Well, John got the results up for the Squaw Peak 50 miler, and as a relatively mediocre ultra-runner I was reasonably pleased with my result. First off, I FINISHED… Always a good concept with an ultra-marathon. In talking with several more accomplished runners, the Squaw Peak is a fairly tough run due to the elevation changes, so I’ll take “finished” as a key accomplishment. My time was 13:26:51, which put me 105th out of 220 Overall, 89th out of 173 Male, 46th out of 103 Masters Category, and 33rd out of 59 for Age Group 40-49. Long live Mediocrity! ;)
In reality, I had a great time. This was one of the most enjoyable runs I’ve had since starting ultra-marathons. The terrain was amazing, both in visual beauty and how it ran as a course. John did a great job linking up some great trails for the course, and the volunteers at the Aid Stations were awesome! Arriving at Aid 7 and seeing Karl Meltzer there handing out S-tabs and slices of salted potatoes was an extra bonus. Many thanks to all those volunteers who spent their Saturday manning the aid stations and supporting those of us nutty enough to participate in this event.
I also succeeded in keeping the blisters to almost NONE! I changed out socks at Aid 8 (mile 33), and re-applied Aquaphor between my toes, and despite some hideous terrain over the 50 miles, I ended up with only one small blister on my left big toe. I’ll call that a major success! My La Sportiva Wildcats performed perfectly as well. One side note here… I used a Brand New pair for the race. This is a testament to finding a pair of shoes that fit perfectly, and sticking with them. The Wildcat in a 42.5 fits perfectly, and I simply slipped in my orthotics and ran. It’s a great feeling to know I’ve finally found “the shoe” for me.
Recovery has been interesting. During the final few miles of descent down to the finish, I kicked up some rocks and tagged one with the top of my right foot. Initially, I was concerned I might have chipped a bone in my foot, but it’s finally healing and I can “flex” my foot again. Otherwise, I was just sore, and took it pretty easy for two weeks, only doing light runs and weights. Now that I’m back on my normal training program, definitely feeling good and am excited to see how the Speedgoat goes!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Finish!!!!
Wow! What a race! It was a truly amazing experience, wrapped up with a great finish line, enthusiastic folks cheering as I entered the last 200 yards, and coolers full of COLD COKES! Wooohooo! Having Allen as my pacer for the last 16.4 miles was great, and made a huge difference in my mental state going up that crazy Windy Pass climb! Looking forward to next year's race!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
50 miles of fun!
The Squaw Peak 50 is Saturday! I’m definitely excited, as this is one of the more challenging 50 milers in the country. Running it as a member of the Air National Guard is a bonus for sure! Allen Steele has agreed to pace me for the last 16.4 miles, so I’m extremely grateful to get that mental boost at the last part of the race! I’ll be video blogging using the iPhone again, but I’m going to conserve battery life by keeping it off except for when actually recording and uploading the posts. Hopefully that will make it last the full run! Stay tuned and definitely comment on my posts on Saturday!
I’m planning to complete several difficult races this year as a part of the preparation for next year’s effort on the 24 Hours of Utah Solo Challenge, and hopefully the Wasatch Front 100-miler. I’ve decided to use the Solo Challenge as an annual MORE Project Fundraiser. It’s a great event, and one which serves the idea of “pledge-based” giving well. By getting pledges per-mile, I push harder to get more miles in during the event, and those donating have a reason to “watch” during the event by following the blog.
The Wasatch Front 100 is one which I hope to luck into… as it’s a Lottery entrance. Too many people out there want to hammer themselves across 100 miles of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains… ;) I’ve paced a runner in that event once, and have thrown my hat into the ring to pace again this year. So throw out your good wishes to the universe and maybe I’ll get into the Wasatch 100 for 2011!
I’m planning to complete several difficult races this year as a part of the preparation for next year’s effort on the 24 Hours of Utah Solo Challenge, and hopefully the Wasatch Front 100-miler. I’ve decided to use the Solo Challenge as an annual MORE Project Fundraiser. It’s a great event, and one which serves the idea of “pledge-based” giving well. By getting pledges per-mile, I push harder to get more miles in during the event, and those donating have a reason to “watch” during the event by following the blog.
The Wasatch Front 100 is one which I hope to luck into… as it’s a Lottery entrance. Too many people out there want to hammer themselves across 100 miles of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains… ;) I’ve paced a runner in that event once, and have thrown my hat into the ring to pace again this year. So throw out your good wishes to the universe and maybe I’ll get into the Wasatch 100 for 2011!
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