45 minutes behind Yassine. However, I was pretty sure during the next section, I was putting time on him. I was just running well and would have been surprised if he was running as fast as I was, without a pacer, and considering he had lost the lead. When I got to mile 63, they said I was 25 minutes behind and that definitely got me fired up. I ran the next section as well as I have ever run in the second half of a 100. When I got to 71, they said Yassine was about 10 minutes up on me. At this point, I knew I'd catch him as it is much easier to be "the hunter". I was surprised that I didn't get catch him on the climb at mile 75 or so as I ran every step. When I got to mile 80 (?), they said I was 3 minutes back. Anyway, at this point headlamps were on and we were running on a cold and very windy ridge (PCT) and I could see him looking back at me (and my pacer). I assumed (correctly) that he thought I was part of a relay team (there was just one out there... long story), and would have no idea it was me. I finally caught up to Yassine at about mile 87. I think it definitely surprised Yassine as I was pretty destroyed earlier in the day. I quickly passed him and headed towards the aid station. On my way there, I realized that it had been awesome having him as a "goal" but I really had no real interest in beating him. I know. I should be more competitive and a lot of times I wish I was more like Browning or something. But, in the end, I just thought it would be cooler to finish with Yassine. Its actually kinda weird that we had never met before this race. And, given the choice, I'd rather become a closer friend with him because of this position than to work my ass off to try (and maybe he would have beaten me) and put a couple minutes on him and secure second place on my own. He was just behind me when I got to the aid station so I asked him if he would just like to hop on the train with us and finish together? He said it would be great to have the company as he had been alone all day. It was cool to run the last 12 miles in together. Its a cool bond that we will always have. There is no prize money and no one is ever going to remember any of this shit, so why not create something a little bit bigger. Maybe it is just a cop out that I'm not competitive enough or maybe I was scared he would come back and beat me. But, really and truly, it just sounded cooler to finish together. I'm glad I did it and I hope he is glad that he agreed. 100 milers are powerful stuff. That's why we do it, right? It was a great race and we both had to overcome a lot of shit and setbacks. It seemed fitting to finish together.</i></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Sorry, LB, we didn't hold hands though. Thanks again, Yassine. That was a cool run.</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>I should also mention that I believe that if Yassine had not gotten lost, he probably would have won. I think we all know how tough it is to get lost while in the lead and to get back on course, especially if you don't have a pacer. Those last 20 miles are tough in a situation like that.<br />
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RB</i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b>Wow, I'm still humbled and blown away by all of this. It definitely made for a weekend that I will never forget. Thank YOU Rod and David, and to everyone else at San Diego 100 this past weekend.</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">For more insights and perspectives read Rod's race report <a href="http://rodbien.blogspot.com/">HERE</a></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">and his pacer (and a stand-up guy) David Easa's post on Sportsmanship <a href="http://daveeasa.blogspot.com/">HERE</a></span></span>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-78082395206018703922011-06-04T01:30:00.000-04:002011-06-04T01:30:26.191-04:00Forest Park 50k Race Report- 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_z3-u9-E1RbAcwcX_SSLUisRCoM6NgJYLrULYcFY3MFffX1I0G0dZsJop-M4A07V91QVkeVIpmhPxkAnuNQ89XwieYtVGsATdOF-ZDtGdwvmQbEjIlGZcSiGVw-RBAaF4m_WpLs1EoCA/s1600/FP_3rnrs_07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_z3-u9-E1RbAcwcX_SSLUisRCoM6NgJYLrULYcFY3MFffX1I0G0dZsJop-M4A07V91QVkeVIpmhPxkAnuNQ89XwieYtVGsATdOF-ZDtGdwvmQbEjIlGZcSiGVw-RBAaF4m_WpLs1EoCA/s400/FP_3rnrs_07.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 2011 edition of "Ultramarathon Sunday" (seen on signs intermittently throughout the park's race course) went down in my backyard training grounds and it was really nice to see so many familiar locals and friends. The weekend started off with a 25-mile run in the gorge that included the summit of Larch Mountain on Saturday, and then a pre-race-mountain-of-a-meal with Glenn Tachiyama at one of my favorite vegan restaurants called <a href="http://blpdx.com/">Blossoming Lotus.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was fun and kind of strange to be in my living room less than an hour before race time on Sunday morning. I was a little nervous how it would all go down with this last back-to-back big weekend before <a href="http://www.sandiego100.com/default.htm">San Diego 100</a>, but I assured myself that it was just a training run race, as I tried to alleviate some of the pressure. I rode my bike over to the start about a mile away and met with some friends before the start at Lower Macleay Park. The weather was perfect and I knew the course well so I felt really comfortable in that regard. Just before "go time" I looked over to see Erica and Farah and that made the smile that was already on my face a little bigger!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 20k and 50k runners started together up the Macleay Trail to Stone house (Wildwood) and I found myself behind about ten runners who were mostly 20k runners. <a href="http://toddbraje.blogspot.com/">Todd Braje</a> and I ran together for a bit but then he pulled away about ten seconds ahead. I knew that he was the man to beat in this race and he and I have run many miles of trails together in the park. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlpCVb2lBqr9UJZ4Vh343osJD3ci3FOhgZQMZy-ufWEoq1P8YQVnEeL0h9OMEpZYDGIL7nmhBOc46XJX4KqTyUPOfGsuzHKL5wZSdvNfrqHFfc_Ayh2QvH-S_TXz65wmqIXVu7yRG72s/s1600/Stone+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlpCVb2lBqr9UJZ4Vh343osJD3ci3FOhgZQMZy-ufWEoq1P8YQVnEeL0h9OMEpZYDGIL7nmhBOc46XJX4KqTyUPOfGsuzHKL5wZSdvNfrqHFfc_Ayh2QvH-S_TXz65wmqIXVu7yRG72s/s400/Stone+House.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(At the junction of Wildwood and Macleay Trail sits a landmark called "Stone House")</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Strangely after about three or four miles I started feeling supercharged with energy. As we climbed a little I started clipping off 20k runners one by one, and then I passed Todd. A little voice in my head said, "what are you doing Yassine?", but I decided to just go with the feeling. The endorphins were in full effect and I eventually came across my buddy Rob who was just behind the two 20k leaders, brothers Martin and Joel Dieterich. I was feeling so good that I passed them as well and really didn't say much more than, "good job guys". I think we were all pretty surprised at that move...especially when I surged on out of sight!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was the first one to come into aid station 1 at Firelane 1 and was greeted by Rick and my friend <a href="http://joekleffner.blogspot.com/">Joe Kleffner</a> who were volunteering....thanks guys! and good to see you out there. I continued to just push the pace on the familiar muddy trails of Forest Park and the Wildwood Trail. Wearing my <a href="http://www.inov-8.com/Products-Detail.asp?PG=PG1&P=5050973118&L=27">Inov-8 X-Talon 190's</a> also gave me some confidence in the sloppy conditions and I just decided to see how much ground I could cover while I was still feeling strong.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally I made it down Oil Line Rd. which I knew was going to be a potential butt-slide all the way down to Leif Ericson fire road. Of course Glenn picked that spot to photograph all the runners but I managed to wipe out just before I came into his view. He got some great shots of people....<a href="http://www.pbase.com/gtach/pctrfp11">CLICK HERE</a> to view all the excellent photos Glenn Tachiyama captured last weekend, and the Oil Line slip-and-slide photos are definitely comical!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Miles 21-24ish I really started fading and I was very surprised that I hadn't been caught yet. I just kept plodding on and welcomed any climbs as my hamstrings were kind of hurting from hammering for so long. This was only my second 50k that I've ever run that had less than 5,000 feet of climbing in it so I knew there was potential for a PR (3:52). Just before the last aid station I got past the rough patch and started running really well again. I ate some food, downed some drink quickly, and headed for the finish. A few minutes after I left I see buddy and new neighbor Jason Hill coming toward the aid station at this out-and-back section! I give him a high five and start hammering home knowing that the last 10k is pretty fast being mostly downhill.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOWZCNtKbVQPXV8RWSBR4Iehyphenhyphen99lHQ4hlsdA1y9oeK2YiQiB-G-MuNMufwOrBCRaTuKlq_U8jdDrDX-SPOwfob3cesVFJmtgDhVUnhpo63wMD6P3zEd6M9CizVq8iZeUH_ui2-43zAeA/s1600/Forest_Park_Elevation_50Km.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOWZCNtKbVQPXV8RWSBR4Iehyphenhyphen99lHQ4hlsdA1y9oeK2YiQiB-G-MuNMufwOrBCRaTuKlq_U8jdDrDX-SPOwfob3cesVFJmtgDhVUnhpo63wMD6P3zEd6M9CizVq8iZeUH_ui2-43zAeA/s640/Forest_Park_Elevation_50Km.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The 50k Elevation Profile...about 3,200 feet of climbing</b></td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also knew that I was going to go sub 4-hour, unless something drastic happened, but was wondering if I could get that PR. Just like early in the race I seized the opportunity and went for it! "On your left!!!!" I yelled at hikers and other runners and hopefully I didn't come off as too obsessive or rude! Eventually I made the last turn at Stone House and I see my friend Todd Janssen walking his dogs. He tries saying something to me but I just blew past him maybe giving him a high five. About a minute later I realized that I wasn't going to make it, but still ran strong to the finish in 3:54....First place overall. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>See full results <a href="http://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=11457">HERE</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was a fun day and I was happy to run so well on my home turf. I met some really nice people and I was satisfied with how I ended my training leading up to <a href="http://www.sandiego100.com/default.htm">San Diego</a>. Thanks to the race directors and volunteers and to the <a href="http://forestparkconservancy.org/">Forest Park Conservancy. </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
Congratulations to all that raced on "Ultramarathon Sunday" in one of my favorite places to run....Forest Park!</div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-55363521961887927252011-05-23T02:09:00.001-04:002011-05-23T02:13:05.844-04:00Forest Park: Portland's Sacred Sanctuary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdnwAr_qi0899MeJ-4c_009NiSPL8br_wF19WKuDVyH4Dw3NMIrO4E4zlVm73DxjOof1455iR3jWtdnPioPh88pRXu4-mkuEN9kuMgVG1QjCOqx9ipdpMmJT0KQonhXuUoayqVseOf8k/s1600/Forest+Park+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdnwAr_qi0899MeJ-4c_009NiSPL8br_wF19WKuDVyH4Dw3NMIrO4E4zlVm73DxjOof1455iR3jWtdnPioPh88pRXu4-mkuEN9kuMgVG1QjCOqx9ipdpMmJT0KQonhXuUoayqVseOf8k/s400/Forest+Park+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Light coming through the trees in Portland, Oregon's Forest Park.--Photo by Ethan Siegel)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I spent some time in the parks today and, for a change, I wasn't running the trails getting ready for my next ultra marathon. Within minutes of crossing an intersection downtown we were quietly nestled between towering trees and thick foliage in the hillsides of Portland's Forest Park. When you look around and listen you really can't believe you are right next to a city. There is also a certain beauty and "aliveness" that the often damp and dreary climate here gives to the forest. Everywhere you look is the quintessential pacific northwest magazine cover!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Living here in Portland almost two years now I have learned the park pretty well, including the deep and meaningful history of the area. I have volunteered providing trail maintenance, become a member of <a href="http://forestparkconservancy.org/">The Forest Park Conservancy</a>, and just as of late been asked to assist in the revamping process of the park map sets, which is all quite an honor. A few weeks ago an editor from <a href="http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/">Portland Monthly Magazine</a> came across my blog and discovered that I do a solid bit of running in the park. He contacted me for an interview and we talked on the phone for about 20 minutes about my running and my relationship with the glorious Forest Park. It wasn't until I heard myself passionately answering his questions how obvious it is that I truly cherish this "backyard gem". As a new father I look forward to passing along this sort of respectful and appreciative manner toward the land to my daughter and I hope she can enjoy it half as much as me.<br />
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This past week I had some quality runs where I felt super connected and strong. I ran 76 miles in total. Six of those miles were run on the waterfront esplanade...the other 70 were spent in the largest urban forest in the nation...steps from my front door. Despite the sloppy trails in the winter I often remind my running buddies, my wife, and sometimes myself how spoiled we are to have easy access to this expansive park that has been kept so sacred. Forest Park boasts over 5,000 acres and over 70 miles of trails! The Wildwood Trail goes 30 miles from end-to-end and weaves it's way through some breathtaking sections of forest. <br />
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Watch this very interesting and informative video on the history and future of our very own Forest Park!<br />
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<script src="http://media.opb.org/clips/embed/kC24256w20110522224943.js" type="text/javascript">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Next weekend (Sun.) starting at Lower Macleay Park there will be the annual <a href="http://www.pctrailruns.com/event.aspx?dtid=4632">Forest Park 50k</a> that I will be racing as part of my training for <a href="http://www.sandiego100.com/default.htm">San Diego 100-miler.</a> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">... and check out this satellite photo of Forest Park (green) next to the city...pretty amazing!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzYMtBxuP0G14B2os6EFLuf7O3El4WxkSOIuNoMCWcYGWq_chw-Q-V8Sb7vdLOaapbMBpvk8p855UHqe0-RVJwcoS9K4fYfDoNFXpRt-SqVc225b0Fc5O6HSSBy-xaO3L_b2HuwjvwGE/s1600/Forest+Park+aerial.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzYMtBxuP0G14B2os6EFLuf7O3El4WxkSOIuNoMCWcYGWq_chw-Q-V8Sb7vdLOaapbMBpvk8p855UHqe0-RVJwcoS9K4fYfDoNFXpRt-SqVc225b0Fc5O6HSSBy-xaO3L_b2HuwjvwGE/s400/Forest+Park+aerial.png" width="375" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Enjoy the forest....maybe I'll see you there!</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Happy Trails...</span></i></div></div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-86194881818650291532011-05-11T23:34:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:22:54.589-04:00Miwok 100k Race Report- 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgLbqSQeAPb5cakRoVeF_uV8NwtWOZ6iwq9oX_RGQFcZ4PqGkCc_ZKtaD8DDhwoa8ijFXOK0aG65TwKyu7_Egqd0BbcDvKUFnoT80hCY6eD3R3mldBQeL8bYAPJr8DXdk1bqStUhMbWI/s1600/Miwok-100k-guy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgLbqSQeAPb5cakRoVeF_uV8NwtWOZ6iwq9oX_RGQFcZ4PqGkCc_ZKtaD8DDhwoa8ijFXOK0aG65TwKyu7_Egqd0BbcDvKUFnoT80hCY6eD3R3mldBQeL8bYAPJr8DXdk1bqStUhMbWI/s320/Miwok-100k-guy.jpg" width="194" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Several days have passed since the 2011 <a href="http://www.run100s.com/miwok/">Miwok 100k</a> that is held in the Marin Headlands of beautiful, sunny, and warm California. A couple friends have been asking me what's up with the race report that I usually get up on the blog shortly after my races. Well, my friends, sorry but I have been dealing with some "issues" that I'll get to in a minute.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Miwok is notorious for attracting fierce competition and large crowds of runners due to the beauty and challenge of the course, and the fact that the race is part of the Montrail Ultra Cup series. I knew that, much like the 2011 Chuckanut 50k that I raced, a top ten finish at Miwok would involve a pretty spot-on day of trail running.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The race started on the beach just at twilight and the wind off the Pacific was enough to have us huddling together whether we knew each other or not. The race director Tia didn't take long to get us started because of this and before we knew it we were off! Even though I've run three hundred milers in my career this was actually only my second race at the 100k distance. I was excited to get another good one under my belt. I ran Waldo 100k in 2009 as my first 100k in 10:16 so I knew I had a prominent chance for a p.r. on this faster Miwok course.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Miwok course was changed a little from previous years and had us climbing pretty much right from the start. I found myself toward the front with the usual suspects. As we were climbing some of the steep road ascents the sun was shedding light on the pristine area just north of the city and afforded us some amazing views.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz523xYD9qZaFUln2AkL1kgP0MaclGmuZTtsxqQbbgMjiTSYiiSGlUA2r9JhG-QSmOwEE4h-j3bH1rndJyLZWIJ43MP-LbeL3iCLgdRDlPqoBdXie3Goe0OQfhUnhgEsuAHtgvaukvbt8/s1600/225166_1863340517491_1660344819_1802984_6809930_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz523xYD9qZaFUln2AkL1kgP0MaclGmuZTtsxqQbbgMjiTSYiiSGlUA2r9JhG-QSmOwEE4h-j3bH1rndJyLZWIJ43MP-LbeL3iCLgdRDlPqoBdXie3Goe0OQfhUnhgEsuAHtgvaukvbt8/s400/225166_1863340517491_1660344819_1802984_6809930_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(climbing the steps with some nice views all around....Photo: Diane Forrest)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Despite the climbs the first several miles felt very easy to me. Maybe this was because some of it was on paved road, or maybe it was just a barometer foreshadowing a day of solid running. By mile 11 I found myself in the lead heading into Tennessee Valley aid station where I dropped my long sleeve shirt to Mike Wolfe's girlfriend Steph. From there we headed up Coyote Ridge and on to the next section of the course. At around mile 15-ish I had to stop off into the bushes to relieve myself. As I did so I saw probably eight fleet-footed runners sail passed me and out of sight. After a couple or three minutes I got back on the trail and was moving forward again. I decided that I was going to mix some Perpetuum into my empty water bottle before I got to the Pan Toll aid station. When I pulled the baggie out of my pouch I must have ripped it because it poured all over my hand, my bottle, and the wind then blew it all up in my face and on my clothes. I probably looked like a drug dealer or addict when the D.E.A. kicks in the door with a search warrant! Right around this time Scott Jaime and Phil Kochik passed me and I think they could sense my frustration. Despite the annoyances I kept moving forward and ended up passing these guys back shortly thereafter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><object style="height: 390px; width: 440px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HkVsEDdV40E?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HkVsEDdV40E?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="440" height="390"></object></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Dropping my shirt at mile 11)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally I made it to Pan Toll aid station and I emphatically told the volunteer to bathe my hands and bottle in water and fill the inside as well. That person did a great job relieving me of all the stickiness and discomfort I ran with for the prior two or three miles. Thank you..the volunteers were wonderful all day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I was leaving that aid station Sean Meissner was there crewing and pacing and he told me that Lewis Taylor was 30 seconds ahead, and that the rest of the guys were only about a minute ahead of him. That fired me up and I just started hammering. Before long I saw Lewis and came up behind him. I passed him and moved on for the rest of the pack.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We hit some gorgeous wide open fields with narrow single track and I could see the lead pack way off in the distance. I could recognize Timothy Olson's hair flying in the wind so I would pick a landmark where he was currently and look at my watch, and then look at it again when I got there. I was about 90 seconds back from Olson at that point and probably another 30-45 back from the rest. We started hitting some climbs through some redwood forests which totally got my attention, but another thing that got my attention was some tightening in and around my calf. I stopped at a tree to stretch for a minute and then looked over to see Scott Jaime passing me. At this point I was just trying to play it conservative...I mean we weren't even at the half way point yet!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got back to running and eventually made it to the point where Mackey, Wolfe, Dakota, Hal, etc. were coming up the hill. We exchanged some smiles, words, high fives and then it was onward bound. I could tell that they put some distance on us down to the turn-around, and I knew that going back up being the stellar climbers that they are they would put even more time on me. At that point I decided just to get into my zone, run my race, and to not worry about them. If some of them come back to me...great...if not...oh well!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After wolfing down a nice lunch-on-the-go while power hiking a bit toward Bolinas Ridge I started running the incline and seeing friends in the process. Jason Hill, Topher, Meghan, Pam, Krissy, Amy, I even thought I saw Elvis Presley....must have been a little dehydrated! ;-) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started running pretty well at this point and felt really consistent leading up to now except for those few little hiccups. When I arrived at Pan Toll aid station at mile 47-ish I saw Phil Kochik walking toward me telling me that he had to drop, and then I saw Dan Olmstead standing there telling me that he was feeling dizzy and that he was going to take a rest. I was starting to see some casualties, and Dan O. told me that Scott Jaime was feeling pretty rough too and he wasn't far ahead. I sponged myself real quickly, grabbed some food and charged down the trail a little tired but motivated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://ow.ly/i/bkcz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Owly Images" height="640" src="http://static.ow.ly/photos/normal/bkcz.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Mile 51....feeling the heat!...Photo: Doug Bond)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By mile 53-ish and before I saw Scott Jaime I see Nathan Yanko coming into the aid station behind me. He gives me a pat on the back and tells me good job and that we only have nine miles to go. Being that he knows the area so well he briefed me on the last climbs that we would face, and then disappeared up the mountain side! Then Dan Olmstead reappears! Here we go again Dan...how's it gonna finish this time? Dan and I ran/hiked together for a bit and eventually passed Jaime but Dan started turning it on and pressed on ahead of me. I couldn't believe how quickly Yanko but distance on us though...he was moving!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The last five miles were all about gutting it out....like most longer ultras. It was getting hot although there were times of gusty winds in your face. Pirates Cove had some awesome views and at one point I said, "are you kidding me?", because it was so surreal and picturesque looking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally made it up to the YMCA and finish line but not before seeing the spectacular view of San Francisco, all the buildings, the Bay Bridge, etc. and after running 60 miles it just all looks so much cooler! ;-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tia was waiting for me to put a medal around my neck and to give me a much need big bear hug! I was happy to be finished with a time of 8:51 (a huge p.r.)...and 8th place overall. Satisfied with my strength and consistency throughout the day but always room for improvement... :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The guys ahead of me ran a gutsy race from start to finish. They pushed the pace but in the end Dave Mackey was able to squeak away from Mike Wolfe. Hal was hot on Mike's heels which was quite impressive....This year's Western States 100 should be another fun one to watch. On the women's side it was the women from the Pacific Northwest stealing the show....Pam Smith won in a blazing fast time w/ Meghan not too far back, and Krissy rounding out the podium. I was pleasantly surprised to see Amy Sproston come in not too far back of Krissy given that she strained her calf recently. Lots of hugs went around post race and as usual it was a great vibe of camaraderie. Thank you again to Tia Bodington and all the friendly and helpful volunteers...this is a top notch event for sure!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">OK so back to my issues that I talked about at the beginning that delayed this blog post so much. Well I got back to Portland Sunday morning and took Erica out to brunch for her first Mother's Day and afterwards started feeling a little itching on my leg. I noticed some little bumps and I just kind of chocked it up to a prickly heat bumps because I wasn't really used to all the sun and heat being from Portland, Oregon. It wasn't long until it tripled or quadrupled in size, areas, itchiness, and burning. I started doing some research and quickly realized that I had gotten a nasty case of poison oak. Long story short it spread to all areas of my body except, thankfully, my head and face but is a miserable thing to deal with. The swelling and discomfort even got so out of control that I had to go to the hospital for some Prednisone, and antibiotic. I've been taking oatmeal baths and it still hasn't alleviated too much. I've never had this that bad and after theorizing I think that when I gave up the lead around mile 14-ish to visit the bushes I must have had the poison oak oils on my shorts, shirt, and legs already. I may have spread it around to "other" areas and I just had a major allergic reaction which didn't kick in until 24 hours later. Whatever happened....this sucks!...and I'll definitely take precaution if I go back to Miwok or any other trail run where the stuff is prevalent.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All in all I still had a wonderful experience and I keep telling myself that this is part of the gig of ultra trail running. I always thought that I was never allergic to it...WRONG! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is a well put-together video of the course and race at the 2011 Miwok 100k in the Marin Headlands...Enjoy the video!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/v-2e8Wf4pSg" width="460"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;">Full results can be found <a href="http://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=10288">HERE</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Gear used</b>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><u>Shoe</u>s</i>- Inov-8 F-lite 220- *worked well for the hard-packed terrain and fire roads...much more breathable than when I wore them for White River 50 last summer. Probably had to do something w/ the socks too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><u>Socks</u></i>- Drymax hyper thin- black- very breathable...These are basically like having a women's stocking on underneath...allows maximum breathability.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><u>Amphipod</u></i>- Endurance Airflow Pouch- This worked great...very flat, bounce-free, easy to access for gels, block shots, etc. I also used an amphipod 20 oz. hand held. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thank you to all my sponsors (Inov-8, Drymax, and Udo's Oil) and very nice to see the Oil the Machine tent there at Miwok being manned by Shane and company. On to the next adventure....<i>peace</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;">Next race: <a href="http://www.sandiego100.com/">San Diego 100-miler</a> on June 11th</span></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-87116052884545904672011-04-26T19:13:00.002-04:002011-04-27T19:46:33.765-04:00Running for Mt. Hood Kiwanis CampLast year I participated as a counselor at Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp. Caring for another in that capacity prepared me for fatherhood and touched me in a way that, much like trying to explain ultra running, is often difficult to articulate. <br />
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This is my next project and we would be so thankful if you could help us...even if it's just a little.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Please visit <a href="http://www.runforcamp.blogspot.com/">www.runforcamp.blogspot.com</a> to learn more!</span></div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-1751466250639808722011-04-12T00:41:00.002-04:002011-04-12T11:17:24.491-04:00Born to Rumble<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUe_2UEi81ownxTDtmqX3FYnaLAxeMlL9UdMecHrXM3rF0_KkH2kreZ_vHuDpYlPN7aiSK4B2xZbWrjt803nmYRoEVBkna9OkkvxOuum5rpbm0xX8l8dBJJRHIxKapRXSldtd3x_K913Y/s1600/PetersonRidgeLogo_1c.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUe_2UEi81ownxTDtmqX3FYnaLAxeMlL9UdMecHrXM3rF0_KkH2kreZ_vHuDpYlPN7aiSK4B2xZbWrjt803nmYRoEVBkna9OkkvxOuum5rpbm0xX8l8dBJJRHIxKapRXSldtd3x_K913Y/s400/PetersonRidgeLogo_1c.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 2011 <a href="http://www.gobroncobilly.com/rumble/">Peterson Ridge Rumble</a> 40-mile trail race held in Sisters, Oregon took place this past Sunday and, since I won the race last year, I was invited back to "defend my title." It's crazy how much and how quickly things change in 365 days. Last year we found out the gender of our baby the day before the race, and Erica barely had a round tummy as we made a weekend trip to the low-key central Oregon event. This year we had an extra traveler (Farah, seven months old) and, with all of our gear, our weekend getaway looked more like a Mt. Everest summit!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We ended up staying in the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge, which is the same place we stayed last year. The fact that there are friendly llamas right outside of our room and that we're a quick jaunt away from the start/finish area makes it really enjoyable and convenient.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhed6Ee5ii3sqjEdGpKUYNfUtE-Pwv-Zg7i5SJ2eynjxn1foeFifhRw80ckDtjmhqIhijpneACBlHz_lCYODjvct2f_oNg757mc-4W3pikR5nui-wUH36YtfhJf_tqJJsKqkYGcbb4zqYk/s1600/Feedin+llamas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhed6Ee5ii3sqjEdGpKUYNfUtE-Pwv-Zg7i5SJ2eynjxn1foeFifhRw80ckDtjmhqIhijpneACBlHz_lCYODjvct2f_oNg757mc-4W3pikR5nui-wUH36YtfhJf_tqJJsKqkYGcbb4zqYk/s400/Feedin+llamas.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(The lodge even has little bowls of feed for us to bond with the animals. Photo Erica Wagner)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once we got settled into our room we realized that we were serendipitously four doors down from Dan Olmstead. It ended up working out nicely too because he provided lodging for three other runners and we enjoyed ourselves just hanging out the night before.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Race morning wasn't as cold as the prior year but still a little nippy. We made our way to the start line area and ran into many familiar faces. Before long we were directed to the trail head where Sean gave us some brief instruction as spectators gathered around. He counted us down and we were off....<a href="http://www.gobroncobilly.com/rumble/">Peterson Ridge Rumble 40-miler</a> was underway!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJsl5Yg80rKXB4b6vXZAk_mqDgHfJYzCgJNmHsfI3Us70iIDLFmxP64vPMLXJvMzqmmfiKpNVR1mv7Oqj8FPpX8jWUQoyA-h5gAQk3zw0V7n1UUReHOrBcjVZuyyFdtqsqUQv5aZrVXA/s1600/rumble+start.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJsl5Yg80rKXB4b6vXZAk_mqDgHfJYzCgJNmHsfI3Us70iIDLFmxP64vPMLXJvMzqmmfiKpNVR1mv7Oqj8FPpX8jWUQoyA-h5gAQk3zw0V7n1UUReHOrBcjVZuyyFdtqsqUQv5aZrVXA/s400/rumble+start.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(Rockin' the red Inov-8 x-talon 190's....in fact I saw a few people wearing 'em too....good choice! and as usual thank you Drymax socks for a blister-free ultra! Photo: Erica Wagner)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I took off of the front after about 30 seconds and didn't run with anyone until over an hour later. I just felt that since I knew the course that I would try to take it out hard (which I do often) and then just settle into "cruise control." Eventually Dan and Jace caught up after aid station two and we got a chance to chat a bit out on the trails. Despite the friendly chatter we were moving pretty good and a little voice in my head was saying, "I hope I don't completely bonk three hours from now!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At about mile 15 I realized that my Amphipod water bottle carrier's elastic band broke causing the bottle to fall out too easily. I ran for a bit just holding the bottle but eventually made the decision to drop it to an aid station worker, who just happened to be Kami Semick! From this point on I was just running free and it felt so nice....nothing around my waist or in my hands, but I made sure I quickly slugged down a couple cups at the aid stations.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvj8__Ipf61sgzSNgamG1OV4RHLIqXdCoLOMZLbRDnGhhUsjsA2heFqKehaZUqt18263pVD_TywxmNwQN5SRPwJBk2VaHPxULaK5F3-C_xF2zEbNvr59OumLQOjoVR_0gHe3dsS82mMGk/s1600/Rumble+2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvj8__Ipf61sgzSNgamG1OV4RHLIqXdCoLOMZLbRDnGhhUsjsA2heFqKehaZUqt18263pVD_TywxmNwQN5SRPwJBk2VaHPxULaK5F3-C_xF2zEbNvr59OumLQOjoVR_0gHe3dsS82mMGk/s400/Rumble+2011.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Zipping along through the ponderosa pines at around mile 24....Photo: Erica Wagner)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At this point I was actually just behind Dan and Jace, for the time being, right before we hit the long dirt road. Once we got into the road I pulled ahead just a bit before we turned into the trails again. Jace hung pretty close with me but by mile 26, and now back in the forest, I made a move. It was sort of strategic but mostly because I started feeling so good. Endorphins rushed out and I had goose bumps all over my body as I pulled away from the two. We approached some climbs and I just seemed to power right up them. Toward the top I gave a quick look back and didn't see anyone. Still ten miles to go...."just run" I kept telling myself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I came to the second to last aid station a little out of breath and made, in hindsight, maybe too quick of a transition not taking in enough fluids. I definitely had enough Gu stashed in my pockets but since I wasn't carrying a bottle the little dixie cups at the aid stations just weren't doing it. Shortly after I was startled by something black ahead of me up in the bushes. Thankfully it ended up being Darla Askew's dog and not a bear, and I then approached Darla and Amy Sproston. It was a steep, technical, rocky descent and I was forced to take an awkward leap. As I did this I felt my hamstring start to seize up! AhhhhH! Amy and Darla yelled from above, "are you ok? you crampin'???" I assured them that I'd be ok and for them to not tell Dan my status!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I downed an S-cap, a Roctane, but what I think I really needed was some agua! I continued running but had slowed considerably. A couple of miles passed and I wondered what was taking these guys so long to catch up. Did I make my move too ambitiously? Yes, maybe I put a nice gap in between us but did I force myself into bonkville? Did I start the race too fast?? These are all fine lines we dance when racing and it's very hard to calibrate how hard to push, especially at races of different distances such as 40 miles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally at around mile 37-ish I see Dan approaching from behind. When I turned around to see him I felt the hamstring seize again a little. As I was bending over trying to work it out with my hands my abdominal muscle seized up too! This is something I never experienced and I couldn't believe this was happening. Dan passes me and I am thinking..."where is Jace? Nick? Joe? Others? Stay calm....you got this..."just run". I gathered myself, chewed up another S-cap, choked down another Gu, and descended toward the finish in a smooth, controlled motion.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All the sudden, after a couple minutes, I started running with intention again. It ain't over yet! I could see Dan ahead and we approached the school area where we had started some four hours earlier. I started pumping my arms and doing my best version of a finishing kick. I entered the track area and I see Dan on the other side!....Doh!!! He's right there!!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIkMrk0jcR5EifLJojmgYnNPDseHbZfEZ0ewbSUfZtBXnikrrsv8fqUMQZ_mvwI8bbz3ic1NVXvYj8Kc_BoqsefJL-MpWuadWx6jSzc7n5rQUDudrveSCQ5LtXQhOPFC5vpedPeJs7eo/s1600/rumble+track.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIkMrk0jcR5EifLJojmgYnNPDseHbZfEZ0ewbSUfZtBXnikrrsv8fqUMQZ_mvwI8bbz3ic1NVXvYj8Kc_BoqsefJL-MpWuadWx6jSzc7n5rQUDudrveSCQ5LtXQhOPFC5vpedPeJs7eo/s400/rumble+track.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(In a 40-mile race...300 meters separates the top two! Photo: Erica Wagner)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1ainxvwF2aSC9ayujYbUaPZqimBk8JbDR14vyEjHiMCkPIMvX1Yh9EKTAxJ39V_DadujP2iA7vvY5I6bCPhL2sPn-3CqzZaMEugQ14b1jS3tdLsGoi3Tn0a9fT6Tb1W-JG5DjNQJ6go/s1600/Dan+Finish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1ainxvwF2aSC9ayujYbUaPZqimBk8JbDR14vyEjHiMCkPIMvX1Yh9EKTAxJ39V_DadujP2iA7vvY5I6bCPhL2sPn-3CqzZaMEugQ14b1jS3tdLsGoi3Tn0a9fT6Tb1W-JG5DjNQJ6go/s400/Dan+Finish.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(Dan Olmstead finishes numero uno and I'm still huffin' and puffin' on the track! Photo: Erica Wagner)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8kIR8qjWKArtMXgblRsR8zRAb55cwv19xP2aRysGHRKA9nVm2Y9JRaE_zm9OR2AD8V5GpcY-pyLSdiPH4Cu7bI0eWs_FXQniT2n2MP5HXaQFPsGWuOoXXSKC_ct0szwuk49QNNGo5Rk/s1600/Rumble+Y+Finish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8kIR8qjWKArtMXgblRsR8zRAb55cwv19xP2aRysGHRKA9nVm2Y9JRaE_zm9OR2AD8V5GpcY-pyLSdiPH4Cu7bI0eWs_FXQniT2n2MP5HXaQFPsGWuOoXXSKC_ct0szwuk49QNNGo5Rk/s400/Rumble+Y+Finish.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(What a fun race....I'm satisfied with my run! I left it all out there! Photo: Erica Wagner)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Even though I am training right through this race sometimes it's fun to take a risk and just go for it. Rumble is the type of course that you can do that on. It doesn't have a lot of elevation change so it doesn't beat up your body the same way some of the more mountainous courses do. Plus the soft trails of this area definitely are much more forgiving.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Again, Sean Meissner and his crew put on such a great event. Thank you for all that you do brother! It's no surprise that it sells out quickly every year. So maybe we'll see you there next time? If you have a dog that runs enter them in the 20-miler. This is such a nice community gathering and I really enjoyed seeing everyone.... and big congrats to all the ran the 20 or the 40. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ12hFGDcYw3sAWKlWUCxN86qQJLImWvKuwThtoi8kLFvJxf8a4P4I8HdWg2zsY4SUWYTQrcY-oNQz8WJc7y2T2KnRsRB9-zr8CJulbKRlXlJemIDlTan764l-yoB7fDGfQl8VrHiLHbk/s1600/team+yassine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ12hFGDcYw3sAWKlWUCxN86qQJLImWvKuwThtoi8kLFvJxf8a4P4I8HdWg2zsY4SUWYTQrcY-oNQz8WJc7y2T2KnRsRB9-zr8CJulbKRlXlJemIDlTan764l-yoB7fDGfQl8VrHiLHbk/s400/team+yassine.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Team Yassine in full effect! Photo: Gary Robbins)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><i>We came.....we saw....WE RUMBLED!</i></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;">You gotta check out these photos taken by wife Erica: Click <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/105505912738061570654/20110410?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ_n0sD4usqbNw&feat=directlink">HERE</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.runwildadventures.com/web_documents/2011_peterson_ridge_rumble_40m_20m_results.htm">HERE</a> are the results from the 40-miler and the 20</span></b></div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-63081127888931446352011-04-01T14:39:00.000-04:002011-04-01T14:39:06.032-04:00Long Distance Running Coach Charged with Child AbuseA 32-year old man in Portland, Oregon was charged today when authorities arrived at his home to find him training his seven-month old daughter for ultra marathons. Child and social services were tipped off when some neighbors noticed the continued "strange" parenting techniques. One anonymous neighbor claimed to have seen the man taking his daughter through the trails near their home in Washington Park in a "tricked out" baby jogger--"The stroller had hydraulic shocks, lugged tires, and an aerodynamic shape to it....and they were moving through the trails at a pretty dangerous pace for carrying a young toddler", said the concerned neighbor.<br />
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Others reported sounds of the baby being left in her music-playing "jump-a-roo" for extended amounts of time to, apparently, build quadriceps muscles, strengthen feet, and to "push through the pain" hoping to build mental toughness. When the house was searched authorities found a cassette tape that played subliminal messages on a loop while the child napped, and a projection screen for guided imagery.<br />
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The child's pediatrician was contacted and admitted that this baby was a little "advanced". Her Residual Lung Volume and VO2 Max was much higher than toddlers her age, and she ranked in the 99th percentile for muscle tone and mitochondria found in the muscles.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYKUbl66TkQ">THIS VIDEO</a> was also found when searching the home, and authorities believe that he may be already training the young girl to consume Gu Energy Gels- which are often used in ultra marathons.<br />
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The father, who is an avid ultra marathoner and coach, awaits a courts decision. You can follow the progress of the case by clicking <a href="http://www.aprilfools.com/">HERE.</a>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-82104316483420309162011-03-23T01:38:00.002-04:002011-03-23T20:00:53.571-04:002011 Chuckanut 50k Race Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLO0EXJ-FnqlM-lmFjL0UBRmfM6kTwk-D9ZLd8yIWs2YYN8WiTid4H1T82m_xk3XFnFvtnrsnH3MZP5S_vvAFWRsfD5dkUIg_PXR_YCKkLEBlqacDZIILJUm5-jfIQM0Jkq9Vx3VyuUo0/s1600/front+logo2011.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLO0EXJ-FnqlM-lmFjL0UBRmfM6kTwk-D9ZLd8yIWs2YYN8WiTid4H1T82m_xk3XFnFvtnrsnH3MZP5S_vvAFWRsfD5dkUIg_PXR_YCKkLEBlqacDZIILJUm5-jfIQM0Jkq9Vx3VyuUo0/s400/front+logo2011.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I think it is safe to say that <a href="http://web.me.com/krissymoehl/Chuckanut_50k/Welcome.html">Chuckanut 50k,</a> held in Bellingham, WA, is arguably the most competitive trail 50k in the country. In the 2010 version I raced to a sixth place overall with a time of 3:57. This year I knew, from the lineup of entrants, that placing in the top ten and running that same time (or better) would involve a really strong showing on potentially a slightly slower (muddier) course.<br />
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Training went fairly well leading up to the race with only some minor foot issues which forced me take a little bit longer of a taper than normal. I definitely went into the race feeling well-rested, but could have probably logged a few more miles. The race weekend was kicked off by a tour of the <a href="http://www.florahealth.com/flora/home/USA/_main.htm">Flora Health</a> facility that churns out many health products including <a href="http://www.oilthemachine.com/">Udo's Oil</a> which I take regularly. The tour was extremely interesting and I felt honored to be guided by the CEO Thomas and team manager Shane as they explained the history and everything that goes into producing these beneficial products. I was thoroughly amazed and inspired and am so grateful to be part of Team Machine!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcGBxiM9hNWDIHzDCDcsqeUvOhQM_YoY2WTZjhTrzJBvYINpL2ZVhYGYrosog4Dk6TmDxWvH9ewHf_vkvMVe9QXK69kllFCaSSBo_GGZh_7IwFOj_LiTgfvgSjKdMGm09hWQyDK6ONVw/s1600/193240_10150170743898336_349583583335_8234813_2407288_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcGBxiM9hNWDIHzDCDcsqeUvOhQM_YoY2WTZjhTrzJBvYINpL2ZVhYGYrosog4Dk6TmDxWvH9ewHf_vkvMVe9QXK69kllFCaSSBo_GGZh_7IwFOj_LiTgfvgSjKdMGm09hWQyDK6ONVw/s400/193240_10150170743898336_349583583335_8234813_2407288_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">(Some members of Team Machine surrounding the formulator of Udo's Oil.---Joe Grant, Scott Jurek, Udo Erasmus, Adam Campbell, Geoff Roes, me, Krissy Moehl, Photo: Shane Hart)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Friday night at Shane's beautiful home was the setting for a big family-style dinner that stocked us up for Saturday morning. It was really fun hanging out with the Hart family and chatting with friends. Before we knew it we were attaching our bibs to our shirts and finding our way to the starting line. Honestly it was like a family reunion at Fairhaven Park! I kept seeing people and I had to remember to focus on getting mentally prepared to hammer for four hours straight give or take. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">7:59:50 a.m. Krissy gave us the countdown over the loud speaker....I closed my eyes...took a deep breath and tried to get centered before we were unleashed down the bike path.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpdzM7eD9EvzGYzbkhfR0QOfu6UbjJBFZQIVZosljWImiC6KnYdeB1IEkG5lVFxTvnh_ONO89DgqZSAjIgk91sXD1bRQSUXdVtSskVOBlWivuicJkoJNonYAZ41vZXhjRed3D__ArYYM/s1600/198825_1737879081890_1086004380_31791283_5317157_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpdzM7eD9EvzGYzbkhfR0QOfu6UbjJBFZQIVZosljWImiC6KnYdeB1IEkG5lVFxTvnh_ONO89DgqZSAjIgk91sXD1bRQSUXdVtSskVOBlWivuicJkoJNonYAZ41vZXhjRed3D__ArYYM/s400/198825_1737879081890_1086004380_31791283_5317157_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(And we're off! Our adrenaline glands squeeze and Chuckanut 2011 is underway...Photo: Glenn Tachiyama)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The first two miles were like 5:40 pace and I was privileged to chat with two-time ultra runner of the year Geoff Roes about our plans for the year. Michael Smith of Flagstaff, Arizona put a little gap between Geoff and a chase pack that followed close behind. I knew that I was going too fast so I knocked the pace back a little and settled in with Timothy Olson for a bit. He told me that we were still running like a 6:08 pace...but I was glad that I slowed down from my road half-marathon pace! I knew I needed to ration out my energy for some of the climbs we would face over the next few hours. We enjoyed some nice views of the sound, the sun was shining, and it was turning out to be a gorgeous day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The race started thinning out a little by mile 5 and I caught glimpse of Joe Grant ahead of me. I worked hard to try and catch up with him before the first aid station but he was moving at a pretty good clip. I continued to run my race and it was helpful that I knew the course from last year as we entered the first climb.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEith4dS90lhNpXgg_i5J9LLRMFdDYG-6iFgASDHc3V41aXiK6CqlnZHZcwYEDoalcjPyd-1-6QchgeN7q7w7fyNl84Z_CY_RMnbKAO5YA7weUnliAremvQD8di__V1m9Nk_Hg6qXUR9fl8/s1600/chuckanut+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEith4dS90lhNpXgg_i5J9LLRMFdDYG-6iFgASDHc3V41aXiK6CqlnZHZcwYEDoalcjPyd-1-6QchgeN7q7w7fyNl84Z_CY_RMnbKAO5YA7weUnliAremvQD8di__V1m9Nk_Hg6qXUR9fl8/s400/chuckanut+11.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Entering the forest and the first little climb. Photo: The Bellingham Herald)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We hit the switchbacks, climbed a few hundred feet, and eventually made it to the never-ending dirt road where I was surprised from behind by Phil Kochik. Phil, Jacob, and I would switch out the next few miles together until we hit the ridge trail. Once we entered this super fun, technical section I really started turning it on. Those two guys let me go and I tore off like a mad man. Just like last year this part of the race turned out to be the most enjoyable for me. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The next section that kind of traversed over to the base of Chinscraper was a little muddier than last year which may have added a little time. I was thankful to have my Inov-8 X-talon 212's to negotiate the slop, but even with the additional traction I still went down hard at one point and hit my arm on a rock. Luckily I was ok...just a little bruising. Also on this section when running hard w/ Phil and Jacob I was quite annoyed when my shoe lace came untied. Up until this point I was pretty pleased on how I was running and I thought that maybe I could reel in some of the guys in front of me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
As we bombed down to the base of Chinscraper at mile 20 I was told that I was in 10th place. I quickly re-filled my bottle half-way and charged toward the steep climb. My training this season hasn't included as many gorge climbs as last year but I still felt pretty confident in tackling this short, steep section. Once I started picking it up a little I spotted 9th place Adam Campbell up ahead. This motivated me even more!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">When I finally made it up and over I started to hammer down the backside. Just when we took a hard left and continued down I felt a little cramp in the hamstring. I was forced to slow down a little and I heard Phil closing in on me. He said, "come on Yassine!" but I couldn't muster up anything more than a cruising 7:00 minute pace. I wanted to scream down the mountain at more like 5:30 pace...This was the section where I closed in on Hal Koerner last year! Eventually Jacob came zooming past me too and I was hoping this wasn't going to become a trend.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It was pretty frustrating but I just held it together all the way to the bottom and the last aid station. I quickly grabbed a couple gels and motored on for the last flat 10k to the finish. During this time I started feeling much stronger partly because of the gels that I ate but mostly because I felt that my tempo-run training prepared me for this much needed gear late in this race. I was able to reel in Jacob who was obviously having some problems but Phil was long gone. I continued to monitor my watch and knew that it was going to be really close to a sub four-hour race for me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
The closer I got the more I started to kick up the pace. My watch said 3:58 and a spectator told me I had like a quarter mile to go! I basically dug deep and gave it everything I had and was as close as you can get to a sprint after running for almost four hours. As I came into the park and I could see the finish line chute my watch clicked over to four hours. I came in and crossed the line 20 seconds after four hours... good for 11th place overall.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">All in all I felt pretty satisfied in how I ran. It was pretty on par with what I did last year and to be following close in the footsteps of some of these elite runners was quite an honor. This was by far the most competitive 50k I have ever run and I was completely humbled by the talent that showed up last Saturday. Chuckanut is a fun race and it's deceptively tough. 5,000 feet of climbing in roughly 18 miles is pretty stout and the flat 13-ish will keep you honest. And for the winners...men: Geoff Roes...um...well...this superstar again shows us why he is Ultra Runner of the Year! and the women: Ellie Greenwood ripped this course and it was so inspiring to see her come into the finish line (not far behind me) w/ a big smile on her face. Watch out for this woman as she continues to shred the trails and roads! Nice work to ALL runners who ran this past weekend! :-)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Krissy, Ellen, and volunteers did another wonderful job...Thank you! I can see this one being a yearly "reunion" where friends come to race fast and slow, and enjoy each others company here in the great pacific northwest. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Full Results <a href="http://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=10842">HERE</a></i></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>Gear/Energy used: </u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Amphipod 20 oz. bottle w/ waist pack</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Inov-8 X-talon 212's</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Drymax Mini crew trail socks</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gu Roctane</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hammer Perpetuum</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b></div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-76036449908814407052011-02-28T18:54:00.000-05:002011-02-28T18:54:37.596-05:00Resting, Repairing, and Running Through Injuries?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6K1fj8xv-lhSR5kID4MObdGphBAaZgQ3mLUX9SJTENwcOzgW4QzjtPTjvoAgQM5AQDX34FZk-0fpVMUhW_-eh6NLlRbvFgbsanFUXOrt6Yory4KU-j-bnMpMt3NFeq_ddw1Nd1OvjBro/s1600/fotolia_2440716_XS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6K1fj8xv-lhSR5kID4MObdGphBAaZgQ3mLUX9SJTENwcOzgW4QzjtPTjvoAgQM5AQDX34FZk-0fpVMUhW_-eh6NLlRbvFgbsanFUXOrt6Yory4KU-j-bnMpMt3NFeq_ddw1Nd1OvjBro/s320/fotolia_2440716_XS.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>The human body and mind are marvelous mechanisms. They can endure so much (more than you think), and there is an amazing amount and often indescribable organization behind it all. Over the years, and through many "science experiments" with my body and mind, I feel that I am getting to know it well. I think many runners get to a point when they realize that they need a little time off to let things repair, but there are probably just as many that are unable to stop doing the activities they love so much. This blog post was inspired by a very interesting article written by fellow pacific northwest ultra runner and friend Justin Angle. He talks about finding out just the right time to rest in order to maximize your potential and elude injury. I encourage you to check out his blog and very informative article by clicking <a href="http://www.angleman.net/Site/Blog/Entries/2011/2/26_Resting_at_the_right_time.html">HERE.</a><br />
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But what if it's too late? What if you missed that opportunity to take a rest and you have some injurious pains and discomforts that take the sheer joy out of running long distances? Are there pains and injuries that you can continue to run through? As ultra runners we are definitely going to come across injuries....even Dean gets injured from time to time! It has been my experience that more often than not I am putting some "fire" out, or keeping something nagging "at bay." I am going to share a few tips that I suggest to athletes that I coach and that have helped me along the way. A combination of the procedures below have allowed me to continue training, or have helped me to recover as soon as possible.<br />
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First off...I have become best friends with ice! I'm a big fan of ice baths after long or intense efforts but here is another one of my favorites:<br />
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<b>1)</b> <u style="font-weight: bold;">Ice Dipping-</u> Great for lower leg injuries. If you feel any plantar fasciitus, achilles or calf issues, or tendonitis in the ankles coming on than this is a great way to "nip it in the bud." Also good for sprained ankles. You want to make it as cold as possible. I have a small trash can that I fill w/ ice water (see video below). Basically the dipping of your leg into the frigid cold water is analogous to wringing out a sponge. You only need to dip it for like 20 seconds. I know you could keep it in longer but it's not necessary in this situation. The cold water pushes out wastes from the injured area then when you take your leg out fresh blood rushes back into the area which expedites the healing process. Try to do it as many times as you can....the more you do it the faster you will heal. You can bring something like this to work (grab a couple bags of ice on the way) and try to do it every 20 minutes or so.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/z0P6GfNiWO8" title="YouTube video player" width="540"></iframe><br />
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<b>2)</b> <b><u>Ice pack/ heat pad</u></b>- You can pick one of these guys up at most pharmacies. Again the cold to hot promotes blood flow that will speed up the recovery process. The velcro strap pack is nice because you can strap it on and do other things while your hands are free. If you buy two of the gel packs (think squishy blue) you can use one in the microwave for hot and one in the freezer for cold.<br />
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<b>3) <u>Frozen paper cup</u></b><u>-</u> This one (along w/ the aforementioned ice pack/heat pad) are pretty common yet very effective. All you do for this one is fill up a paper cup w/ water and stick it in your freezer. After it's frozen just take it out and peel off the top part until you have ice showing. Massage the affected area with the little exposed block of ice. It works much better than a bag of ice or frozen peas. Last time my mom visited she asked why I had a bunch of frozen cups in my freezer!<br />
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<b>4)</b> <b><u>Epsom salt baths</u></b>- I love these...In fact almost every Monday I take completely off from running and enjoy a hot bath w/ these restorative minerals. Good for mind and body!<br />
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<b>5) </b> <b><u>Turmeric-</u></b> Instead of popping Ibuprofen or the like I like to cook with this Indian spice widely known for it's anti-inflammatory properties. When there are additional "flare-ups" I use it even more. One of my favorites is heating up some vegetable broth and adding a bunch of the bright yellow spice. Maybe it's somewhat of a placebo but hey it works!<br />
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Again one of the main things that helps heal tendons and ligaments (which don't get much blood flow) are promoting that flow to the area. It takes just as much discipline and consistency as you put forth in your training. So as the training log books are starting to fill up make sure you stay on top of things, get good sleep, and clear em' up as they come and you'll get to recognize what certain things are and how to deal with them. I hope this helps a little and feel free to contact me at any time to let me know how things worked, or if you have any additional questions. <br />
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The last couple of weeks I hit over 80 miles each week and towards the end noticed a few blips on the radar. Thankfully I backed off a little and incorporated some of the above practices but was able to run through them. Sometimes running also brings blood flow to certain areas and in this case I was able to escape unscathed. As of right now I'm feeling good about hitting the trails again tomorrow! See you out there :-)<br />
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Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor by any means so if you have anything serious you may want to contact your doc or do some of your own research. I have obsessed on the internet for hours at times in order to get me back running as soon as possible. Good luck!Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-67624508535289745622011-02-20T01:55:00.000-05:002011-02-20T01:55:30.142-05:00Dave Terry Memorial in Forest Park (Portland, OR)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDI7l7gBYe5Ggq925b1aYG5I7VA8BUKRJCmXt6EMH1f4FoaP-38lJkHnMH1PJlYz43pMkGU0kOyws2x64lW4AtOkUFB1lUh9YNu6DHGYuMh4XMdLlbD4HxVx6uApUiQ7SsZLQ2l27F1Q/s1600/DT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDI7l7gBYe5Ggq925b1aYG5I7VA8BUKRJCmXt6EMH1f4FoaP-38lJkHnMH1PJlYz43pMkGU0kOyws2x64lW4AtOkUFB1lUh9YNu6DHGYuMh4XMdLlbD4HxVx6uApUiQ7SsZLQ2l27F1Q/s200/DT.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(this symbol of Dave's initials were worn on pins made by Tonya Olson at last year's Chuckanut 50k)</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Although I never met Dave Terry personally I know many people who were quite close with him and I have heard stories about his character and accomplishments in the sport of ultra running. A couple weeks ago when a friend of mine (ultra runner and Chuckanut's race director <a href="http://www.krissymoehl.com/Krissy_Moehl/Welcome.html">Krissy Moehl</a>) was in town we went on a run together in Forest Park. We chatted about many things including the fact that recently a memorial piece was placed in the park for the long time Portland trail runner. I wasn't able to take her to the site of the memorial at that time but promised I'd get some pictures/video before this year's race. Today was the perfect day with the sun shining bright and not a cloud in the sky. I took my camera along with me on my tempo run through the expansive park that I love so much. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The memorial is nestled just off the intersection of Leif Ericson and Nature Trail right on the bank of a little stream. The timing was perfect as the sun was shining through the moss covered trees. Even though I didn't know Dave I thought about him for a few moments before finishing off the rest of my run. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The writing on the plaque reads: <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">"May you have an epic run, my friend.---In memory of ultramarathoner, Dave Terry"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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I'm planning on heading up to Washington for Chuckanut 50k in a few weeks which is a great race that is dedicated to Dave. You can read more about both the race and the long time ultra runner by clicking <a href="http://web.me.com/krissymoehl/Chuckanut_50k/Welcome.html">HERE</a>.<br />
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</div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-17835706287137670122011-02-07T14:19:00.008-05:002011-02-10T22:34:12.293-05:00Rocky Raccoon Race Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyOj5-vCj1LikJWfS7CkU41svs28SKt9fw2TgKE9ujujJQuHKP9rP9fiuozxB7YeFkM30VOP_jUGXFojyt74cHu53NBqStYZjvsumflOHdK3En9K3TZogLKZ2hnFO8Bq0cjsOd-3k0Cs/s1600/rr100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyOj5-vCj1LikJWfS7CkU41svs28SKt9fw2TgKE9ujujJQuHKP9rP9fiuozxB7YeFkM30VOP_jUGXFojyt74cHu53NBqStYZjvsumflOHdK3En9K3TZogLKZ2hnFO8Bq0cjsOd-3k0Cs/s1600/rr100.jpg" /></a></div><br />
A lot of buzz in the sport of ultrarunning regarding <a href="http://www.tejastrails.com/Rocky.html">Rocky Raccoon.</a> Most of it is coming from the fact that the course record got smashed and the fastest trail 100 mile was run on American soil this past weekend. One of the main reasons I decided to head down to Huntsville, Texas was to be a part of the hype, run a fast 50-miler, and get inspired by these superstars for hopefully a solid season ahead. The lineup for the 100 was intimidating and there were some dark horses in there too. More on that in a second...<br />
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First...the J.V. race----6:55 a.m. race day I am sitting in my rental car trying to stay warm and putting the finishing touches on my race gear, etc. I am 100 yards from the start line and I get out of the car. I hear people yelling and screaming. I think, "they must have just made some pre-race announcement". As I jog up leisurely the closer I get I notice there are now no people. I missed the start! My watch must have been a little off so I fight my way through the back of the crowd all the way to the front. By the time I catch up to the leader Todd Braje I am a little worked from the early race fartlek workout. I run w/ Todd for about half a minute and by looking at his elegant, efficient stride I know that there is no way in hell I'm even attempting to hang with him. He moves on out of sight. About 30 minutes later I start having some stomach pains which I rarely get in ultras. I'm forced to stop off in the woods. I take care of business and then about 50 yards later I realize that there is a port-o-potty at the end of the long dirt road. I stop in there too! Doh!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJM3VrEzngkOKql-1jkIAlgl4By-QrH-oEslYfaoC2xWG32IEVJfddn9Z9Jek88sgOejrCe1ElLxAGkR0SVgoV8Y46-n5ONfLqZ3FNpMOFTC96ghDHaE01ZmAqRNDoAXuh4PmQtNcAAM/s1600/Rocky+running.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJM3VrEzngkOKql-1jkIAlgl4By-QrH-oEslYfaoC2xWG32IEVJfddn9Z9Jek88sgOejrCe1ElLxAGkR0SVgoV8Y46-n5ONfLqZ3FNpMOFTC96ghDHaE01ZmAqRNDoAXuh4PmQtNcAAM/s400/Rocky+running.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(soakin' up some Vitamin D and wondering where my buddy Todd disappeared off to! Photo: Lynn B.)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>* Despite the stops I ran the first 16.67 mile loop in like 1:55....I thought that if I could stay right around 2 hours (or under) per loop I could get a sub 6 hour 50-miler (which sounded nice).<br />
* Loop 2 I started feeling pretty good. I let the notion of catching Todd go (he was on fire!) and was focusing on sub 6. I started feeling pretty strong on this loop and it was fun to see Jurek, Anton, Hal and others out on the course. I came in just over 2 hours (I think it was like 2:04 something). Even though I was just over two hours I was still right on track.<br />
* Loop 3 I took off like a banshee and was confident that I could attain my goal. All of the sudden around mile 40 or so the stomach issues start again. Fleeting sharp pains and feelings of...well... I don't want to really talk about it! I didn't feel like eating much but forced down some Gu Roctane. At one point around mile 45 I tripped over a root and my hamstring seized up. I started falling apart and my goal was slipping away. The last five miles were pretty pathetic. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31_2vej6p2va578Fz4zuZ92Y9NVM9xkP_-2ymnJgyFPm7qvtbPyvqZ5d_WQ7qOSNd8ykfNGHe2-O0RwS9vMQs-Mgi_9WlA8LoHx9WG-2cv9Ojzg48WeqClObPO0h7QVdts5yBKk8Z2MI/s1600/rocky+run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31_2vej6p2va578Fz4zuZ92Y9NVM9xkP_-2ymnJgyFPm7qvtbPyvqZ5d_WQ7qOSNd8ykfNGHe2-O0RwS9vMQs-Mgi_9WlA8LoHx9WG-2cv9Ojzg48WeqClObPO0h7QVdts5yBKk8Z2MI/s320/rocky+run.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(are we there yet? Photo: Lynn B.)</i></div><br />
I finished with a time of 6:17 and 2nd place overall behind Todd Braje, who smashed the course record by winning w/ a time of 5:48!!! Nice work Todd!!! and to all others that ran either of the races this past weekend. I know I have a sub 6 hour in me and I may go back some year to do it...It's a good ol' Texas party down there and very well-run event. My feet were in great shape the whole race thanks to Drymax socks and the Inov-8 F-lite 195's and I must say the course was nice. Some beautiful spots by the lake and more rolling hills and trails than I expected. Much flatter than most things I run but I wouldn't call it pancake flat. The weather turned out to be ideal!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQa_T5Nz41DMRKBre_eHs1nMbTh6o1h7rBQkfMimsT5r3HZNzL-5bWGV6QaZzqtM1iA7RyIhZLtd-hOdER_RTM0vjgXANpTClgh6H9Db7Qu202l50Ou62lJkvTzjCGyQTkn5yD_CMHZ8/s1600/rocky+finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQa_T5Nz41DMRKBre_eHs1nMbTh6o1h7rBQkfMimsT5r3HZNzL-5bWGV6QaZzqtM1iA7RyIhZLtd-hOdER_RTM0vjgXANpTClgh6H9Db7Qu202l50Ou62lJkvTzjCGyQTkn5yD_CMHZ8/s320/rocky+finish.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(cool pottery prize from the Copper Canyon and another finisher medal for Farah to play with! Photo: Jenny Uehisa)</i><br />
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</div></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now for the much anticipated 100-miler. There were some big dogs running and some great runners who flew in under the radar. I must say that just before coming down, while analyzing and predicting, I told a buddy to watch out for Ian Sharman. Anyway, there were some amazing performances by established 100-mile runners, but when I saw Ian Sharman come through mile 60 and then 80 I could tell that he was in the flow....the zone. He had this look in his eye. I don't think many others saw this but at one point I even saw him rip open a gel, suck it down, and toss it without looking straight into the small garbage box.... DUDE WAS ON ONE!!! and it was so cool to be a witness. So Ian Sharman set a new American 100-mile trail record of 12:44 which is still pretty hard to wrap my head around!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">As for the chase pack....I was semi-crewing for Hal, Anton, and my roommate Mike Wolfe. It was fun hanging out with Jurek and Jenny (Jenny did an amazing job covering the race at InsideUltras on Twitter), meeting all kinds of people, and then meeting our runners at the different aid stations. Anton started turning it on the last 20 miles but it was kind of late as Ian had built a pretty nice cushion and continued to hammer it home. Anton and Hal duked it out all the way to the end and those two should be extremely proud of the way they ran. Another amazing spectacle and inspiring performance....thank you. Great hanging out :-) On the women's side Liza Howard threw down a mind boggling time and every time I saw her she was smiling...Nice work Liza! I'm always so amazed by people when I attend these events....Congrats again to everyone :-)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;">Full results for the 100 are <a href="http://www.tejastrails.com/Rocky.html">HERE</a></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thanks to RD Joe Prusaitus and all the volunteers down there. You guys know how to do it right! I'll be down for Bandera 100k next January and I hope to see ya there too!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJytzbjgZWMsvfRwvmAUrGlgXzQ1wts_PWx2M348n0uVaVseplM9j5U25LREKzxZc5KoejNAH9IFZX2vQSRIzGYUOZUDSbW8vYY_iDdOkyv5alK4kpT6iLryjvxt9G4Lz2LC529Oo2vA/s1600/rocky+tent+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJytzbjgZWMsvfRwvmAUrGlgXzQ1wts_PWx2M348n0uVaVseplM9j5U25LREKzxZc5KoejNAH9IFZX2vQSRIzGYUOZUDSbW8vYY_iDdOkyv5alK4kpT6iLryjvxt9G4Lz2LC529Oo2vA/s400/rocky+tent+pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(Hangin' in the start/finish tent post race....one of the coolest things about this sport. Photo Shannon Farar-Griefer)</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifFPcOZYjJ_bv-83GtUeYIMWb1ni_rMYubH96iF2V_Exx7at31luaRE7UbqNB3f1pd7RrJmzPPCcPdehH_QI9xdskAjr6iQHXpum1EZ1kXwrBWpVqi59ypQdlAAE5ahqttrXHBVImnUek/s1600/plant+based+duo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifFPcOZYjJ_bv-83GtUeYIMWb1ni_rMYubH96iF2V_Exx7at31luaRE7UbqNB3f1pd7RrJmzPPCcPdehH_QI9xdskAjr6iQHXpum1EZ1kXwrBWpVqi59ypQdlAAE5ahqttrXHBVImnUek/s320/plant+based+duo.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><i>(Plant based duo...Scott Jurek and me...photo by Jenny Uehisa)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Next up: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://web.me.com/krissymoehl/Chuckanut_50k/Welcome.html">Chuckanut 50k!</a></span></b></div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-77703393594507863522011-02-03T20:36:00.000-05:002011-02-03T20:36:35.890-05:00Rocky Raccoon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0nqWFuC9OV0cXdStu9KZMEX80XMj4sPZfjwBeXCe3mL15A6JCKtpX5cwPYoObAGo0zEieg7UYXjM8lqpSn6JuUCxxwKyTdRExyAzRxmbcf7hMXK1i-KrBRQCCOmhOv1efIVIo5Nlq13o/s1600/rr100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0nqWFuC9OV0cXdStu9KZMEX80XMj4sPZfjwBeXCe3mL15A6JCKtpX5cwPYoObAGo0zEieg7UYXjM8lqpSn6JuUCxxwKyTdRExyAzRxmbcf7hMXK1i-KrBRQCCOmhOv1efIVIo5Nlq13o/s1600/rr100.jpg" /></a></div><br />
For the past several months I was planning on escaping the Portland, Oregon winter just at the right time to elude some of the dreary cold and rain. I had a 50-miler picked out in sunny southern California and made all the travel plans necessary. I was pretty excited for the rugged Twin Peaks 50-mile course and event and the fact that I'd be running in the sun in mid February. Well....things changed! Apparently there was a bunch of landslides causing damage to the Twin Peaks course making it unsafe and inaccessibly for aid stations, etc. so they cancelled the February race. I was bummed. I had my heart on an early season 50-miler. I searched around California, given that I had a non-refundable airline ticket, for other trail ultras. I did find the Montana de Oro 50k the same weekend and initially had substituted that race for Twin Peaks.<br />
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Then one day after reading some running blogs and on a training run with Todd Braje I went out to lunch with my wife Erica. A thought came to my mind as we were walking into the cafe. Erica said, "uh oh....what????" I said, "I'll tell you over lunch". I went on to tell her about my spontaneous thought. "Maybe I could go run <a href="http://www.tejastrails.com/Rocky.html">Rocky Raccoon 50-miler</a>???" <br />
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After I got home I did some research and found out that I could save my California plane ticket in a "bank" w/ Jetblue and use it within one year. I looked around a found a cheap ticket to Texas and the plans were in the works. I have been known to be spontaneous like this in the past!<br />
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So I'm off to Texas bright and early Friday morning and will be back to Portland by 1pm on Sunday. The middle part will be filled with seeing friends, running a flat, fast 50-miler, and watching and/or crewing for some peeps in the much anticipated 100-miler. Apparently there is some football game going on down there this weekend too?<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b><i>Rocky Raccoon here I come! </i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">You can track the 50 or 100 mile race by clicking <a href="http://www.tejastrails.com/Rocky.html">HERE</a></span></div><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XzWRkBQeer4" title="YouTube video player" width="540"></iframe>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-6086190256350690282011-01-16T14:57:00.000-05:002011-01-16T14:57:27.601-05:00Capitol Peak Mega Fatass 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZVG6TLDb8TROkN0haoev-Me3TlSN3gscdLMb4yoR2K9MVcgf5rltIhdcQ6dcTTMHWIR8lLR96l8hCOsGStuqScyKgMABLzlU9gD4EkSTNm6uBWaYSWPKIK9hdYm87GI0H9Aqt9iRu20/s1600/capitol+peak+web+page.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZVG6TLDb8TROkN0haoev-Me3TlSN3gscdLMb4yoR2K9MVcgf5rltIhdcQ6dcTTMHWIR8lLR96l8hCOsGStuqScyKgMABLzlU9gD4EkSTNm6uBWaYSWPKIK9hdYm87GI0H9Aqt9iRu20/s400/capitol+peak+web+page.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Happy New Year folks...2011 is here and what better way to bring in the new year than running a mega fatass! I'm still not quite sure what makes the event "Mega" but it may have something to do with the longer-than-normal distance of 34 miles (although it was more like 37!), or the uncharacteristic-to- "fatass" organization of timers, search and rescue, volunteers, and post race buffet of food. Regardless John Pearch and friends put a lot of time and effort into this early season event that I have participated in the last two years now. Huge thanks to you all and great seeing you again!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last year I got double whammied at this run. First... I led the "race" for 28 miles only to take a wrong turn just before the finish. By the time I got back on course I ended up in 3rd place. No biggie but a little deflated...then I eventually got to my phone and checked my messages. My wife left a voicemail saying that our storage unit had gotten broken into and both of our nice road bikes were stolen! I was hoping for a better day in 2011.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Justin Angle and I agreed before the run that we would stick together and use it as an "aggressive training run". It was nice to be back in the Capitol Forest and at 7am yesterday as it was getting light out I looked around the parking lot and felt the energy that accompanies the start of an ultra. I also realized what a funny and strange breed of athletes we are as ultra trail runners! All the funny looking outfits, gear, gaiters, all the while rubbing body glide over our bodies and taping up our nipples.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So for the run that was not considered really to be a race...yeah right!....We started off the with the 17-milers and a pack of Justin Angle, Nick Triolo, Jacek, Seth, and myself all took off with probably a hundred people behind us. We all got to know each other a little better and caught up after the holidays and talked about plans for this upcoming year. Eventually things started to separate, the 17-milers turned back, and the climbs started getting steeper. At one point Seth surged way ahead of Justin and I and Jacek kind of dropped off the back. Justin and I ran the next 12-15 miles together up, down, and around Capitol Peak. We were moving at a pretty steady pace and wondered where Seth disappeared to. This was his first ultra run as he is preparing for an Ironman.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Around mile 28 or so I saw Seth in a clear-cut area and I guess my competitive nature and animalistic pursuit instincts came out. I pulled away from Justin and went screaming downhill after Seth. It was just a matter of time before I caught him and passed him although he was still looking pretty strong. The last section of the run was different from previous years and definitely added a little distance. That's fine by me but it was a real mental challenge. I kept thinking that Angle was going to come up behind and nip me just like he did last April in the 50-miler!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
I finished with a time of 4:51 and felt great about getting a solid run like that under my belt this early in the season. Course conditions were pretty sloppy in some areas but for the most part pretty ideal. Warm, light rain here and there. No serious wind or snow up top of the peak and according to Justin's Suunto altimeter we climbed 5,800 feet over the course of about 37 miles...not bad!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
Great to see everyone and sorry I had to leave so soon....A four month old at home has changed things for me a bit but good to see some folks out on the trails and before the run, etc. The results will probably be posted <a href="https://capitolpeakultras.com/Mega_Fat_Ass.html">HERE</a> sometime soon. I guess third time is a charm for me in Capitol Forest and hope this is a good omen for another solid year!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCmsgdzZPAS-2DOcTDxkqE3qcRj3z_ImI8Io37rNKWoCFoXQNiObEvrZglKu7mxbL45G8N_XrlgIpnQSjNc9hMKUYeXO7V8DyUIjqnPa1fLpuKitW1HwK-8NiiiSOynglyKiRbI5FPpc/s1600/Cap.+Peak+finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCmsgdzZPAS-2DOcTDxkqE3qcRj3z_ImI8Io37rNKWoCFoXQNiObEvrZglKu7mxbL45G8N_XrlgIpnQSjNc9hMKUYeXO7V8DyUIjqnPa1fLpuKitW1HwK-8NiiiSOynglyKiRbI5FPpc/s400/Cap.+Peak+finish.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(Justin Angle and I catching our breath after a long day of running! photo: NarrowsBridgerunningclub)</i></div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-43403391290977396302010-12-31T00:37:00.000-05:002010-12-31T00:37:25.507-05:00My 2010 Year in Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-43Kw1-BoQgYsrP8vrXpgPVbLVyX21DNBL4_6V55679cKjju5KjxX9uhkLzfyjmObINkUapMHWk-ZhmwYaQboD-Ld6IcjhvH1mt4a5A7oTqQlmWoMcOxIG4w2cBXmW5Q2mB1TxonqR2M/s1600/2010_year_in_review_468x305g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-43Kw1-BoQgYsrP8vrXpgPVbLVyX21DNBL4_6V55679cKjju5KjxX9uhkLzfyjmObINkUapMHWk-ZhmwYaQboD-Ld6IcjhvH1mt4a5A7oTqQlmWoMcOxIG4w2cBXmW5Q2mB1TxonqR2M/s320/2010_year_in_review_468x305g.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The term <i>"time flies when you're having fun" </i>definitely applied to me this past year and I can't believe 2010 is history. I decided to do a quick recap highlighting some of the main memories from each month and whatever else comes to mind.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">January 1, 2010: Joe Grant and I drove over to Bend, Oregon and ran the Badass 50k w/ some other friends and had a good time camping out in the badlands.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">February- Took a road trip to run the trails on Orcas Island, WA and was blown away by the beauty up there! Met some great people in the process.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">March- Had a good race up at The Chuckanut Mountain 50k</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">April- Found out the gender of our baby on Friday and won Peterson Ridge Rumble 60k the following day in Sisters, Oregon. </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">May- Made a spontaneous road trip with Browning, Meissner, and Ashley Nordell to Reno, NV and I ended up winning and setting the course record at The Silver State 50k.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">June- 4th place overall at Bighorn 100 and felt good about how I ran on a pretty rugged course.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">July- Worked a camp a Mt. Hood for students w/ disabilities that changed the course of my career. Raced to a 5th place at USATF 50-mile Championships at White River, WA.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">August- Welcomed our baby girl Farah into the world at 9:53 pm on August 28th here in Portland, Oregon. One of the greatest days of my entire life! And we share the same birthday :-)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">September- Witnessed my wife Erica fight her way through a nasty uterine infection so we could start our little happy family together. She's such a good mom....I couldn't do any of this without her!</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">October- I ran a pretty good Portland Marathon on 10-10-10....but boy did it hurt!</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">November- First time visiting Ashland, Oregon and ran Lithia Loop Trail Marathon.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">December- Did some good snowshoeing, snowboarding, and visiting family and friends in the east introducing Farah to everyone.</span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To be honest this past year was one of the best years I have ever had on so many different levels. I am so grateful to have had the opportunities to accomplish the aforementioned adventures. Many of it would not be possible without such a strong and supportive wife and family. Thank you Erica....I love you! Also...thanks for the friends and training partners that accompany me and make me a better runner and person....you know who you are! Thank you to my sponsors who make my life so much easier. Inov-8, Udo's Oil, Living Harvest, Drymax Socks...I'm really proud to be representing such righteous companies. Sometimes I need to pinch my cheek to see if I'm dreaming. If 2011 is half as good as this past year I'll be a happy camper!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Happy New Year and thanks for reading!</b></span></i></div><br />
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</div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-71003701886140790562010-12-17T22:47:00.000-05:002010-12-17T22:47:11.499-05:003 Non Joggers Podcast Interview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUY9UJzxEcKPJlz6IhxHRz-Ab-gK29yBAGtnj6nwKnoA_qaH5WfOnJKGHiYcEC-drMiUvUKv4gIJg7rbz2zp7KcZjlknipRyqdiiKhz2P9ra18jQYyBRUbBUxbkz9b8p8COXJ_4yhUyXo/s1600/carlheader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUY9UJzxEcKPJlz6IhxHRz-Ab-gK29yBAGtnj6nwKnoA_qaH5WfOnJKGHiYcEC-drMiUvUKv4gIJg7rbz2zp7KcZjlknipRyqdiiKhz2P9ra18jQYyBRUbBUxbkz9b8p8COXJ_4yhUyXo/s400/carlheader.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Last week I was asked to sit in for an interview in the studio with ultra runners Russ Mcgarry, Gary Vale, and Carl "the mail man" (pictured above ;-) It was my first time doing this sort of thing and I had a really fun time. These guys, for the most part, like to talk about all the totally random things that us runners go on and on about while running. I think what they're doing is a great idea and after me being a guest on the tenth hour-long show I feel that they are starting to find their groove :-) Keep it up guys....see you on the trails!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Have a listen by clicking <a href="http://www.3nonjoggers.com/2010/12/our-tenth.html">HERE</a></span></div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-8918713180051889952010-12-16T21:45:00.000-05:002010-12-16T21:45:30.885-05:00Recreate Fitness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5yE0zYCO7bJuDwh2C7OQjyHKmNSGREH8UD3D4XsyIFcIt6u1j5z0h7gxh13a_x2adt3VNc7GApKbrk8ErshDGI2tElj7NBj2o5Z91_E25pn5fCAYRB8ZyEpkLHhoJz3Dl2nQkdzc_Nk/s1600/recreate+fitness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5yE0zYCO7bJuDwh2C7OQjyHKmNSGREH8UD3D4XsyIFcIt6u1j5z0h7gxh13a_x2adt3VNc7GApKbrk8ErshDGI2tElj7NBj2o5Z91_E25pn5fCAYRB8ZyEpkLHhoJz3Dl2nQkdzc_Nk/s400/recreate+fitness.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Around October of 2009 while recovering from an injury I incurred at <a href="http://runforyourlife-yassine.blogspot.com/2009/09/100-in-da-hood-race-report.html">100 in the Hood</a> I was introduced to this unique Portland, Oregon gym named <a href="http://recreatefitness.com/">Recreate Fitness</a> by my wife Erica. After choosing some initial one-on-one training Erica then moved on to some of the group classes. She continually came home and told me about the creative crossfit-type style and focus on technique that owners Nathan and Tina Jeffers prioritize. <br />
<br />
I decided to check it out myself with the intention of building a nice solid foundation while gradually upping my running mileage. Right from the get-go I was intrigued by the complexity of movements and exercises and realized that I could use a little firming up in lacking areas. What I started realizing was that I was getting very strong (something greatly needed in ultra running) and that my injury had completely disappeared. So I kept going to the classes which are offered at many different convenient times (See schedule<a href="http://recreatefitness.com/site/schedule/"> HERE</a>) and simultaneously started increasing my running. Long story short I went on to have a strong and very successful running season...actually my best one yet....and I feel that building a base at Recreate aided me in that process.<br />
<br />
So fast forward to December 2010 and after taking a month of down time from running to repair and recuperate I thought of how I was going to get back into shape for hopefully another stellar season. It didn't take long for the light bulb to come on and for me to head on down to the gym which is located on NW 19th Ave here in Portland, Oregon.<br />
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Some of the things I like best about this gym are:</span></u></b><br />
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<ul><li><i>Class structure (warm-up, skill, and workout...see <a href="http://recreatefitness.com/site/blog/">blog</a> for examples)....and...Creative exercises (I like to call it incidental exercise because sometimes you don't even realize you're working out till the next day when you're super sore! (i.e. shaking large ropes, throwing large sand bags, walking around on your hands w/ a wheel attached to your feet, etc.!)</i></li>
<li><i>Friendly and committed owners and trainers who are there working with you and encouraging you with tips and motivation.</i></li>
<li><i>I like the fact that you can make every workout as easy or as difficult as you want it to be...Your choice!</i></li>
<li><i>Great sense of community in the gym between members, owners, pets, kids, etc. (we've brought our baby Farah to the gym a handful of times!) and they even do get-togethers outside of classes such as "movie night".</i></li>
<li><i>Full body strength and endurance workouts focusing on technique, form, and strength of core. Perfect for any athlete!</i></li>
</ul><div>After working out there the past few weeks I have noticed an increase in strength and it really kick-started my training. I'm really looking forward to getting back to Portland after the holidays to continue my training at this thriving little gym. They even started a mobility class which I think is great for runners which I will probably take at least once a week. So if you are in the area and want to break out of a workout "rut" then you should join me down at Recreate Fitness. <i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Hope to see you there!</span></b></i></div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><br />
</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Click <a href="http://recreatefitness.com/">HERE </a>for website information, etc.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Tr7CrEyYRtcz7F9BRm0rKUS0K-ajEasDyjagdNrcpdIQ2Fu3Ie14p3PgDqCT8KIBMn3tI_hb1rdASCcncLVV5TzeUjk8y4vr0VH1GtG3rRQjtj5mnE-Sv4dP1OtfBuOmcxa75PwOyiY/s1600/recreate+thrusts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Tr7CrEyYRtcz7F9BRm0rKUS0K-ajEasDyjagdNrcpdIQ2Fu3Ie14p3PgDqCT8KIBMn3tI_hb1rdASCcncLVV5TzeUjk8y4vr0VH1GtG3rRQjtj5mnE-Sv4dP1OtfBuOmcxa75PwOyiY/s640/recreate+thrusts.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(feeling the burn at Recreate Fitness!)</i></div>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649901083294160393.post-22522322920191128162010-12-10T18:17:00.000-05:002010-12-10T18:17:38.325-05:00Udo's Choice- Green Blend (Product Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNE2bJ2hsFmhpxBMwkoJ5I1ryXB8r-URI08uivqQ0-YlGhzusyvb4mjZkf17id5zdQExNcrKuBxyd2JENUCbprYDrzSOloTAyQMUY9_xa7D2GX5SD0uOOFMR_ALLZXdD2tR6s-Is8Klg/s1600/green+blend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNE2bJ2hsFmhpxBMwkoJ5I1ryXB8r-URI08uivqQ0-YlGhzusyvb4mjZkf17id5zdQExNcrKuBxyd2JENUCbprYDrzSOloTAyQMUY9_xa7D2GX5SD0uOOFMR_ALLZXdD2tR6s-Is8Klg/s1600/green+blend.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(Make your mom proud and eat your greens!)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Over the past few months I have been able to try more and more of the Udo's Choice quality products. Many people have heard about Udo's Oil (which I regularly take), but not many people that I've talked to know about the many other products offered by this growing company. <a href="http://www.udoerasmus.com/firstscreen.htm">HERE</a> is a link to a website where you can learn more about everything from the conception of the product and company to all the different products and nutritional information.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This featured "Green Blend" has been another "regular" in my dietary regimen and I absolutely love the ingredients and benefits. As a vegan athlete I am surely consuming loads of leafy greens and vegetables but this product offers much more in a convenient power-packed powder. In the past I have been known to stuff lots of various types of greens into the Vita-mix along with fruit and other favorite ingredients to make a nutritionally loaded shake. Lately I've been saving the greens for salads and other recipes and instead adding 2 tablespoons of Green Blend to the smoothie. This is a product I highly recommend! Let me know how you like it....and take a look at all the killer ingredients and nutritional information below:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="if0" style="width: 513px;"><div class="ifChrt" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 11px; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 4px;"><div class="ifChrtInr" style="width: 495px;"><div class="ifTtl" style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold;">Supplement Facts</div><div class="ifSngSz" style="font-size: 13px;">Serving Size: 1 tbsp. (8 g)</div><div class="ifSngPC" style="font-size: 13px;">Servings per Container: 31</div><div class="ifHdrSep" style="background-color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 4px; padding-top: 3px;"></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="ifITbl" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 495px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;"></td><td class="ifAcol ifAPShdr" style="font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">Amount Per Serving</td><td class="ifDVcol ifDVhdr" style="font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">% Daily Value</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifColHdrSep" style="background-color: black; height: 2px; margin-bottom: 4px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Calories</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">35</td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;"></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Calories from Fat</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">10</td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;"></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Total Fat</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">1.5 g</td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">*</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Polyunsaturated Fat</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">1 g</td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">*</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Total Carbohydrate</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">4 g</td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">1%</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Dietary Fiber</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">2 g</td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">8%</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Protein</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">2 g</td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">4%</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Phosphorus</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">63 mg</td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">6%</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Magnesium</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">30 mg</td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">8%</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Potassium</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">134 mg</td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">4%</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Potassium</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">134 mg</td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">4%</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Calcium</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;"></td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">7%</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Iron</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;"></td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">7%</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Omega 3 Fatty Acids</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">500 mg</td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">*</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="ifNcol" style="vertical-align: top; width: 298px;">Omega 6 Fatty Acids</td><td class="ifAcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 116px;">300 mg</td><td class="ifDVcol" style="padding-left: 7px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 67px;">*</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div class="ifBl" style="background-color: black; height: 2px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><div></div></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="ifFn">*Daily value not established.</div></div></div><div class="ifOi" style="font-style: italic; width: 507px;"><div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;">Other Ingredients: Each 8.9 oz. (255g) contains a proprietary blend of: Udo''s Choice powder (specially prepared mix of certified organic defatted flax seed, certified organic defatted sunflower seed, certified organic defatted sesame seed, rice bran, oat bran), barley grass, certified organic golden flax seed, alfalfa leaf, rice bran, carrot, sprouted soybean, tomato, oat grass, rye grass, beet, cinnamon bark, stevia leaf, peppermint leaf, ginger root, bilberry leaf, spirulina, bee pollen, dulse, chlorella, broccoli, parsley, kelp, hawthorn berry, milk thistle, burdock root, red clover kale, licorice root, chrysanthemum flower, yucca, almond flavor, lemon grass, Udo''s Choice Digestive Enzyme Blend (amylase, protease, glucoamylase, invertase, malt diastase, lipase, cellulase, lactase, pectinase, bromelain, beet juice, American ginseng, ginkgo extract, psyllium, slippery elm,artichoke, dandelion root, dandelion leaf, rosemary thyme, sage and standardized grape seed extract.</div></div></div><div class="pdSct" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"><div class="subHdr1 cf" style="display: block; font-size: 11px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://www.vitacost.com/images/sep-h-pix.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; float: left; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 2px;">Free Of</span></div><div class="pdSctIn" style="font-size: 11px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 8px; width: 507px;">Wheat, soy lecithin, malto-dextrin, GMO, fillers, binders or other non-nutrient ingredients</div><div class="pdSctIn" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 8px; width: 507px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="pdSctIn" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 8px; width: 507px;"><b>Directions:</b></div></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small; table-layout: fixed;"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="TOP"><div style="overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 16px; width: 858px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;"><div class="pdSct" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"><div class="pdSctIn" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 8px; width: 507px;">Take approximately 1 tbsp. (14g) with glass of liquid up to three times daily. Drink plenty of pure water throughout the day.</div></div><div class="pdSct" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"><div class="subHdr1 cf" style="display: block;"><b><br />
</b></div></div><div class="pdSct" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"><div class="pdSctIn" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 8px; width: 507px;"><br />
</div><div class="pdSctIn" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 8px; width: 507px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Remember the cartoon Popeye the Sailor man and how and why he got that boost of strength and energy??? Eat yo Greens! :-)</span></i></span></span></div></div></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Yassinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14291314445939672273noreply@blogger.com7