Friday, May 27, 2011

Magic Shoes 5k and the Ridiculous Obstacle challenge 2 races 1 day

Last Saturday I had to choose what race to run and I chose wrong.  This Saturday Instead of either or I choose both. The rapture was slated to occur that evening, might as well get as much racing in while I still could.  Plus the inferno will good on some sore muscles.

Last year I did some work for Jamba Juice.  Where I scored a free membership to Active Advantage.  It's a membership active sells for  I think it's 60 bucks a year which covers although exorbant evil ticket master like charges (L.A. marathon was around $10 ouch) Active hits you with when you sign up for a race.
I personally would always rather send in my entry than pay active a few bucks (cheap bastard) I never thought I'd be a member of this program buts it was free, so why the hell not.

One perk of being an Active Advantage member is that periodically they give free entries to random events via email if you can be one of the first few people to claim it by clicking a link.

I'm dumb enough to run just about any race at any distance so as soon as I get the email I sign up without looking where or when the race takes place.


Last Monday I got an Email for the Magic Shoe 5k to be held that Saturday.  I payed no attention to where is what held and blindly signed up.

Corona Del Mar, you say ? (where the hell is that?)

It turns out it was kind of by Irvine about 45 minutes away from my home, kind of far to drive for a 5k but it was free so what the hell.


 I had also signed up for a couple other freebie races on active.  It turns out  one of them was held Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge 5k on the same day.  Whoops! But the ROC race did'nt start till 9a.m.?  Google maps said it would take me an hour to drive from from race 1 to race 2. Lucky for the the ROC had races going off at 9,10,11,12,1,2.  and they still had openings for the 1 and 2 p.m. slots it should be easy to switch times right?.

Upon looking at the race website I realized I had to pick up my bib number in San Diego (No way) It wasn't worth driving over 150 miles  round trip to pick up a bib number. Maybe they could make an acception for me?
(what a pain in the ass I am becoming)

I called up the contact number on the web site which sent me to active.com. thay then gave me the # of the race director Rory. He wasn't rude on the phone but basically told me there is no possible way to get my number on race day and I was s**t out of luck.

For about an hour I conceded to the thought of not running before taking checking with my facebook friends to see if anyone else was participating that may be able to pick up my stuff.
(it was worth a shot)

My barefoot buddy Robert Shackelfold  (AKA, Shacky) offered to help me out.  (sweet)
but
I still had to change my time.

Time to call up active again, I thought it be easy but once again they gave me Rory's phone number (oh brother) and once again he told me there is nothing I do for you all times final their is no way to switch times, period. (doh)

I figured I 'd give one last shot Via email, maybe there I could find someone with a sympathy for me.


Hello
"My name is Patrick Sweeney and I am signed up for the 9 a.m. race.  I completely forgot I had another 5k that I was running for a friends charity that morning at 8 a.m.  If the 1p.m. or 2 p.m. races are not sold out could I please switch to one of those. Please! I'll buy you  a coke or a beer if you can make this happen :)  If not I'm afraid I can not participate.  I'm  not to concerned about official time (although I think I will be in contention to win).  If you cant get me a different bib or chip, would anything terrible happen if I wore my 9 a.m.  bib and chip during one of the 1p.m. or 2.pm. races?  I promise not to do it if the time slot is sold out That way I am not preventing you selling slots or making the course overcrowded.  Thanks a lot for your consideration."

Within minutes I recived a an email from some kick ass chick named Tiffany. "No problem Pat you are now switched to the to the 1p.m. race."'
(well that was easy)

The Day before the race

Time for a little game called spot the discrepancies.
Shacky kindly picked up my bib but noticed a problem?

What I first noticed is that my race time still said 9a.m. So I emailed Tiffany again and she said that was no problem.

Then I noticed  bib did not match the chip. Another email to Tiffany with an instance response (thank you) This would be a problem, Shacky kindly offered to go back to and get me a new bib  I was now racer 5824 but my bib would still say 9a.m..

Enough with the shenanigans Lets get to race day.

Magic Shoes 5k

The  race started at Corona Del Mar High School about 45 minutes from my house.  They were collecting running shoes for the poor so with mixed emotions I brought 3 pairs to donate.  It felt a little hypocritical of me giving away shoes that I feel may destructive to others bodies if they run in them.  But whats right for me may not be whats best for everyone else.  And if some one needs shoes to work in or to keep their feet warm I'm glad to give them mine.

Before the race a running club compiled of about 60 little rug rats measuring in at 3 to 4 feet tall lined up at the front.  I thought this may be a little dangerous with a stampede of fast grownups behind them. I struck up a conversation with one of the moms telling her how perfect these kids would be for the 100 mile club, she seemed interested but maybe she was just being nice.
 They then asked if there were  any seeded runners could they should please move up to the front of starting line.
 Am I a seeded runner?
 Seedy Yes (Insert maniacal laughter here) but seeded runner? I was deffinetly the fastest guy there in sandals, I decided that was good enough and proceeded to the front.

Race

I went out fast as usual the course was looked to be pretty flat.  My plan was to try and run as close to 5 min pace as long as I could.  through the first 1/2 mile I was i the lead.  At that point The eventual winner jumped out in front and distanced himself from the field.

I finished my first mile in 5:06 (slower than I hoped) I was searching to find some kind of rhythm but it was nowhere to be found.  Thankfully it was only 5k and I should be able to grind out a few miles and finish the race respectively even if my body thinks otherwise.

During the second mile a group track club runners caught up to me.  I hung with them for a little while but my pace was erratic and I didn't have a consistent enough drive in my legs to stay with them.
 second mile 5:18


The course was easy enough I hoped for a PR sub 16 min's but it didn't look like it was in the cards today.  I kept running the best I could 3rd mile in 5:25 eventually finishing the race in 16:18 5th place overall.

I wasn't overly pleased nor was I disappointed, it was nice to spin my legs fast for a change.  No time to revel in my defeat.  I had another race to compete in and hopefully this time the outcome would be a little better.

Official Results
Garmin Data

Within 45 minutes of starting the race I found myself in my car heading down the highway to the Del Mar fairgrounds

I arrived by about 10:15 and my race wasn't till 1p.m.  the Marine layer was pretty thick and I was hoping for the sun's ray's to break on though by the time I would be competing .
This time I would run Barefoot and I finally got a chance to wear my Sport Kilt in competition

Shacky
Was there waiting barefoot for me with my bib.
 I was hoping the race be more spectator friendly so I could put a game plan together but only the last  half mile was visible to the public.  Shacky I decided to watch the spectacle of humanity unfold and maybe gauge what kind of competion I would be up against.

The Competition


Out of the 5,000 plus people that ran I only saw 3 running barefoot I'm guessing there were less than 10 total.
People came from all over the world to compete
there were rock stars
Wrestlers of all types
some looked like my Brethren 
There were Flying monkeys

Girls from the 80's
the occasional Tutu
and Groups of Babes both sweet and sinister

But mostly

 it was just dudes in drag
sadly I think it liked me .:(
Good thing I don't eat hot wings
Many of them with wardrobe malfunctions.

All in all it was great mix of people.  About a third of the runners wore costumes. There were quite a few athletes participating in the event but a dude in a dress seemed like more interesting subject matter at the time.

Race Time


By about 12:30 the sun finally decided to join us it was time ditch the shirt
So much better than getting my whole face in the photo.
:)
Keep your eye on the prize

Although we were promised one free miller lite at the end of the race I had a different beer in mind.

Mr. Kinevil was there to send us out on our way
Here's what they had in store for us:

Obstacles include:
• Snow Mountain• Inflatable Slide• Mt. Haybail
• Rolly Play• Tube Climb• Firepole Slide
• Hill Climb• Balance Beam•Over/Under
• Monkey Bars• Rope Swing• Climb & Slide
• K-Rails• Tire Mountain• Inflatable Obstacles
• Slide/Ball Pit• Climbing Wall• Boulder Dodge

Without actually seeing the obstacles the list was rather useless. I skimmed through the list real quick but really had no clue what we around each corner.

Time to get this show on the road.
I knew in a race like this it would be important to got to an early lead so I wouldn't get bottle necked at any of the obstacles.  I arrived at the starting line early and made my way to the front.


First obsatacle dodge Mexcian American gladiators
about 1/4 mile into the race I had opened about 100 ft lead running at sub 5min pace.
That's when I ran into these dudes.  I wasnt't sure if they were just there for show or if they were ready to unleash on me. Most people are unlucky if they get hit by just one of them. When I arrived the 6 of them were lined up in a row with nobody to swing at but me.  They had been sitting around while getting thirsty for blood and who better to take out on then some barefoot due in a kilt leading the race. BAM! BIFF! BOOM! WHACK!. shot to the face, shot to the body, I dodged the shot to nuts (thank goodness).  Out of the 6 dudes 4 of them got me pretty good, by the time I reached the 6th one instead of bracing for the impact I blasted through it nearly knocking the dude over. At least I got there fast enough to so they had time to recoil and nail the dudes behind me.

I was bit jarred but the body felt really good (much better than in my race earlier in the morning) My bare feet felt extremly nimble and I was cruising much faster than I expected.

Notice in these drawings most people are barefoot
Monkey bars piece of cake.


The next obstacle was a hill of snow. I approached with some caution,  The snow was easy but by this time in the afternoon the course was saturated in mud. at times I landing soft with each step navigating the course with ease.

It seemed Like every 30 seconds I was getting blasted from a fire hose by some snot nosed kids. (I was jealous of there job) I was running with a big smile face having fun and kicking butt.  Going barefoot was 100% the right choice and even with all the obstacles I finished my first mile in under 6 minutes.

I was amazed at how good my body felt. The ridiculousness of this event was right up my alley and I was loving every minute of it.  My favorite obstacle came on mile 2 when after climbing a cargo net, there was a big tarped slide leading into a pit of mud.  I jumped about 10 feet down the slide before landing on my bum  entering the mud  like a fat man belly flopping into the pool.

keep on trucking.

Hop through tires, jump over a wall, climb later, go down a pole, balance on beam Etc. Etc.  It was all pretty easy and my pace stayed  good.
second mile 6:14

One of the obsatacles was manned by a bunch of marines.  I'm not sure if they were more dumbfounded that some dude in a kilt was in the lead with second place nowhere in site or that the leader barefoot.  With an astonished tone in his voice I heard
"Man you got some tough feet."

My adrenaline was flowing and I didn't feel a single rock on the course.

By mile 2.5 I caught the stragglers of the 12:00 start time.  Now I had human obstacles to dodge.

When I approached this ball thing? a few girls were entering apprehensively while the workers tried to nail them.  Well, they didn't see me coming and I didn't see them until the last second.  I came screaming in like a freight train and was about to explode through the last ball when I noticed this tiny girl worker leaning on it not paying attension.  If I did not change my course she would have gone flying and probably got seriously hurt.  I made my best effort to do some kind football spin move (ala AL Bundy) to avoid her diverting maybe 80% of my energy away from her yet still I almost knocked her to the ground but she seemed Okay.

With pleanty  of gas in the tank. I climbed up the tunnel and sped through the final 1/2 mile with effortlessly.



The final obstacle. was the rope swing.  Pretty simple Yet some people had no clue
Some other dude in a Kilt
(I so do not want to see the photo that girl took. )

When I got to rope swing the girl wasn't ready for some dude sprinting up her.  It felt like I came to a complete stop but when I grabbed the rope I went sailing to other side with ease.

While others stopped to pose for pictures an the finish line. I blasted through it.


 
We asked this due working the mike to make a sexy pose.  He said he didn't know how?  Obviously this photo proves otherwise.

Muddy and happy the race was over and I was smiles like a 18 year old's first trip to the Nudie Bar.
:)

Does life really get any better than this?

Self portrait, this time I got my whole face.
What?  You say there's a girl behind me.

Could you please turn around and smile?

Oh well.
Whatever at least I got some dudes in skirts to smile, (Is that really a good thing?) wait a second I am a dude in a skirt.  What the hell is going on.  Maybe some beer will fix this situation.

I had finished the race in first place but there was still a chance that someone in a later wave could beat my time but I doubted that would happen.  I ran hard and although I know there were spots where I could improve my time I was quite proud of my efforts.

We figured the results wouldn't be posted for a few hours so we better head to my cooler for refreshments.

Official results
They said there was no tailgating in the parking lot but I payed $9  to park and they put us in a field so far away they weren't gonna stop me
I had a good time hanging out with Shacky  and I think he had a good time drinking my beer.
Thanks for all your help.

I had an "end of the world" party to get to so I got out of their before finding out my official time and place.

Results

The next morning I was stoked to see the results posted.  First off I needed to know where I finished in my race and then how that stacked up against  all the other races that day.  After a few clicks my name was nowhere to be found. (not again).  This time I was smart enough not to call Rory and go straight to my girl Tiffany.  I sent her an email with a link to my garmin data showing when I started and finished.  Once again she came through for me and few days later It was Confirmed online.
 I had won.

Examining the data from all the races I found that only 4 people ran a race Faster than 21:45  out of over 5,000 and all 4 of us were entered at different times  and finished before 19:15
(quite a big leap from first to second)


I ended up with the third fastest time overall.  It would be pretty awesome if somehow next year all of us could run head to head and really make it a race.  I bet if this happened we would all finish up to a minute faster.  I really enjoyed running in sunshine but by that time the course was a bit sloppy.  I would love to see what kind of time I could post if I started at  9a.m. on fresh legs and clean course.

The race was a blast I had really good time competing.  The course was well staffed and pretty damn fun.  Thank you to all the volunteers and to the people who helped me out online.  Tiffany I still owe you a Beer or a Coke as promised in my original email.

Bonus video's  if you're board


Shacky's video of the event
Half the time I didn't know he recording so I'm just blabbering away as usual. I aint eloquent and I aint pretty. But I do have a zest for life.

Some dudes helmet cam of the entire course


Thursday, May 19, 2011

Born To Run Ultra Marathon 2011

3 races one day
May 14th
Palos Verdes Marathon, Bare to Breakers, or Born to Run Ultra
What to do?
Look Mom,
I'm finally in one of them fancy Luis Escobar running photos that all the top dogs have taken of them.

Did I want run for glory  (too many autographs to sign),  Did I want to run for attention (might make some children cry) ,  or did I just want to have fun?

At Palos Verdes I would have a good a chance to defend my title.  The Race would be short,  I would have family support, it wouldn't cost much money and I could sleep in my own bed.


If I ran Bare to Breakers (bare to breakers Naked) I would be part of history the "100th anniversary"  I could work on my sun tan and get damn #3 off leg.  (maybe go to jail for indecent exposure) I'm not as unihibited as I would like to be and running in a race like this I think would help me grow as a person.  I would have to spend money on travel. and what happens when I finish the race naked in the cold?  Would I end up wrapping my junk in newspaper and buy a $5 I love San Francisco  t-shirt? (how would I carry $5) Whatever Perhaps I'll figure this out next year.


Born to run (barefoot)
A barefoot friendly 100k was hard to resist.  Held only a few hours from my house on private trails how could I say no.  The pictures of the course looked beautiful.  My fellow Lunatics would be running. Friends from all of the world would be attending. Cost would not be an issue and this would be a great oppertunity to do something I had never done before.  From a social aspect this seemed like the logical choice.


 I offically signed up 3 weeks ago

10 days prior to the event my body was feeling pretty damn good I had come off a nice 100 plus mile week barefoot and was ready to go.  On this particular day I only had a few minutes to go running  so hit up the track and busted out a barefoot 10k in just over 33 minutes without really trying (Stoked)
but
the next morning my right foot was pretty damn sore (Doh)

I had planned on putting in about 100 more miles over the next 7 days but all running had to be immediately sidelined..

In the mean time I took a few nice ladies to a baseball game

Mothers day.
(we got some pretty awesome hats I must say)

My sister and the boys came came to

(you see theses photo's really have no reason for being in this post, I use them as a way of balancing out my stupid antics by showing you I'm really a family guy at heart)
Do you buy it?

And then I was back at the stadium 2 days later for a world record
Most dumb asses wearing wrestling masks at one time over 40,000.  I think the previous record was 17.
(if ever there was a day to streak the field and get away with it that was the day.)

After about 5 days with little to no running I needed to test my foot and I was also fiending for some Disc golf. 
I figured jogging a few rounds barefoot at El Dorado would give me a decent barometer of where I was at.  Less than 2 hours later I finished my 7th round and I felt pretty good.
Until the next morning

Wednesday 

When I woke Up my right lower calf was throbbing when I put any weight on it.  Not sure of the severity I through some ice on it  and bumped up my intake of anti inflammatory fruits and vegis.  I also wore a brace for the next few days and decided to not to run again until the race.

Thursday

Time to relax.  As comfy as I look I would rather be running on the beach.

I started off reading Infinite Jest on my Kindle but that meant I had to keep my eyes open.  Instead I turned on the speaker and passed out to the stupefying sounds of the Gogol Bordello.


Evetually I was woken up by my neighbors friend.  She joined me in the Hammock for a little while and even gave me a foot massage (sweet girl) In exchange for her kindness I promised her FREE BEER,  under one condition  she had to drink it at my place :)
(I am such a nice guy)

Friday


Barefoot Ted and his girlfriend Leah flew in to LAX.  It was my plan to pic them up at the Airport but at the last second my buddy Christian decided he wanted to be the designated soccer mom and offered to to shuttle us around. (thanks dude I hate driving)

Once we got Ted and Leah we jammed straight up the highway to the starting line.  Ted and a few other Barefoot and Born to Run celebrities were supposed to give a talk around 4 p.m.

after getting through the front gate
we
 were greeted with some delightful people

I was totally jealous of this dude's skirt.
(did I really just type that oh well, C'est la vie)

This dude was really enthusiastic he told me that after finishing the book Born to Run hew headed straight outside for his first barefoot run, 13 miles.
(right on)

. What now?  I only brought a limited amount of Stone Ales.  I guess we should drink what what he have and see where it takes us.

A quick scan of the surrounding environment and I could tell this course would not be Barefoot friendly.  It seems that the when the race director thought going barefoot might be feasible the course was lush with green weeds.  By now the weeds had turned brown  exposing a trail covered coarse rocks.

My original plan was to go out Barefoot carrying my sandals.  I had hoped to run at about an 8:30 pace barefoot for as long as could and only use my Luna's if my feet were getting too beat up.  On this terrain even 8:30 mile would be tough. Maybe it was time to reevaluate my game plan.


The Guru of Barefoot running  "Barefoot Ken Bob"spoke a few words.  And signed copies of his book

2 of my best friends.  El Mono and Cerveza

Then it was Barefoot Ted's turn
Race instructions from Luis Escobar 
 "The course is two 10 mile loops  each with 2 aid stations, first loop follow Pink ribbons second loop follow yellow ribbons.  Ribbons should on your left side except for when they are on your right."

Luis was an awesome race director who provided the race with it's own vibe  unlike any ultra I have ever run in. I had never met Luis before he had very Avant-garde approach to things which I totally respect.

The most important thing he had to tell us was:

"No Pooping on the trail!"
Repeat after me
"No Pooping on the trail!"

Oh well
(sticker on the back of mannequin at starting line)

The Stone Ale was doing it's job and dissapeared in a heartbeat.  It's a good thing Stone does not advertise.


Soon after I ran into Mariposa (looking good grandma) and Barefoot Benny who traveled all the way from Israel 

The Beer was gone (I saved one bottle for after the race)
and
I was still thirsty

Time to get out the Boozenoculars
(beer goggles are for light weights)


What is that I see?


Eureka!  Free booze :)
Uh oh!

Caballo, myself, Burke, Ben, Mariposa, Jen, and the Coyote
What a slut!  I'm talking about the mannequin of course.

I met a lot of cool people that night. Most of them I don't remember their names (I blame the alcohol) everyone pretty much went to their tents at reasonable hour.  Christian I were still sitting around drinking some libations when we realized everyone was gone. 
 (I guess sleep is important before running 100km)


I went to bed feeling good, and optimistic about the day ahead.  I woke up about every half hour  to the sounds of wild animals outside (a certain El Mono snoring in the tent next to mine) .  Then at 4:45 a.m. Luis Escobar our race director was kind enough to blast music on the P.A. system  so loud you could'nt hear yourself fart.


This song song has been filling the void between my ears for the last week eating away at what little brain cells I have left.

Bookis and I bright an early in the morning minus the bright part.

Time to get this show on the road.

Spiky Flora

As much as I wanted to go barefoot, on this course there was no reason for it.  My pipe dream of a sub 10 hour barefoot 100k would be nearly impossible Unless I was being chased by police K-9's
I pretty had made my decision the night before.  If I laced up in my Original Luna's I would be faster than in My Equus's which I had only planned on using because the Elastiszed leather allows them to go instantly on me feet.
I registered for the Minimalist division but technically I don't think I qualified do to the fancy gps watch I was wearing.

Doh a deer.
Spotted 10 mins before the race
I think the dear were laughing at the few runners who attempted the trail barefoot.  The ground seemed much softer up where they were grazing, less rocks and more weeds to step on.

After a few words from a drunk chicken and a blast from a shot gun .

 the 1st Annual Born to Run Ultramarathon
was underway

From the starting line I jumped out to about a 7minute pace the course was pretty flat with a few hills.  I think about 4 or people went out in front of me and I was fine with that.  62 miles is along  way + there were four different races going on at once and I figured they were probably ll in the 10mile or 50km division.  The weather was cool and I kept relaxed pace as I tried to get my blood to pump the numbness out of my finger tips and toes.  The scenery was beautiful and my legs felt good.  I was hoping Christian would run with me but he was hanging out about a minute behind.



This cat was manning the first aid station.  
(we had done trail work together a few years ago for the AC100)

I was cruising no reason to stop one bottle of water was perfect for the first 10 miles.

What the hell is that thing on chest?
(gotta make them sponsors happy)

I clocked my first 10k at about 44 minutes which felt like a safe pace for the time being.  Perhaps there were a few hills that I may walk late in the race but the course was not technical and pretty easy to go fast on.

The terrain was absolutly horrible for barefoot running I had made the right descision to lace up my Luna's


It was a lonely road. In general it sucks to be out near the front. The course is less defined by footsteps and there are fewer people to follow when navigation gets tricky.
A few minutes later The biggest hawk I've ever seen with over a 4 foot wing span swooped down on the trail picking up a large grey squirrel for breakfast
 (better him than I thought)

I went straight through the 2nd aid station and was fast approaching the parking lot where the race began about a 1/2 mile away.  On my way back I saw one runner coming back up the hill I wasn't sure if he was in the 50km or the 100km but he was about 5minutes ahead of me.  I figured he was going the right direction.  The path had both yellow and pink ribbons on my left side but they were on his right  (strange).  I past a photographer and a few other people as the parking lot neared.  There was a bunch of yellow flags on the ground showing telling me to turn into the lot but I was on the pink lap and their were no flags of that color. (arg) Perhaps there was another path  a ways down the path I didn't know.  I yelled back at the the people I had just passed asking "if I turn or not?" but got no answer.

I gambled by heading into the lot without a pink flag and was right.  First lap done.  From here nobody told me where to go.  Since I had seen the dude in front of me coming from the way I had just came and their were yellow flags along the path I retraced my steps.  Now the yellow flags on the the ground leading me into the parking lot made sense. They were their to lead me back the way i came on the start of the second lap, I thought (Big mistake I would find out later).  about a 100 yards up I saw a race photographer. I wanted his confirmation that I was going the right way but he was as unsure of the course as I.

I cruised up the hill passing the other runners as they descended to the aid station.  Eventually I got to a junction with Yellow flags on the left and proceeded to climb.  I was running well and feeling good.  This part of the course contained some great single track trails.  Not the greatest for sandals but I enjoyed it none the less.
(me going the wrong way p they hill trying to get directions from the camera guy who had No idea where to go)

at the 10 mile mark I only had a couple minute lead on the dudes behind me But now I was all by myself.  I was attributing this to my Hermes like speed (lol) but in actuality I had unknowingly cut 2.5 miles off the course.
I had no clue we would be using the same aid station's on each lap and eventually I found myself running past the old bearded guy again.  at about the 7 mile mark of the second loop the trail looked very familiar.  I was headed back down to the starting line.  That's odd I only passed one aid station?  Was my GPS not tracking well in the hills?  Maybe I was running 6 minute miles not 7.  Anyhow I got down the hill and and to the aid station 2.5 miles sooner than I expected.

 Unsure of the path I had chosen I asked Luis if the I was supposed to head on the second lap the way I came in.  He told me "Yes"

Sweet!
This gave me a big boost of energy it turns out I wasn't lost and I was off and flying.  The course was tracking short and delusions of grandeur danced through my head.  I got passed the first aid station and was quickly  approaching the second one.

In the back of my head I had remembered seeing yellow flags near it which I never passed during the second loop.  When I got their I asked if they were supposed to be the first aid station of the second lap? They weren't sure but I was.  I asked if they had a map of the course I check out but they were not provided with one. They were real nice and one of them even offered me a banana from their private stash

(*@5;'*;)
Darn it

I climbed a short hill then headed back down to the starting line finishing Lap 3 about 5 minutes slower that I did the first time around.

When I got o the aid station I told Luis that I must have skipped part of the course during lap 2.  By this time He had figured it out to.  He was more than gracious and told me he would find away for me to tack on some miles at the end of the race to make my finish official.  But to me that meant I was running a different race than everyone else putting me out of contention among the people who ran it correctly.

Entering the 4th lap I was running frusterated. The race was over. I went from the exhilaration of being the leader to being the bone head. What did I have to prove? Why was I still running? I was still unsure of where I had taken the wrong path.  But this time when I left the parking lot the answer was obvious.

Obvious because they now had a guy navigating people and a bunch more yellow flags and ribbons added since I passed that same spot during my second lap.

Oh well time to see what had I missed out on earlier.  45 minutess prior I felt like I could run all day. Now my moral was beaten and pain began to creep into my foot.  I really wasnt tired but my foot began to feel extremly sore.  I began to hobble an old dude with a walker could have passed me at the pace I was going.  I was having my own personal pity party  and no longer felt like running (what a weenie).  Eventually the course met up with the path I had taked earlier.   I decided to cruise back to the strating line and call it a day. This way I would have offically ran the entire 50k course (slightly out of order) plus and additional mile 2 miles back and forth up the wrong path.  

Once at the starting line there was still a 1/2 mile out and back I had to run to complete the 50k.  Here I was joined by buddy Bookis who was just starting his third lap. It was the first time all day I got to run with anyone and it was nice to have some company.  The way back I began to sprint but then found that silly and coasted into the finish line.   

I had ran 2 extra miles and was the second person to cross the finish line (long after the winner had arrived.) The 50k course is extremely fast and perhaps next year I will learn from mistakes. Their were coarse maps online that maybe I should have studied prior to the event. but looking at them now I think I still would have taken the wrong path. 
Ultimately taking the wrong path was my own damn fault and I have nobody to blame but myself.  It happens to somebody at just about every race.  I guess it was my turn and hopefully my buffoonery  caused the addition of more makers so others would not make my mistake.

The only thing I could have changed my outcome would have been to run slower during the first lap to avoid being the guinea pig.
(Something I will keep in mind for future trail races)
Probably not :)

On the bright side I didn't was done and din't have to keep running for the next 5 hours.
:)
Luis and I 

After stumbling and bumbling my way to the finish.  I thanked Luis for his hard work.
as I drank my final
Arrogant Bastard

Oh well I'll live to race another day.
Time to root on my Friends!

Leah and  Barefoot Ted

About an hour later up strolled Barefoot Ted and Leah.  They both did one lap barefoot together and then did  another lap mostly barefoot.

14 years old Ultramarathon Finisher
One of the coolest things about the whole event was this little dude.  He had come all the way from Canada to race (There you must be 18 to run).
He ran with exceptional form and completed the entire 50k course.
What a stud!

and then there's this guy

Rumor was some dude was running the race in  Shape Ups?

Maybe if Christian had ran with eyes open he would have got first instead of second?
I know that's pretty big statement coming from a dumb ass who took the wrong path (eyes open) 
but 
This my blog and I can say all stupid crap I want.

Christian had a goal of sub 10 hours and finished in 9:45 he looked strong the whole way and I was proud of my friend.

only one dude would finish the 50k barefoot

It took him over 12 hours to do it and when I saw him out the course he looked more like a prisoner of war than a runner.  My hat goes off to the dude for his determination to get it done.

In hind sight I probably should have ran Palos Verdes.  Which I will do next year. Hopefully the dates don't over lap I will run Born to Run  and Bay to Breakers  as well.  Although things did not go my way I would highly recommend the Born to Run Ultramarthon.  Luis Escobar is one cool dude and I can't wait to cheer him on out at Badwater this summer.

Thank you to Luis, Mr. Chamberlon and all the other people who helped make this event happen.


and that is the story of how another magnet made it on the fridge.