Bourbon Feet

Redondo beach Superbowl 10k 2012

2012-02-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

What better way to start out a day than by running a few races with some debauchery thrown in between

The last 2 years I ran in both the Super bowl 5k and 10k.

The 10k starts exactly one hour after the 5k begins. One of the perks of running in the event is free beer. Not the all you can drink type that Stone offers at the San Dieguito Race (Next weekend 2/12/12 ) but a couple of Michelob ultra's.

(If you can you really call that beer?)

Both years I ran straight through the finishline and and pounded my beers as fast I could. A couple fizzy yellow beers between races really had no effect on me.

After the 10k I had to go and open my big mouth to a local reporter that maybe I should try a six pack instead

(Great idea Pat! )

I forgot all about this but my friend the reporter did not. When I came up with idea I was not sponsored by Stone.

Might as well give it a try, and since that fizzy yellow beer is for wussies I'll be drinking

Stone IPA 6.9 ABV

Yikes!

My walet was pretty damn empty as usual and I needed to find a way into both races. If I couldn't I had a back up opportunity to pace a 3:05 group at the surf City marathon held the same day.

Lucky for me

My friends at the Village Runner were kind enough to sponsor my entry to the event. They are the premiere running store in the South Bay and I was stoked to be running for them.
(Is it possible to be both the village runner and the village idiot at the same time? We shall see.)

They also happened to be one of the events sponsors.

So how's my health you ask?

I thought I had gotten over my shin splint and that is why I did the Super Spartan race the week prior. On that occasion it felt great Unfortunately for me earlier this week it began to hurt again. I decided to take it easy Thursday Friday ans Saturday before the event.

Saturday Race Expo

Both of my nephews and my sister would be running in the 5k which would make things a lot more fun. Even Grandma (my mom) was gonna come down and watch

(although I don't suppose she was too proud of my decision to drink a six pack)
Any time spent with the family
Is time well spent!

At the expo we did our best to loosen up our muscles.

My Nephew Lucas tried to teach us some tricks

but Thomas and I were pretty hopeless.

I also gotta hang out with my buddy Jeff from village runner

We grabbed a bite to eat at Ruby's which was in same parking lot. While there Lucas proudly showed me his art work an the wall.

The weather was freaking beautiful so we headed to the beach to go sledding.

A little frisbee was in the cards as well.
Nice diving catch dude!

Pretty sad that I'm the smart one in the family.
(at least on this day)
Nobody else worth their bathing suits

That did'nt stop my nephews from going for a swim

We all felt pretty good and were excited about the race cumming up the next morning.

Lucas felt so good he decided to play some music for us.

February in Southern California is pretty rough.

Race Day

We arrived to the race at the crack of dawn to get parking. It was warm in the car so we stayed there until the dog started farting. "Wait a second there's no dog in the van?"

(SHHH don't tell!)

Costume contest

Easiest costume ever.

No costume for me just staying comfy in my PJ's

They must be from Hermosa Beach

Lucas loves Panda's

Defenders of the Ale

These dudes didn't even know there was a costume contest, a race or that it was even Superbowl Sunday. What I like about them is that instead of dressing like the usual frat house fizzy beer warrior they actual chose a few craft beers. Notice the Stone Ale breast plate, and shield.

Time To Race

I lined up near the front as usual. A few kid's snuck in front of me but I didn't really care. I wasn't feeling all that confident and my belly was growling for some food.

Normally before a race even a short one I have about 500-1,000 calories for breakfast. Everything I read says not to do this so I only had about 300. I was starving but I wanted to see if it would help.

"Nope"

I took off pretty fast as ususal and held the lead for the first 1/2 mile before getting passed by some old dude who was running really strong. As for me I didn't really have any gusto in my tank. A couple other dude's jumped in front of me and we flip flopped positions cruising along,

while

the old dude ran away with the win.

It was a race I could of won on a good day.

but

"You get what you get and you don't get upset."

I strolled into the finish line finishing in 3rd place out of 3,151 finishers
with
a sore shin.
Time to drink

By the time I got to my beer's (about 45 seconds after finishing the race) they were pretty warm. My plan of pounding them in about 7 minutes would be tough.

The first beer took longer than expected taking over 15 seconds
(Much more difficult than during my beer mile)

Nooo!

In my rush to open the second on I snapped the top of the bottle off.
(an inauspicious sign of things to come).

Fizzy yellow beer may be for wussies but drinking glass in the third grade!

Tangent:

Back when I was about 8 or 9 years old myself and few friends stumbled upon a 12 pack of Budweiser in the bushes at Sand dune park. This was back before they had twist off caps. We were pretty nieve kids, we weren't excited about finding the beer because we wanted to get drunk, we only knew we weren't supposed to have it which made that much more enticing. Nobody had a bottle opener so we opened them the old fashion way?

Yep we smashed the tops of the bottles off on a rock and hurried to get the warm foaming beer into our mouths glass and all.
"Aah, the good old days!"

I'm not as tough as I used to be when I was 8.
I decided against drinking that beer. ( if I had some kind of filter I probably would have.) Now I was totally out of my rhythm and only had five beers to drink. I drank beer number 2 and 3 pretty slow realizing maybe this was not such a good idea.

I was taking longer than expected on beer 4 and I had wanted to see my family finish the race. By now it had been almost a half an hour since the race had began .

I figured my nine year old nephew to come in between 28 and 35 minutes

Way to go Thomas!

I asked him what his time was but he had no clue. He looked like he given it his best effort and I was totally proud of the little dude.

Then he pulled up his shorts showing me his right knee coverd in blood. (My heart went out to the kid) then I saw his other knee covered in blood and finally his left hand witch was also dripping with blood (poor guy)

since his shorts were rubbing on his knees he had to run the second holding them above his wounds. Still finishing in 29:00 a new PR.

I guess sometime during the second mile he took a spill. (he didn't know what to and had nowhere to meet his family till the finish line) He sucked it up and ran an awesome race. I could tell he wanted to cry but toughed it out
(In no way would I have thought less of him if he did!)

I took him the medical station to get cleaned up .Thomas never complained and the medical crew were really friendly and helpful.

I love that you want to follow in your Uncle's footsteps although I wish you wouldn't shed blood like he does.

While I helped thomas Grandma went off to watch my other nephew finish.

Way to go Lucas!! You totally beat your mom with that sprint to finishline

Good job sis! and Nice Shoes.

What happened to the Panda hat?

Mom's can make everything feel better.

By now it was a about 10 minutes till the 10k was about to start. I had only drank 4 beers when I remembered that I was entitled to 2 free Michelob ultra's. I sprinted about a 1/4 mile to the beer garden pounded the beers in about 30 seconds then ran to the Village Runner tent to switch my bibs. By the time I meandered my way throught the masses of people to the the front of the starting line I only had about 3 minutes to spare.

There I ran into my buddy John Megeff. I had decent buzz going and I'm sure John couldn't wait to get away from my drunken babble.

On your marks, Get set BURP!

Unlike usual I did not take off flying. Running at about a 5:45 pace I was surrounded by people I knew. I exchanged pleasantries with at least 10 of them.

"Pat this isn't social hour this is a race. Focus Damn it!"

My pace was all over the place depending on when I burped. 5 people would pass me then I'd burp and go zooming past them down hill screaming "wee."

My performance was pretty crappy but at least I was having fun. That is until halfway through the second mile my shin really began to throb.

Just before reaching the third the third mile I took off my bib and walked off the course. Finishing the race wouldn't have proved anything to myself. I was frustrated by the injury but not upset with my decision to withdraw.

I took a short cut back to the finish line to rejoin my family whom were staring at the course wondering why I hadn't come in yet. By now 45 minutes had passed and they had expected me much sooner.

I snuck up behind my nephew and asked "Has Uncle Pat come in yet?"

Without turning his head he answered in a disappointed voice " No he hasn't."
Not knowing it was me that asked the question.

I gave him a rub on the head and got a huge smile when he turned around.
:)
"Come on guys let's go get some free beer."

ICE COLD

Unlike normal beers I think you only have to be 5 years old to drink Michelob ultra
(too bad Lucas forgot to open it)

Nice Jersey

Nice Pat"riots" shirts
I have been a Patriot fan for about 20 years (ever since I found out there was a team called the Pat's)

Just before leaving the event I headed back to the Village Runner booth to thank them once again for their support.

I love the village runner so much I wear their shirt backwards to display a bigger logo. Because of this beautiful women came from far and wide to embrace me.
(Well, at least one did)
:)

Just a couple of classy dudes drinking some world class beer.

Conclusion

Although a lot of things went awry, racing wise it wasn't my best day, both my nephew and I got banged up and my team lost the Superbowl.
But
Tomorrow is another day for something great our wounds will heal and baseball season is just 40 something days away.
(Go Angel's)

and most importantly
As I mentioned earlier in this post

"Any time spent with the family
Is time well spent!"

Super Spartan

2012-02-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

Early last year I got a random phone call from some foreign dude that I could barely understand. He was promoting a new series of events call the Spartan Race. They were halfway through the season with one man dominating the series and they were looking for some studs to take him down.

(how they got my phone number I don't know?)

I was flattered but if you look up "Stud" in the phone book your gonna find the opposite of me.

Maybe they had accidentally looked up

"Smug"?

My schedule was packed and all their events were on the East Coast that time of the year.

I had forgot all about the series until I had brief encounter with another one of their reps, this cool dude Anthony that I met last December at The Running Event in Austin. He gave me his card and he said if I ever wanted to run a spartan race he'd hook me up.

"Pretty Freaking Cool "

FAST FORWARD TO THE NEAR PRESENT DAY

About 2 weeks ago I noticed an event was coming up in Temecula. Which happens to be relatively close to the Stone Brewery and I was running low on rations.

I called up Anthony and not only did he say he could hook me up he said I could bring a few friends.

"Sweet"

My friends Shacky and Vanessa were interested

and I could crash at their place.

I decided to make a weekend out of it. Disc golf and Brewery Friday, and then get down to business the following morning.

What is a Spartan?

SPARTAN CODE

A Spartan pushes their mind and body to their limits.
YES,Mind body and Liver
A Spartan masters their emotions.
Nope, I shed a few tears when Bambi's mom got shot.
A Spartan learns continuously.
YES, and I still got a lot of room left in the old noggin.
A Spartan gives generously.
YES, I got entries for Shacky and Vanessa.
A Spartan leads.
MAYBE, Will see come Race day
A Spartan stands up for what they believe in, no matter the cost.

YES, No reason not to

A Spartan knows their flaws as well as they know their strengths.
YES, But not by choice
A Spartan proves themselves through actions, not words
NOPE, Because if I typed the word "YES" that would contradict the answer

A Spartan lives every day as if it were their last.

YES, That's why I eat so many damn Avocado's

Final Grade

D+

I almost got a passing grade

What is a Spartan race?

It's a trail run full of mud, fire, barbed wire, and god buff dude's beating you up with giant cue tips.

The race I was entering was a Super Spartan event. 8.5 miles and 28 obstacles.

Looks like fun to me.

Friday morning I played disc golf at Goat hill and then at Monteil park
(my way of tapering)
before heading over to Stone.

I had been in telecommuncations black hole all day. I forgot Shacky's phone number and he only had my home line.

I was sitting at the bar enjoying a Habanero Ruination Ale. When out of the corner of my eye I spot my friend Jason Robillard and his wife Shelly.

They had been touring the country promoting minimalist running. I had last saw them at Across the Years. I knew they were coming to San Diego but had no clue they would be at the Stone Brewery at the very same time I was there.

A tour was about to begin so I scored us some passes to take a look behind the scenes I think this is the 6th time I've taken the tour. Its always fun and they give your free beer afterwards.
(that's what makes it fun, Duh)
:)

That vat holds enough beer for a six pack a day for the next 70 years. I wonder if I'll still be running for Stone by then?

"probably"

Eventually it was time head over to Vanessa and Shacky's. Lucky for me Jason knew had both their phone number and address.

"Synchronicity my friends"

How am I gonna get that in my car?

Hmm.

A perfect fit

Jason and Shelly met me over at Shacky at Vanessa's home. Where Shacky and Jason helped me unload a few six packs from my car.

It was a good day and a fun night that ended way to early!

(side note)

Shacky and Vanessa are freaking lounge lizards, the second they enter thier home they switch into their pajamas and are ready for bed.

I guess sleep is good . Tomorrow I shall become a Spartan!

We arrived at the race around 8:00 I payed the $10 for parking and then hiked about a mile to the starting line
I kept messing with Vanessa warning her about the electric fences she would have to avoid.
(there are no electric fences)

The competition was full of Cross Fit paleo eating Yahoo's. Most of the dudes were pretty ripped (No offense to you if you do Cross fit and are not a Yahoo). Their biceps looked like obeese camel's, mine closer resembled a snake whom had ate a baby mouse sometime last week.

Maybe I'm not cut out to be a Spartan?

"Perhaps I value the ability to pick nose way too much."

It was the total opposite vibe than at an Ultra.

Most Ultra Marathons are filled with unassuming old people that you don't really expect too much out of. Then halfway through the race you notice half of them are kicking your butt and they haven't even broken a sweat.

Here at the Spartan race there was a must of testosterone in the air. Most of the competitors were between 18-35 years old. They were not scrawny like the runners I usually associate with. Nearly everyone looked like they went to the gym (Some of them had forgot to use the treadmill). and most of the women were easily strong enough to beat me up.

They even had an air ambulance there.

"Pretty hardcore"

After scoping the scene for a few moments I found my buddy Anthony who was hooking us up for the event.

The elites were just about to go off at 9:00a.m. it was too late to get into that wave and even the 9:30a.m. wave would be pushing it since. most of our gear was still in the car, so we optioned for the 10 :00 a.m. start time.

Anthony couldn't have been cooler he got us signed up and then introduced me to influential people in charge of the race. I'm hoping that I can repay the favor by helping to make the Stone Brewing Company become one of their sponsors.

(It makes more sense than dial?)

Vanessa Shacky and I watched as about 300 runners took off in the 9:30a.m. wave.

I especially liked watching that cross fit girl in the pink top.

Good luck dude's

I had wanted to wear Luna's but since the course had a lot of mud I figured my Vibram Kso Treks would be a more viable option.

I lined up right in front next to a few kids in their 20's they looked pretty fit (possible military) and I didn't know if I could keep up. The weather was getting warm my mouth was dry and I was maybe a little dehydrated from the night before.

Time to Become a Spartan

I took off running at fast pace. the course ran along the side of dirt mountain for about a half mile before hitting a single track trail. I was running hard but 2 dudes jumped out in front of me. As we climbed for another half mile one of them relented as we crested the ridge. A few 100 yards later I took the lead.

I was getting really thirsty. There was a dude right on my ass as we distanced ourselves from the rest of the pack screaming up and down the trail for the next 2 miles.

At about mile three we got to the first of the obstacles and also caught up with the stragglers from the 9:30 wave. We climbed over and under a few walls over some hay bails over a zigzagged balance beam.and probably did a few other things but at point I was still pretty much sprinting and didn't take time to think about was I doing I just did it.

Finally I got to a water station a grabbed too cups and was out of there feeling like a new man.

Then we hit the barb wire. It was about 40 yards stretch of the stuff and my body took a beating. By the time I exited it the kid that was behind me was now in the lead by about 10 seconds

When we got to the next hill the course started to get congested. It was steep narrow single track trail filled with cross fit people that were already too tired to run.

"Come on people didn't you know what you getting yourself into?"

I passed about 20 of them on the climb but my pace was deffinetly impeded by the foot traffic. Never the less I was catching up to the leader.

Eventually we made our way back to where the race began.

(the unofficial halfway point)

There was another water station which and I really wanted to grab a quick sip but the kid in front did not stop so neither did I.

That turned out to be pretty stupid

when we got to the next obstacle. Where you must toss a spear into target or do 30 burpees.

There was a line of about 10 people and the volunteers had stopped everyone while they collected all the arrant spears. About 3 minutes went by as I ached to get back to business. My lead over the other competitors in my wave was disappearing.fast and there was nothing I could do about it.

Once they got the all the spears it only took a few seconds till it was my turn.

I tilted the back up a little to high and totally missed as did about 90% of the others.

(I'm blaming it on the wind.)

Good news though the kid in front of me also missed and nobody else from my wave snuck in front of me

This was the first time I had ever done a Burpee my form was horrible. It was not fun and I could tell a lot of people around me were not doing all thirty. I wasn't there to cheat, I did my best and finished at the exact time as the kid.

The next obstacle was a 60ft wide wall with a few grips on it that you had to cross. if you fall 30 more Burpees. The vibrams gripped it well and with my lanky arms and legs I had taken the lead by the time I finished it.

Over halfway done my body felt great other than a cuts I suffered from the barbwire crawl. Next up we had to fill a bucket with about 40lbs of sand and carry it up and down a hill. It was heavy and awkward but I found groove with it on my shoulder. I was surrounded by buff dudes who were struggling, either too fatigued from the run or too ignorant to carry it in an intelligent fashion. Everyone was walking but not me I was Jogging (very slowly).

My lead was growing and trail became more and more packed with people walking. I should have signed up for 9 a.m. and these slow pokes in front of me should have started later in the day.

Next up we had to carry a tire over about a 500 foot loop on the trail. While others walked

"I ran."

The competition from earlier heats was dropping like flies. Almost all of the obstacles required upper body strength and my arms were size of most of the dudes wrists. With what little muscles I did have combined with adrenaline I had plenty enough strength to endure the challenges ahead..

I plowed through a bunch more obstacles like dragging a big piece of cement through mud, cargo net and crawled through a net tunnel. My lead grew and I never saw the kid behind me again. The single track trail was becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. Not only was passing the 9:30 wave now I had to deal with the 9:00a.m. wave as well. In total I passed around 200 people which added multiple minutes to my finishing time.

But to the credit of the people I did pass every single one of the was gracious and left me sneak by when I asked and I thanked them for that courtesy. Yes it was a pain in the ass but it could have been a lot worse.

(I'm getting board typing so I'll abbreviate the rest of the race, maybe I'll add it later)

More barb wire, rope climb (fail 30 burpees) mud, more mud, fire, buff dudes beating me up, wall climb, more mud. etc, etc... Finish line

I charged hard till the end and finished first in my wave proving

that even a dude with Dr. Seuss arms can be a Spartan.

Shacky had to drop early. He was in a good mood and I was stoked to see him at the finish line

They had showers but they were busted so I jumped in the lake.

The water was crystal clear before I entered it.

As Vanessa neared the finish line She looked stronger than the buff dudes huffing and puffing all around her. Good thing shes not dude because she totally would have gotten nailed in the nuts.

Way to go Chicka?

I'm proud of you!

Afterwards I tried too get in a little redemption chucking the spear.

(good form and trajectory but I missed wide right)

I must of hit a tomato.

(thank god I missed the beer)

So how did I place overall?

Unbeknownst to me only the 9:00 and 9:30 waves were eligible for awards.

DoH!

And they didn't have to put up with as much traffic out on the course.

I went to check my time but since I entered the event the day of the race my name did not come up my Chip said I finished in 1:48 minutes as the 4th place woman?

(no women ended up finishing that fast)

Strange?

The timing people told me they would have my time resolved by that evening and it would be put on the web.

But that is yet to happen. My fingers are still crossed

Results

I believe my time was fast enough to win the open division and would have been 5th or 6th in Elite.

I think I could have shaved off about 10 minutes if I had started in the 9:00a.m. I was surprised by how much an event like this favors a runner over a weight trainer. If the race were twice as long I think I would have fared better. The Spartan champion Hobie Call is a sub 2:17 marathoner who has enough upper body strength to dominate the competition.

Perhaps if I start doing a few push ups I can grow up to be a Spartan and give him a run for his money someday!
(i had to stealthy sneak this helmet off the table and put it back without anyone noticing)

Who really cares about results anyway?

The event was free and I had a fun time with some great friends.

Plus

Ifound $14 bucks blowing in the wind just before leaving

Can you say best day ever?

The whole event had a cool vibe to it and if your sick of the usual 5k or half marathon's you've been running I highly suggest you give the Spartan Races a try.

"Thanks for hooking a brother up Anthony"

Bonus Material For those who made it all the way to the end of this post.

If you made it this far you might like this article about some

dumb ass

The Shoeless Wonder

A great day to be alive!

2012-01-21T20:08:00.000-08:00

I had one of the best runs of of my life tonight

and

it was neither long nor fast.

The wind was howling when I hit the soft sand about an hour before sunset. The beach looked alive as waves in the sand formed covering my tracks seconds after I left each footprint. It felt like I was on another planet other than the countless seashells fighting to hold their ground against the wind bringing my back to Earth. Time seemed slow down as floated in the air suspended by the breath of god I was headed into. I was in no hurry and this gave me more time to be in the present. As I ran I could feel the sting of sand blowing off the ground letting me know I was still alive and not in some distant dreamland. Each snot rocket I blew was 30 feet behind me before it even detached. I wore no Headphones but instead ran singing aloud for only my ears to hear. I was pretty much alone out there except for the occasional seagull either stubbornly flying backwards or forward at an ungodly speed. The surf rats were driven home by turbulent seas and the few people I saw walking on the beach all greeted me with a smile. Soon before the sun disappeared I turned back. I felt like a flying Squirrel gliding through the air. With this wind, even if I was standing still I could still do a six minute mile. After one of the best sunsets I had ever seen the skies got even more beautiful. Clouds from a morning storm held the colors of the suns rays lighting my path with a spectrum of light long after the sun dipped below the horizon. I finished my run the same way it began, with a big old grin on my face

I can't wait to do it again tomorrow

Avalon Benefit 50 Mile Run 2012

2012-01-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

Catalina or Bust

Avalon Benefit 50 mile Run 2012

Would you trust me behind the bar?

It had been my radar for the way too long the perfect course for

Luna Sandals and I had high hopes of running faster than I ever had before. For Beach bum like myself racing on a small island is ideal. It's very fast course full of fire roads and short climbs. If your a trail snob who loves getting brushed by poison oak on tight single track trails this is not the course for you.

The site of my first 50 Miler back in 2008

I was such a naive young runner!

(as opposed to the naive old cripple I have become)

In 2009 I missed out because I was Scuba diving in Mexico and Last year I ran the Calico 50k instead that same day.

At Calico I told Barefoot Ted we need to run Catalina next year!

Where exactly is Catalina you Ask?

Ted has great love for the Palos Verdes Peninsula and (so do I) About 20 miles off the coast lies a Island that resembles chunk of the peninsula that broke away. Mostly uninhabited other than small town of Avalon (pop 3,728) on one side and the much smaller village of Two Harbors (pop 150) on the other. The island home to many Indigenous California plants and also has a herd of buffalo that roam it freely.

See that rock just past my pier? That's the northern tip of the island

Let's do it.
The trip was planned and it turns out we were even gonna be joined by our buddy Reese whom we befriended at Leadville. I believe she has since become some kind of movie star?
(The video is okay but the dancing at the end is priceless)

Well life doesn't always go as planned. I've been suffering from an Injury occurred on New Years Eve at Across the Years. January 8th was the first day I tried running again. I made in half a mile. Two days later I could run 1.5 miles. and the day before I was to leave to the island I almost got to 3 miles before the pain set in.
For the past few weeks I have been forced into a life of
C.R.I.M.E.

Compression, Rest, Ice, Massage, Elevate

Not listening to my body got me into this predicament you'd think I'd learned my lesson but a few delusional thoughts still lingered in my brain.

"I was getting stronger, 50 miles isn't much farther than 3, right?
If only I didn't have to use my left leg?

The Hamster in my brain began to spin out all kinds of ideas

A three legged race perhaps?

(sidenote: the dude in the center is are new friend Javier who was running is first 50 milers and finished 6th, Way to go dude)

What about the fans would they be okay with that?

As much as I wanted to make it happen it turns out both Reese and I had bunk left legs so if we were to go the three legged route it we'd be be running in circles and I might spill my beer. Plus the Hooker boot I found on the beach used to equalize our height discrepancy was a few sizes too small.
I was still game but sadly it didn't work out.

I earned a new nick name this weekend

"Pat Sedentary"

My friend tried to type my name in her phone and auto correct did it's job personifying how I felt.

(I guess it's better than Pat Dysentery)

These the cards I've been dealt for now. Well whoopidee doo!

Time to get our butts over to the island.

We jumped on the Catalina Express out of Long Beach and said good bye to the mainland.

Thanks to Barefoot Ted's clever Afganny Woman disguise were able to avoid both Paparazzi and Zoo keepers.

As we approached the Island we had a few Escorts

Tracey and Laura.

Joining us was a really cool couple that were friends with Ted.
Both of them had chose some most excellent footwear.
It turns out Tracey is a world class Ultra Runner who once ran 250 miles during a 72 hour race.

The view from the place we were staying was pretty rough huh?

The only way you could make it any more beautiful would be to add a hot chick wearing Luna Sandals?

In the immortal words of Barefoot Ted

"Dude"
(thanks Reese)

The starting line was a whole 3 minute walk from our pad

If the fridge could only hold one item I'm glad it was this. Eventually we picked up some avocados so that we had the basic two food groups covered.

Dinner at Luau Larry's

Sadly nobody got their Wiki whacked but I did have a Green Flash I.P.A. (well maybe I had 2)

We cruised back to our pad and crashed out at about 8p.m. so Ted could get some rest.

(I felt like 9 year old)

The night before Tracy (on the right) said was gonna run 20 miles the morning of the race. At 4:30 a.m. freezing cold in bed I asked her if she was still gonna go run? She just smiled.

I had nothing better to do at 5:a.m. so stumbled down to the starting line to wish Ted and others good luck.

In case you didn't know Ted's the one in the Luna ATS sandals. Reese was there to pace Ted but it might be difficult to run 50 miles in those big clunker shoes :)

I told them to enjoy the sunrise and then they were off and running.

Raw raw Sis boomba. I dont think I make a very good cheerleader.

(Standing on the sidelines kind of sucks! Brrr! I'm going bed)

Tangent of Randomness

I get back to the room and snuggled down under a barrage of blankets . Then in what seemed like seconds later someone busts in through the door and headed straight for the kitchen. "What Who Huh." I couldn't figure out what to say. A voice called out "Mary sent me to turn off the hot plate."

who the hell is Mary? I thought.

"I think you got the wrong place but thanks anyway."

(on second thought it was kind of cold I wish she would have turned on the oven)

While I rested Ted and Reese saw this.

(if that aint inspiration to run next year I don't know what is?)

Ted at Mile 37 Looking good

After A lazy morning gorging myself on chips and avocado's I perused down to the finish line to see if my buddy Fabrice could win the race for the second year in a row

And that he did. Way to go Dude!

It was a heart warming moment to witness as Fabrice's beautiful wife shed tears of joy for her beloved while they embraced.

After the race the three top finishers took a dunk in the Pacific together. Congrats to them and all the other participants.

I decided to stroll up the the final 2 miles of the course

The flora was quite Beautiful

And the Fauna was pretty fast

I made sure to stay in view of my home for the weekend so that I wouldn't get lost
(On second though maybe I'm better off getting lost? this place is pretty amazing)

Catalina also happens to be the perfect place to relax in Luna Sandals.

Maybe this "Pat Sedentary" thing aint so bad after all?

After cruising around for awhile I decided to head back to town.

I hadn't had any avocado's in a few hours and was getting hungry a beer was also starting to sound good.

By now it was about 8:30 minutes into the race My friend Annie Seawright was running who I expected around 9 hours Ted was also still out on the course but I didn't expect him to come in until well after 10 hours.

I headed over to the store (bought 3 avocado's a bottle of hot sauce and a beer) and by the time I got back at about 8:50 Annie had snuck through the finish line and was gone.

(doh)

I never got a chance to congratulate her. Perhaps I should go over to facebook and do that right now.

(hold on)

Alright I'm back.

Oh well. I then headed back to the room for 30 minutes to eat my lunch. Reese was back, because of her sore leg she decided to only run 20 miles and then help out at an aid station. I gave her a little kind hearted grief about only running 20 but who was I to talk I hadn't done Squat.

Time to go watch Ted finish.

But

by the time I got back down to the finish line he was already. When did Ted get so damn fast?

Ted gave me his signature pose.
I call it "The Jester"

(To me it always looks like he's pretending to juggle. I'd of drawn in some chainsaws but by now you can probably tell how limited my artistic skills are.)

Philosophical side note:
The Jester is often the smartest man in the room. He is aware of his surroundings and feeds off the pulse of his environment. He dares to different, try new things, make the impossible possible and provide joy to all that are fortunate enough to be in his presence.

Ted looked in amazing shape at the Finish line his Luna ATS was perfect for this course and it was his fastest 50 miler ever!

It took him only34,232 Seconds to go 3,168,000 inches

Amazing!

I was really proud of the dude. Ted has some really exciting plans for this year and I think this race is a good Omen of things to come. Best of luck to you brother!

His feet looked great

What's Teds secret?

Rumor is that each night he spends a few hours stretching his body on the rack.

Come to think of it his legs do look a little longer than I remember.

I really didn't do much that day as far as exercise that day. Night fell and everyone one else seemed pretty tired

I tried feeding my little buddy Reese some Bourbon.

She was a good sport but at three drops she was 2 drops passed her limit.

Her mannerisms were priceless
(and don't worry she's over 21)
:)

about 5 minutes later she was out cold.

to her credit she managed to stay up 30 mins later than the night before.
"8:30 p.m."

"What a rookie."

My final morning there was only one thing left to do?

Embrace all that surrounds me, take a few minutes to enjoy life and be grateful to have the opportunity to be in a place as beautiful as this. Although I couldn't run I had great time with friends both new and old.

Eventually it was time for the tourists to get off this rock

I dig Catalina for all it's worth but I have no quarrels with heading back to the South Bay

The local's were there to see us off.

On the boat ride home Ted and I met this kick ass dude name Rusty. Avalon was his first 50 miler and guess what?

He ran it in Luna Sandal's.

A "rEvolution" is a foot.
Time to embrace your inner Lunacy

Back on the mainland we headed down to my beach for the afternoon where I got in a short run with Reese and played a little frisbee with Ted.

After a little rehab twister at my pad.
Ted headed back to Seattle and Reese to Colorado

Hmm. What's a solitary Lunatic to do?
Vamos a la Playa

Time for me to spin my legs and find my stride

9 miles on Monday and a little over 10 on Tuesday.

It's not where I'd like to be but it's a hell of a lot better than last week. I look forward to whatever comes my way.

So long "Pat Sedentary" it was nice knowing you.

I got my eye on the horizon
and
I'm in something good!

2011 How to get lost, do everything wrong, be successful and find a few smiles along the way

2012-01-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

If you define success by victories racing or what step you're at on the corporate ladder.
Please look somewhere else for your inspiration.

Victories are nice and it's hard to live with out money but all I seek out of life is a smile.

January

I started the year a little banged up

Calico 50k

I crusied through my first trail ultra in Lunas on my B-day

I was poised to star in Luna Sandals the major motion picture
(allbeit a supporting role to a monkey)

February

It started with 2 races on the same day Superbowl Sunday.

I picked up some sponsorship from the fine people at the
Stone Brewing Company

This allowed me to travel the world in backyard.

I ran fast going downhill

and reaped the rewards

March

Viva la Mexico
THe Copper Cayons were calling me

I suffored a gruesome disc golf injury playing barefoot in the cold 2 weeks prior.
It was asign of things to come

I think it gave me character

I thought about not racing? but I didn't want to dissapoint my fans.
(as if anything could stop me from this race)

Copper Canyon Ultramarathon

It was the trip of a lifetime

(if my my life had ended that week.)

I blended right in with the Tarahumara

The Race

I went out a little fast, ate crap at mile four and spent the rest of the race sacrificing my blood to flies that ate off me as it baked in the sun.

It was a beautiful thing to be a part of.

I can't wait to return this March

L.A.Marathon

The weather sucked and I was still banged up from Mexico

I ended up running the final 18 miles barefoot in the rain

Brrrr..

April

I did a little hobnobbing at the Naked foot tour

Hello Ken Bob

Ragnar relay
What the Hell is that?

I had no clue what I was getting myself into, but as long they give me a medal in the shape of abottle opener I'm game.

things got a little weird

200 miles later we were done.

the next day it was
Time to Run naked

I actually worked here for a weekend back in 1997

Can you find my white ass?

As much as I appreciate the sign, I totally would'nt have minded if she left it at home.

The sun left it's mark

Life is good .

First place .

Earth day at the one of the Greenest breweries in the country

Picked up some rations. and ran a local 5k with my sis.

After finishing the the race I ran back to help hydrate my sister and give her some motovation to faster.
(I am such an awesome brother! just don't ask my sister about that.)

May

Born 2 Run Ultramarathon

More like Born to Get Lost! I jumped out to early lead missed a turn and had to withdraw at the 50k mark with lead because of it.

Evolution sure picked out some strange traits to pass on.

Welcome to Ultra Running

Good friends and good times.

after running a 5k in the morning headed down to Delmar for the

R.O.C. Challenge

Inspiration

The competition tried their best to seduce me.

I was there to win and that I did.

Victory shower from some random babe.
What a beautiful moment of serenity.

June

My elementary school Alam matre

How I missed the first 15 years of this race I don't know

How'd that guy win the race.

After winning at Grand View race I ran straight through the finshline to my car and drove to another race that started exactly 1 hour after the first one began.

Where I also collected some hardware.

The next day it was time to relax in San Diego and watch my sister finish her first marathon.

It's not all about racing

I go to the track every once and awhile

I trained hard on the sand even got out to trail a few times

A dude's got to relax every once in awhile

Eventually it was time to get back to business

Probally my crowning achievement of the year. winning the Hermosa 24 and stting anew Guinness world record.

Stoked!

July

Seattle bound

I made my first voyage up to Seattle for Barefoot Ted's B-day

saw some good friends

I arrived home late on the 3rd but got early to race on the 4th
(I didn't have enough time for underwear)

Hermosa Ironman

I had to sprint to the starting line with my turd of a surfboard on my head

I arrived late starting the run stuck in the middle of the pack. I got my ass smoked in the paddle, and almost redeemed myself with some heroic beer chugging. (finishing 3rd)

Hermosa Beach at it's best

A week later it was off to Badwater

Yummy.

That ground aint so hot

The sauna training payed off

Climbing Whitney was fun

And getting my best friend through his 5th consecutive double was a joy to be a part of.

I spent my family vactaion jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge for the second year in a row.

We stayed at the finest hotels

Even Grandma had a great time.

August

Both myself and My Nephew meddled at the Hills are Alive 10k.
His very first 10k. I was very proud Uncle.

Luatics Invade Leadville

I love this city

Towns Pass

I had agreat time being there for Bookis as he ran 100 miles in his Luna Sandals and am proud to call him my friend.

That dude was fast.

I was very humbled by the courage of other friends courage to set an example for his children

Back home again I ran over 160,000 centimeters without stopping.

USATF Road Mile Championships

Shoe's are overrated. I was a litle bummed that the USATF made me wear a shirt

Posing with some Olympians

September

Conquer the Bridge?
Maybe if I didn't get shot along the way.

Why the Hell would I wanna got there? Persistence Hunting, lol?

A fierce beast indeed

The missing link

DUDE!

Who needs weapons when you have a Sorcerer on your side

We managed to fail very successfully

I'm deffinetly not the superior runner but I bet I could beat that Antelope at Disc Golf

Marble hunting

I'll stick to the cAntelope

Water is life

I was honored to run with my friends through sacred Hopi lands.

I was humbled by the spirit of the Hopi people.

New York City Barefoot Run 2011

Luna sandals

New York Trivia with Barefoot Ted

Glorious

Like a peacock spreading his tail feathers.

Life is good

By the time I was done running There was nobody left. I think I ran about 34 and if the beer didn't run out I might still be going.

October

Hometown Fair 2011

Once again I got to run with my family but this time both Nephews entered the race.

Sweet

Long Beach Marathon.

I signed up the day before the race layed off the gas before I hurt myself and finished among the top ten dudes

100 mile Endurance Challenge

Urban racing.

I had to withdraw while in the lead at mile 60 (bummer)

November

Krispy Kreme Challenge

I sacrificed my vegan diet in the spirit of competition

I did my best but finished 2nd.

Behold the Doughnut man.

I picked up a new sponsor for the Santa Monica 50k

Vanessa runs

What a sell out I have become.

Covered in mud blood and rain I was the prettiest dude to cross the finish line.

December

O.T.H.T.C. 50k

The coldest race I ever ran. Mid 20's at the starting line.

(of course I dressed appropriately)

Iended up in 3rd place with anew P.R. for a trail 50k.

My First trip to Austin.

I fit right in.

I met the loves of my live

Got put behind behind bars

and helped promote the worlds greatest running sandal

X-mas

Operation Jack

The Day after X-mas I won my first 1/2 marathon

The weather was beautiful and the race started in my hometown

It was a bit lonely out in front

My Luna Sandals gave me the protection I needed to go fast.

Life's a Beach

Across the Years
scroll down to the next blog post if you wanna find out about that Debauchery.

That took way to long.
2012 may already be over by the time your reading this.
I ran 32 races in 2011 I was injured maybe one 1/3 of year, because of this I was never at full strength. I did the best I could with sub par training I ran less that 3,000 for the year Ideally I would to be around 4,000. I finished the year once again injured this time with a shin splint.
(talk about a grumpy Gus)

It's about time for some positivity!
I got to go on quite a few adventures thanks mainly in part to the Luna Sandals Company and drank a lot of free beer thanks to the Stone Brewing Company. I met so many great people, and had more wonderful experiences this year than any prior year of my life. Thank you to all my friends and family for your support of my non conventional lifestyle.

The world is what you make of it and I'm gonna make 2012 Kick Ass.

Photo by Chelsea (I don't know her last name)
Yipee!

Across the Years 2011 to 1012

2012-01-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

It's funny how the brain works going into the Operation Jack race last week my body was a mess I felt like crap and my optimistic outlook was only strong enough for me to think I could finish the race. I had underestimated myself and had a pretty good pain free race.

Since I felt decent on Monday surely my body would be even stronger come the following Saturday for another race? Maybe? Yeah probably in that race was a paltry marathon or 10k but what I wasmanaged to get myself into was whole nother beast.

Across the Years

How bout running for 24, 48 or 72 hours to break in the New Year,

Sounds like fun right?

With what little intelligence I have I decided to give the 24 hour race a try. I talked to one of the race directors late on Wednesday a friends from the Copper Canyons. and got a spot set aside for me. The race would Beheld at Camelback (the spring training facilities for the Dodgers) a place I visit each year and will back again March when I return from Mexico.

The course is just over a mile and I could pitch a tent a few steps off to the side. Thursday I got my gear in order (way to much crap) packed up the last of my rations from The Stone Brewery so I could be on the road early Friday morning.

Pheonix is about a 6 to7 hour drive from my house. Which normally I would dread but I had been listening to The Hunger Games Trilogy of books the past few weeks and I figured the final book would get me through the trip. Also along the way in Beaumont CA is one of my favorite Fruit stands Dowling Orchards (100 times better than Hadleys)

Race Director and Felow Mas Loco Nick Coury

I always love seeing Nick and his brothers Jamil and Nathan they do an awesome job running events in AZ

.Aravaipa Running

When I arrived at the course

It was about 4 in the afternoon the weather was beautiful around 75 degrees. By this point on Friday some runners had been going at it for 40 hours.

I decided the smart thing to do was grab Arrogant Bastard Ale and my frisbee to loosen up my legs.

The grass we played catch on was perfectly manicured for baseball. My foot felt pretty decent but I had a big knot in my right hamstring that I couldn't shake off (whatever)

Carlos, Elli, Vanessa and Shacky

The Sun quickly set, the temperatures dropped and the smiles started to come out. Why were we smiling because we were smart enough to only sign up for 24 hours.

(I know that probably doesn't sound very smart to most of you)

One of my favorite people showed the Beautiful La Mariposa.

I was stoked to share a Stone ale with her.

Temps dropped to the low 40's high 30's that night. Lucky for me a had giant tent with a heater.

Rise and shine race starts at 9a.m.

My buddy Jason had been going at it for 2 days already.
I'm quoted in his book.

The Barefoot Running Book
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615376886/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=bourb00-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0615376886

Female trophy

Cool design but it looks like a dude with a pony tail I think they should of made them anatomically correct.

Male trophy

All it took was re-positioning of the pony tail.

Time to lace up and ditch the shirt

A lot of people ask me "Pat how did you get so cool?"

(Wait a second Nobody asks me that )

What they do ask me is "When you tape your feet for races, is that for a little extra "support" due to an injury or more to protect your foot from abrasions from the knot??"

Good Question!

Answer.

A little of both and I only do it when I race. I really don't think racing is good for your body trying to push harder than your body is ready for is pretty stupid (yet I do it all the time) The tape probably helps me out more as placebo than anything else. It gives me alittle bit more confidence out on the course.

Strategy.

My plan was to go somewhat slow and spend more time enjoying the event rather than actually racing. I thought if I could get in 30 miles in the first 6 hours that would be a decent goal. If the body felt good I could increase the pace and if things felt wrong it would still give me leeway to his 100 miles for the event. Also in the back of my mind was a challenge from Nick Curry. He had run a 5:35 lap the day before with his buddy a couple split seconds behind him. It seemed like beatable time, but I wasn't sure if running fast would throw off my rhythm for the rest of the event

Well of course I didn't stick to my 6 hour plan! I started out the first lap at about an 8:30 pace and was hard to go that slow. Along the way I got to pass all the 48 and 72 hour runners. Many of them looked pretty beat down (rightfully so). It was interesting receiving props from these people telling me "Way to go." after I had been running for 5 minutes and they had been out their for days.

During the second lap I decided that lap 3 would be a sprint and that I would try and beat Nick's time. I never really found my groove and it felt slow. The course was crowded with people going less than half my speed and did my best to be polite and not run them over. I finished the lap in 5:35 (same as Nick and his buddy) but like his buddy I too took a few split seconds longer.

Back to the race after the the sprint I settled into comfortable 9 minute mile pace. I was cruising the weather felt good and my foot was not hurting too bad. Because my injury was on the interior side of my foot I was striking more toward the exterior than I normally would. after about 20 miles in under 3 hours my shin began to bug me. At first I though maybe the combination of Compression sleeves and a tight lace on the ankle. The race had barely began and things were already looking bad.

(Time to shake things up a bit)

The next lap I ditched my luna's, ditched my compression sleeves and put on some Sketchers prototypes. They were fun to run in but the pain was growing and they were not the solution I was looking for.

I had planned on doing a few laps barefoot so that's what I did but it didn't work. By now the pain was making running less of a reality (in hindsight I should have quit or a least stopped an iced) instead I continued to hobble around the course. I did one of these laps with Shacky who was wearing his kilt at the time and a little a girl stopped asked if he would take his picture with her since she had on the same skirt.

I had only been out there for a few hours and I was mess watching people twice my age pass me was discouraging. Knowing that those people had also been running for 2 days really made me feel like a Wussy. "Suck it up Pat."

(That's whatyour supposed to do, Right?)

Is running through the pain a good idea? Frankly I think it's stupid! Someday I'll start listening to myself.

rarajipari

About 7 hours into the race a ball race began. I started the lap with Jason whom I had walked the lap prior with are goal was sub 25mins. Maybe flicking a Taraumara ball will distract me from the pain. (In my youth I spent an entire season of soccer with a broken foot, I limped all week but come game time there was no stopping me.) Both Jason and I began to run again!

but that was pretty short lived.

I was still in a lot of pain, I was moving at snails pace but at least now I was having fun.

halfway through the lap we were joined by Vanessa and Shacky

We finished the lap in under 25 minutes, a new course record.

It was the most fun I had all day.

I continued hobbling a few more laps now wearing my Sketchers Go Runs. I was lucky to get a couple laps in with Ed Ettinghousen a Sketchers sponsored athlete who ran well over 200 miles in during the 72 hour race. Ed is real great guy and out paths have crossed at Badwater, the 100 mile Endurance Challenge and most recently at the Operation Jack Marathon.

Eventually I sought out the medics to get some Ice. They determined I had ashin splint. After 20 minutes of Icing I received a deep tissue massage and a splint. It totally worked :) for about 5:( I ended up gritting my teeth for three more laps before calling it quits.

Vanessa and Shacky had brought me Late X-mas present

A few beers and a couple bourbons later it was midnight.

Happy New Year

It looks so wrong to shoes on my feet

(but they were cold)

Time for one more lap Look fast we are!

In reality those people behind us were moving twice our speed. Vanessa was kind enough slow down for Uncle Pat.

While others braved the cold night. I retired to my tent. I had nothing to prove other than how stupid I can be. Iv'e set the bar pretty high in the past but one of the first times during the race I made the smart decision time for bed.

I was up at about 7a.m. Might as well hobble one final lap. Maybe the body might feel a little better after some rest.

WRONG!!

I was miserable. Other people whom had slept a little longer than I were giving me props. I looked so decrepit surely they presumed I had been out there all night.

on the flip side a few my friends were out zipping around

Video of Jason after about 71 hours into the race he was moving good

After a shower very painful walk back and forth to my car as I packed up my crap it was time for the awards ceremony

Congrats Jason on your 100 miles plus a marathon

Congrats to Eli, Vanessa and Shacky all with new PR's for distance in a race.

Also at the race were few more Mas loco's Carlos and Kermit. Kermit did the the 48 hour race and ran over 60 miles. Good job dude's.

I'd also like to congratulate my friend Marla for breaking the 100 mile barrier and George Valasco for getting through 70 miles although he said he goal was 62. Both of you are studs in my book.

Congrats to all the competitors (especially all the tough old farts who put my performance to shame.) The Camelback ranch was the perfect venue for Across the years which is the premiere event of its kind.
Thank you to Coury family and to all the volunteers for putting on an awesome event. I hope to back next year.

I sit here typing this blog post, legs elevated icing my shin wondering what the future has in store.

I left the desert injured with an empty glass. If your glass is already full you have nothing to gain. I may gimp right now but tomorrow is another day and I'm excited to see what happens next.

Operation Jack 2011

2011-12-29T13:53:00.000-08:00

Last year I had the privilege to witness an amazing event. Sam Felsenfeld had ran 60 marathon's that year raising awareness and collecting donations for Autism research. His final race of the year was to be held in Manhattan Beach (my home town). This was one event I didn't want to miss but alas an injury made that out of the question. I was however able to take in the event on My bicycle and watch my fried Christian Burke win the Marathon.

and then watch Sam cross the finishline push his Autistic son Jack through the finishline.

(a memory I won't soon forget)

Well about a month or 2 ago I found out the Operation Jack Marathon would return to Manhattan Beach

"Sweet!"

My buddy Jake Rome was getting things organized.

Everything was looking good until 2 weeks before the event. On my last day In Austin about 2 hours before leaving back home fellow Lunatic Dylan challenged me to a sprint to the car.

I was unprepared and didn't really want to do it but he kept egging me on. Eventually I gave in and on my fourth step i hit uneven ground and totally messed up my right foot.

(bummer)

To make matters worse I was supposed t o be raising money for the event and at this point I could not commit to running in it and it felt wrong to ask for donations and then cop out.

For the past two weeks I have only ran about 40 miles and nearly all of them were slow and most of them painful. It might be a broken bone or a stained tendon I really don't know?

3 days before X-mas I didn't think I would be participating.

2 days before X-mas I decided to try running a few fast miles at the track in my Luna's and see how I felt. well I made it through 2 sub six miles and felt horrible and quit.

The next day I tried wearing shoes running on the strand thinking maybe that would help.

It felt even worse!

Late X-mas eve I called up Jake and asked if I could switch to the 1/2 marathon instead. I really wanted to participate and maybe I could stumble my way to the finish if it were only 13 miles away instead of 26.

I had a great X-mas with the family and got sleep before midnight.

My car at 6 a.m. had a nice glazing of Ice on the windshield.
(that's a first)

I drove over to mom's house jumped on my bike and headed down to the beach where the the race was to be held. At this point I wasn't that optimistic about how my body would preform. The bike ride to the beach was all most all down hill felt taxing (what a wimp) I had been nursing a cold for a few days and felt pretty weak. As I neared the beach heading down Roscrans past Highland runners were starting to congregate. Their was a good vibe in the air and my spirits began to rise.

#1 bib.

I quickly ran into my buddy Jake Rome. Every week or so I'll bump into the dude on the sand and we run a few miles together. Jake does a lot of hard work for the community through his organization C.O.R.E. and I am thankful to have him as a friend. He surprised me with the #1 bib.

Another day in Paradise Summer is right around the corner
My normal stomping grounds lay right below the bike path that we would be racing on.

Watching the crowd assemble I saw a dude wearing Leadville 100 sweatshirt and a bunch of people wearing shirts from the Ridgecrest 50k I had done earlier in the month.

Over 300 people showed up but very few from my hometown. It would be up to me to represent Manhattan Beach.

I did run into a few friends from San Diego, the beautiful sisters Vanessa and Eli.

At the starting line there was I nice mix of people including two barefooters. One of the dudes commented when he saw my Luna's "Maybe next year you can run it barefoot." this fired me up a bit.

Photo by Surf Daddy Photography

I lined up next to Ultra Super Stud Dave James. When I last raced against the dude It was 2 years ago at the 2009 Javelina Jundred at that event he went on to shatter the course record running 100 miles in 14 hours and 20 mins. He is more of trail runner and his goal was to run a sub 2:45 to qualify for the New York marathon which his wife had done 2 weeks prior.

I would have loved to race against him on this day but I wasn't sure if I could even run 5 miles and 26 seemed to be a much dumber decision than 13.

My game plan was pretty simple go out a sub six minute pace and try to keep it the whole way.

Out of the gates Dave James and I took off flying at just over a 5 minute pace. Both of us were battling colds and I was leaving a trail of snot in my wake (sorry to everyone behind me). We were going a little too fast and trying to have a conversation at the same time. (not very smart). My ego didn't want to let him take the lead (especially since he was going to run twice as far)

Photo by Surf Daddy Photography
I kept my foot on the throttle and after about .75 of a mile he dropped back and I had the bike path to myself (well myself and and the bike pacer who turne out to be some dude I met while racing the Long Beach Marathon a few months ago).

Photo by Surf Daddy Photography

I settled into about 5:45 minute mile waiting for the pain in my foot to erupt. The last two weeks were pretty miserable but today I felt alright. through the first 4 miles I was fine. At this point I knew that even if things took a turn for the worse I would be able to finish the race.

After about 4.5 miles the course hits Marina Del Ray after a crossing a small bridge the course heads inland along Balona Creek for 2 miles until the turn around aid station.

Fatigue was settling in, a combination of being sick, and my injury which kept me from proper training. My Pace dropped to just above a 6 minute's. As I started the return trip I would find out how big my lead was. I expected Dave to be right on my ass but there was another guy who I gauged to be around 1 minute behind me. followed by Dave another minute or so behind him. Also to my surprise the barefoot dude was only about 4 or 5 minutes back. As I passed him I said with a smart ass grin

"Maybe next year you can run in sandals?"

1 minute is not a very big lead with over 6 miles to go. I wouldn't say I was hauling ass by any stretch of the word but I was hanging on. My pace was still close to a 6 mins and if the dude behind me was gonna catch up he would have to run his butt off. The whole way back we would be running into a head wind and If I could keep this pace I'd be happy.

With 4 miles to go I caught a glimpse of him over my shoulder still about a minute back. This was a good sign but I wasn't out of the woods yet. What about my damn foot injury? The pain which I expected to come early was maybe 25% what I expected and still had a good chance of spoiling my race.

2 miles to go I had held aconsistant pace and had just climbed the only hill on the course. One final look back and I knew this was my race to win.

It wasn't my fastest finish and it wasn't the toughest course but under the circumstances I was pleased with the result. 1 hour and 18 minutes 39 seconds after I had started I was done with the race and had finished in first place.

What excited me even more is that my foot did not feel broken.

About 10 seconds after crossing the line I got interviewed by the

Abc Eye Witness News

(for some reason the embedded feature for this video I couldn't get to work)

The camera guy remembered me from the Hermosa 24 when he shot this video below

That was a good day too.

A few minutes after I was done the Barefoot guy strolled in. I congratulated the dude and posed for this picture with him.

Other finishers include this 9 year old kid who ran an amazing 1:37. He was crying at the finish line because it was not fast enough for his dad's approval. Poor little guy. I'm proud of you! and as for for your father "What a jerk!"

My legs felt pretty damn good and now it was time for me to head out on my bike and cheer the runners still racing. If I had known I would feel this good afterwards I would ran the marathon but I'm proud of the choice I made.

Hello Chica!

How can you not love a a barefoot girl in a kilt,

Nice Sketchers Shacky

This dude was tough here's his Race report

This lady was roller blading bundled up from head to toe carrying an umbrella? I respect her style and she was stoked when I told her my opinion :)

Hello Sam.

Sam has been pretty busy and not been able to get the training in he would like. I caught up with him for a few minutes and had a nice conversation with one of my hero's.

By the time I got Balona Creek I ran into Dave he was in first place by a few 100 yards. I cheered him on and he was nice enough to ask how my foot was doing. What a cool dude.

"Go Dave."

At the half way aid station I ran into Mr Burke the 2010 champ who was in town from Spain. After shooting the shit for a few minutes he asked for a ride back to his car on my handle bars?

If it were 1987 and I was still 8 years old this would be kick ass bike but it isn't 80's anymore and I'm over 5ft tall and my bike is a POS.

Lucky for me Christian is only about 4 ft tall Unfortunately I'm not much stronger than the 8 year old my bike was made for. ;(

We had a good time none the less.

Riding my bike gave me a second chance to thank all the volunteers and now I shall thank them again. Thank you to everyone who helped out. You did good thing and it was nice to see so many smiles.

"Barefoot Alfredo"

(at least that's what his shirt said)

It turns out the 1/2 marathon was enough for Shacky and Vanessa. They are running in the Across The Years 24 hour race out in AZ this New Years Eve and felt they needed to save their legs.

(That sounds like fun?)

That little dude on their backpacks looks strangely familiar?

Can you say copyright infringement.

Sam was catching up to me quickly and I wanted to see him cross the line so I took off and arrived in the nick of time

Congrats Sam!

When I got back I found found out that Dave had won the race in 2:48 a little slower than he wanted but a solid finish none the less.

Congrats Dave!

Thank you for letting me a part of your race. The Operation Jack marathon raised over $40,000. If you would like to help contribute please DONATE HERE. or click the link on the top right corner of my blog.

One man can make a difference! Sam's love and devotion to his family is truly inspiring. He is living proof of what the human spirit can accomplish if someone has a positive attitude and a worthy cause. Thank you Sam what you are doing is making a difference to make the world a better place!

Operation Jack In the News Patch.com

(they called me a powerhouse lol)

Article from the Beach Reporter

My full gallery from the days event

Once again my Luna Sandals preformed admirably and I even scored a one of kind trophy.

Check out what it does.

Amazing!

Next Up.

After the race I headed down to the Pachanga casino. To go meet up with some family. I am not a gambler but figured i sign up for one of there club cards. To make a long story short I entered the casino with $8 in my sponge bob wallet (I wasn't there to lose) and left with over $500. Well because of this turn of events I decided to treat myself to a little adventure.

Live web Cast

You know that 24 hour race I mentioned Shacky and Vanessa were running on News Year Eve?

I contacted the race director yesterday and it looks like I'm headed to Arizona tomorrow morning.

It's gonna be fun

Lunatics Invade Austin

2011-12-16T11:28:00.000-08:00

Texas

Do I really want to go there?

I don't think this look suits me very well!

But

Everybody says Austin is different.

Maybe only 75% of the people will be wearing cowboy boots?

I have been to most of the big cities in Texas including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso other than the plethora of Disc golf courses of which I've played about 20 in the state (including the 2001 World championships) I haven't been too impressed.

I got a good feeling about this trip.

I found myself at lax around the crack a dawn and who strolls up behind me?

The dude from LAMFO.

The trip hasn't even began yet and things are going well.

I kept looking for the dude who wears the robot box on his head. Then low and behold he strolled by carrying his cardboard headgear at his side. I initially thought about taking his picture but he has created a persona of anonymity for a reason? Which I regarded with respect.

Rachel

When I arrived in Austin I was picked up by some random stranger. Her name was Rachel and she had offered to take care myself Bft and Luna's PR Monkey Dylan for the weekend.

It was freaking cold!

As I waited for my ride I stood shivering with frozen toes wishing I ran for a slipper company. Why don't they hold this expo in the summer. (oh well)

Rachel turned out to be a pretty cool chick with very little persuation I convinced her to go Disc golfing. almost immediately. She had never played before but knew where a few courses were.

Good thing because I was playing Barefoot.

Whats with the dog on the bottom it look's he's headed off to the Guillotine.

1st stop Peace Park

All the baskets were gone Odd? (what gives?)

time to go somewhere else I guess. Luckily Rachel knew about another course near by.

Disc golf take two.

Bartholomew park , I think?

Rachel was a good sport and made some sweet shots.

Rachel's home was filled with cool crap

I sat around while she headed to the airport to pick up Dylan and Barefoot Ted.

At dinner we were joined by fellow Mas Loco Josue his wife Paula and our friend from the Born to Run Ultra Ben Morgan.

Later I picked up some Fizzy Yellow Texas stuff from a gas station.

The Lone Star was okay but as the night wore on I sampled some finer ales while teaching Dylan the intricacies of Monopoly Deal.

There was now 4 of us meaning that someone had to ride in the backseat

This has been outlawed in Cali since the 80's.

I guess I should of mentioned it by now but the reason I was in Texas in the first place was to represent Luna Sandals at the biggest running Expo in the country (I might be making that part up).

The Running Event

Our display was modest compared to the bigger companies

But I think it got the job done

El Presidente was a little stressed out at first. Our booth was located at the farthest end of the floor and he was eager to engage the consumers.

Ted quickly found his happy place and anyone within an earshot was spellbound by his enthusiasm.

He loved showing off the first page of chapter 25 in Born to Run

I decided to wander the floor, make some connections and maybe pick up some shwag. It was cocktail hour and I didn't want to be rude saying no to free drink.

A few booths to our side was Ink N' Burn. They are a really cool apparel company from SoCal and it was nice to see some familiar faces.

The next morning The event was sponsoring a 5k. Running stores from all over the country had brought some speedy dude's to compete not to mention sponsored athletes working the event for the vendors. The competition would be tough.

Ted Decided to sleep in

Dylan and I were ready to represent.
Ben whom would also wear Luna's picked us up well before dawn.

my favorite ad at the whole expo!

I was hoping some of the other sandal vendors would have runners in the event but nobody else had a sandal worthy of racing in. Our closest competition at the expo was Invisible shoes , they make a decent product but it's more of novelty huearche geared towards people who like to talk about running rather than actually do it. Once you run in a Original Luna Sandal it's very evident that they are in another league in respect to comfort, fit, and most important to me the ability to mold to your feet.

It still astounds me every time I look at my sandal and can see my foot in its shape or when I run through a puddle leaving footprints on ground as if my feet were bare. It makes me proud of the company I represent

All the top Huarache wearing runners wear skirts

Life's to short not to have a little fun.

A few minutes before the race I was offered a running skirt with built in tights if I wore it while I ran. They didn't have to ask me twice. The week prior I was running in the coldest event I had ever participated in and this fwlt like a close 2nd. The race was about to start and I only had time to slip the skirt over my shorts Although I wished I was shirtless I decided to sport a Luna Tee. I was wearing way to much clothes to be speedy.

The competition was pretty fast I stayed near the front of the pack but never really found a groove.

The running skirt was really comfortable and superbly constructed. My buddy Chris Hawsen wore one at the NYCBR. They were also a sponsor of the Krispy Kreme Challenge I did a few weeks prior. This won't be the last time you see me wearing it.

I didn't win the men's division (some Kenyan did) but I was able to fend off all the women runners (sadly I'm good at that). I was however the first person to finish in sandal's and also 1st in the skirt division.

After the race we got cleaned up and headed back to the expo

Barefoot Ted showing off Luna Sandals to Bryon Powell of Irunfar.com. He has probally the best Ultrarunning website on the web and rock his bumper sticker on the back of my car.

Lunch

That night we headed down to 6th St. to catch some live music and have a little fun. It had been along day so we didn't stay out real late. While there I heard a really sweet reggae version of Don't Worry be Happy by a local country band that was way better than the link I provided.

The Austin Music scene rocks!

Up early the next morning for the final day of the expo

That back seat of the truck was pretty chilly so Dylan to dressed a little spiffier.

We were working really hard

Everybody we came across loved Luna sandals. Even Cyclops.

Posing with some friends we made from the next booth over.

The morning went by pretty fast and before we new it we were packing up. The show was over.

After meeting up with Josue and his wife for lunch. I was talked into going for trail run with him and Ben.

Hanging out with Ben really made me feel like I was in Texas He's a good old boy, who likes blast country music while riding around in his jeep. From his backyard balcony he tossed out some corn and with in minutes few deer came up to chow down.

As for the trail run by the time we got there it was pretty much dark. Lucky for me I had picked up a headlamp at the running event. Josue said his belly was full and asked if I would take it easy on him out on the trail. "Nice bluff dude!" within a few minutes he was flying and I was left in the dust. The dude is quite the trail runner and has won some of Texas's toughest Ultras. I was just trying not to hurt myself in the dark.

Texas sharks

After the run Ben, his lady, Rachel, Dylan and I headed back down to 6th st. for some billiards and shuffleboard.

The competition was fierce

I had to channel my inner monkey.

After awhile we decided to hit the streets and make some friends.

Merry X-mas from Luna Sandals and the rest of the gang

(Who the rest of the gang is I have no freaking clue!)

I proformed my best dance moves in the middle of street In hopes of courtship with a beautiful lady.

My dance moves worked a little too well!

The X-mas tree even gave me a tootsie pop which I forked over to some homeless dude playing the guitar.

As the night wore on things got a little weird

In Austin it seems the weirder you get the better looking women you score?

Rachel was the only one of us to get any action.

We came across this soldier and I totally caught her playing with his light up dingaling.

We decided to call in a night before any of us got into trouble.

Rachel's dog Baxter saying goodbye

After posing for a pictures with Rachel's chickens we decided to spend our final morning in Austin Dillydallying downtown.

I snapped this photo from the back of the Pick Up truck. The taggers In Austin are pretty awesome.

The Capital Building

Dumb ass is front of the capital

We were able to sneak in and take some photo's before they realized a bunch sandal wearing hippies had infiltrated their inner sanctum.

We were promptly looked up.

Lucky for us that Monkey necklace Barefoot Ted always wears around his neck is really a lock pick and we were able to make are get away because the security guards were all wearing cowboys boots and were no match for the awesome speed we possessed in our Luna Sandals

Dylan decided to wear the capital as a hat.

I am great, and how are you Mr. space frog?

After Lunch we met up with Josue and Ben one last time at this really amazing pole.

Still relegated to the back of the pick up I built me some socks.

Warming the hands and chilling the buns.

We eneded up running along the same trail I had ran the night before in the dark

Rachel was digging her new Luna's

After fooling around for a little too long we hurried back to the car so that we could catch are flights back home.

Austin was a pretty cool place.

The running Event was total success for Luna Sandals. Ted and Dylan were awesome to work with.

I had great time in Austin and look forward to returning some day. (preferably in the summer)

Special thanks to fellow Lunatic's Ben and Rachel for carting us around you really made me feel at home and if you are ever in L.A. you are welcome in my home.

And thanks to all the vendors who filled my suitcase with cool stuff

Especially the Trigger Point Grid (foam roller) Which lead my flight attendant to believe i train attack dogs for a living.

Ridgecrest OTHTC 50k 2011

2011-12-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

I'll get to this Eventually

I was supposed to run In Luis Escobar's Red Rock 50 miler the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My body was still banged up a bit from the Santa Monica 50k the prior weekend. Wednesday before Thanksgiving I could barely run 50 yards. I was feeling a little stronger each day but heading out to Red rock looked might be a bad decision. I had a nice holiday with the family and friends. The next thing I knew it was Friday night . I had no clue where my body was at. If I decided to run Red rock I would have to leave my house at 2 a.m. at the latest. I set my alarm for 1:30 and went to bed at 10p.m. still not knowing if I was gonna go or not?

The alarm went off in what seemed like seconds after I shut my eyes. I turned it off rolled over and went back to bed.

(Sorry Luis for not showing up I owe you a beer.)

That Saturday it turned out to be around 80 degrees at the beach. I hadn't ran all week and I couldn't resist the sand. The beach was packed with beautiful women I ended up running around 20 miles and spent the whole day their with a smile on my face. I then repeated my actions the next day except the weather was even nicer!

Did I regret not running Red Rock? I did feel a little guilty but regrets?

Not a one!

(just little more ramblings before the race report)

My thanksgiving dinner consisted of 2 pieces of corn and an iceberg lettuce sald with a small slice of tomato.

(no other vegan options)

However My cousin brought me about 50 Large reed avocado's. Although my belly was left grumbling on thanksgiving I new the Next week was gonna be gonna be very satisfying.

All week long I had been gorging myself on Avocado's eating between 5 and 10 a day. If I had gotten pulled over driving my blood Avocado percentage would have been around 5%. The legs felts good and little avocado belly of Ultra-running fuel began to develop.

Time to race again.

It turns out the The Ridgecrest 50k was the coming weekend and it was also the United States Track and Field Association Southern California 50k Championships. Which means their would be prize money for it's members

Cha Ching!

( dollar signs went off in my brain, although if I won it probably would barely cover the cost of entry and travel expenses) It's fun to get paid doing what you love.

I ran the race back in 2008 finishing in 3rd with a 50k trail PR 3:52.

I remember it being cold.

I had really enjoyed the race had taken home some prize money. It's a very fast course consisting of mostly dirt bike tracks through the high desert and it would be ideal for running in Luna Sandals.

Ridgecrest is about 3 hours from my home in southern Ca and I was hoping to find someone to carpool with

Shacky and Vanessa were both entered but they were heading up from San Diego. My friend Dr. Dan was also going up to crew his lady but he didn't need my dumbass there to spoil the romance. I decided to call my Buddy Dan Westergarrd as my last hope. It turned he had just send his entry in on Monday and he offered to drive. (Luck was on my side

Only problem was we would have to drive up the morning of the event. Vanessa and Shacky offered to pick up our race numbers. The cogs were put in motion and I was pretty stoked.

This time I would not sleeping through my alarm would not be an option

Cado-loading the night before the race.

Asleep by 9:30 and up by 2:00 a.m. my alarm was set for 2:30 but I was a little anxious. When I got up I hung out with my roommates who were still sitting around drinking beer. I decided to forgo any libations for the time being, made myself a smoothie (with avocado) and was ready to go.

My Best friend picked me up at 3a.m. The poof on Dan's head was looking good thanks to his sponsor
Vidal Sassoon

Along the way the temperature dropped dramatically. In the South Bay it was 51. At one point I saw one of those signs on the side of freeway claiming is was 11 degrees. As we approached Ridgecrest it warmed up a bit to 15 degrees. We still had a little over an hour till the race began the temps should reach the 20's by then

Hace Frio Amigo

Upon arrival I I ran into some familiar faces, Wilson and Ted.
Even dressed in full ski gear I was still a little chilly.

Dan and I were kind of lollygagging around thinking we had a lot of time till the race started, but the next thing we new we had less than 15 minutes and we still had to find Shacky and Vanessa to get our #'s.

A face only a mother could love.

We found them in the nick of time and made it to the starting line with a minute or 2 to spare.
I really hate running in shirts! although I have been labeled as barefoot runner from time to time. Shirtless runner would be a more appropriate moniker.

The expression on Vanessa's face says "Look at me I'm posing next to an idiot."

Not only was I the only one running without a shirt I was the only one in sandals. What's wrong with these people? The sun would be out soon time to work on my tan. I may have started the race withe biggest huevos but after a few minutes I think I earned to opposite title.

I Lined up next to my Buddy Ultra Super Stud Eric Clifton whom I hadn't seen since the Bare Burro 5k (there I saw a little too much of him)
He likes to go out fast and I was hoping to enjoy a few miles with him.

Off and running.

It was the coldest weather I had ever ran in. It seemed pretty obvious what I had to do to get warm. Time to generate my own heat and that would meant running fast. I took an early lead by about 20 feet (whoop dee do). I finished my first mile mile in around 6 minutes and my second mile was about 30 seconds faster.

I left my camera with Shacky during the race and this what ended up on it.
(I want one of these)

Shortly after the 2nd mile 3 Mexican dudes jumped in front of me and one of them was wearing the #1 bib. I was already running a little faster than I should for this early in the race. It wasn't wise to try and keep up. There was a possibility that they were running the 30k that started at the same time. I kept going at my own pace

The sun was blocked by the surrounding mountains but my body was starting to warm. My decision to not wear a shirt was the right one one. My core felt great my fingers and toes were still numb but that was to be expected even if I had worn shoes. ( I have pretty crappy circulation).

Shacky's dog Ginger
(I don't have pictures of the race so this is what you get until then)

By the time I reached the first aid station at mile 4 the sun was shining. The weather was around 30 degrees but it felt pretty nice out. Of the 3 racers in front of me only one ended up veering off the 50k course for the shorter race. The other 2 began to distance themselves and by the time I reached the 10k mark around 40mins they were out of site.

During the first few miles I saw Dr. Dan cruising along on his Bike. I wanted to ridicule him for being lazy and not running but unlike me he didn't wimp out of Red Rock 50 miler the week before and finished 5th. Good job Dan.

I had high hopes of winning this stupid race but on this day the dudes in front were in a whole nother league. I tried not to worry about what they were doing ahead of me. Perhaps they would fall apart but that was not likely. I could gauge their speed by looking at their footprints on the ground. Both of them had longer strides than I was currently taking and they both had shorter legs than I did. From what I could deduct being the expert tracker (yeah right) that I am, their lead was growing

Photo by one of my heroes Badwater Ben Jones

I was jamming threw the aid stations without stopping, carrying one handheld and through the 1/2 marathon mark which in under 90 minutes I had only drank 1/2 a bottles worth of water. I topped off with Gatorade an the next aid station.

I was cruising at a pace that felt good I wasn't overly taxing my body when I came through the 1/2 way point. At the aid station I asked how far I was behind I was hoping it would be about 5 minutes the first person said 10 minutes and the 2nd said 6 minutes.

The second half of the race has a bit more climbing than the first half but was still very runnable. The Original Luna's on my feet were preforming perfectly my spirits were high and the Gogol Bordello was blasting out on the speaker of my MP3 player. I filled my water bottle one more time at about mile 20 before the final big climb.

My pace continued to be pretty good. I was running a solid race I wasn't gonna win but I had a chance of setting a new 50k trail PR. if I could break 3:52. The last few miles of the race were mostly downhill. I was hoping to I could spin my legs at sub 7 minute pace but the best I could muster up was just a little bit slower

I came around the home stretch legging it out the best I could. I was hoping some triumphant heavy metal would start playing on my mp3 player to help spur my legs. Instead The final song playing was Nouvelle Vagues cover of the Road to Nowhere.

Frolicking my way to the finish line and new PR. in Lunas

3:48 3rd place overall.

1st place USTAF

By now the weather was at least in the 40's. When I finished the my fingers were still numb.
It was time for a Stone ale!

Eric Cliffton

I poured Shacky and I each an Arrogant Bastard as we sat and watched our friends finish the race while chatting with Eric's beautiful wife.

I'm not sure what were doing but at least we have some clothes on this time.
Eric finished 7th overall in a time of 4:07

Somehow I missed Dan at the finish line (somehow meaning I was paying more attention to my beer). Dan finished in 13th place in a time of 4:30 and kept shuffling his way through the finish line all the way to his truck.
Well done buddy.

Next up came Dr. Dan's Lady Diana finishing with a new PR and 1st place among female USTAF members.
Nice job Stud muffin!

Next up was Vanessa

Shacky and Ginger joined her seconds after crossing the finish line
Vanessa also finished with a new PR just under 6 hours in a faster time than even Shacky's best.
I was proud surrogate uncle!

(I told you this course was fast)

You got some change you could spare?

Time to sit around and wait for the awards.

Winner of the race posing with the race director.

This dude smoked the competition with a 3:32 finishing time. He wore the #1 bib for a reason not only was he prior winner he also owns the course record with a 3:16 (wow). More importantly he seemed to be a very humble and gracious human being. (I love it when nice guys finish first!)

Clifton got 2 awards?
Were they giving one away for best sweater perhaps?

1st place dude in his 30's and 2nd place Chica in her 20's

It turns out I also won a pair of Sole Sandals, lol
I went from being the most underdressed during the race to the most overdressed afterwards.

The Quail trophy were pretty sweet.

In case your wondering what the hell OTHTC stands for?
"Over The Hill Track Club"
They do a top notch job running this event. Never have I ran a race that was better marked or had more aid stations. All the volunteers were real nice and the race director did a great job. They also held a raffle in which almost everyone one of the over 500 competitors got a prize. (I won socks).

I had great day.
Thank you to all the volunteers that made this race possible . And thank you to my friends who helped put a smile on my face.
:)
Thank you to Luna Sandals for giving me just what I needed to get the finshline and thank you to Stone Ale for giving me what I needed once I got there.

Next Up

The running Event
Tomorrow I'm heading off to Austin with Barefoot Ted and some other Lunatics's. If your in the neighborhood stop by and say hi. I think there is 5k over the weekend and I'm looking forward showing what It is possible in pair of the Worlds Greatest Huarache Sandals.

Santa Monica Mountains 50k 2011

2011-11-23T14:50:00.001-08:00

Last Wednesday I was thinking ouloud via Facebook. My body felt decent. I had no plans for the weekend and wanted to find a race to run in. I put the word inquiring to see if their was anything local under 40 miles and less than $50.

I did really think much ofit at the time, maybe I'd be ruinning a 5 or 10k.

With my friends I should have known better!

Santa Monica Mountains 50k

My friend's Vanessa and Shacky Whom I had just spent the prior weekend with at Doughnut race were running a Pacific Coast Trail Run in the Santa Monica Mountains. They had both garnered entry from friends who couldn't make it. Vanessa offered to be my sponsor for the event.

Wow!

I wasn't looking for a hand out but I also don't believe is saying no to a free lunch.

I checked the weather for Saturday and It looked like a perfect day for a race.

I had ran the course before back in 2007 it was my second Ultra ever and I had a great time..

Late Thursday night

I was checking the race website for driving directions only to find out the the event was on Sunday not Saturday. (doh) Also that same night my friend asked me if I had ever ran a beer mile?

I was ashamed to answer No. since the race was 2 days away there would be no harm in having a little fun Friday morning

My first attempt at the beer mile 4 Stone ales 4 Laps. Piece of cake!

The extra day also gave Mother nature more time fill her bladder.

(i think she may have drank a few Stone ales herself)

Sunday the forecast 100% Chance of Rain! (damn)

Yet on the drive up highway one cruising through Malibu I witnessed a pretty awesome sunrise. It's hard to take a picture and also a stupid thing to do while driving! The question is did the RV ruin the shot or is it what makes it Awesome. Clark Grizzwald would be proud to drive such a vehicle.

That was the only sunshine I saw all day. The farther North up the coast I drove the darker the clouds would become. Yet in the midst of this glomy race day Apocalypse. I found myself headed straight to the heart of fading rainbow.

Minutes before I parked the skies began to pee.

I had brought with me 3 different pairs of Luna Sandals along with me along with my sketchers and a pair of Vff' Kso Treks. Which i had not run in since Mt Dissapoinment 2010. I could survive a little rain in Luna's but the course was covered in mud and the rain was to be relentless they might not be my best option.

Among the first people I saw when I arrived were Vanessa and Shacky

Why are you guys looking at me so funny?

Earlier in the week Vanessa asked her friends what she should have her sponsored athlete wear for the race?

Suggestions ranged from Borat's swimsuit to a Deep sea diving helmet.

I think I got off relatively easy?

Vanessa brought me a Glam runner Tutu, well she brought 2 one green

and one pink but really, what kind of loser wears a green tutu? I know you may find this hard to believe but I had never worn a tutu before, unlike the other males in my family (should I be proud or ashamed to admit this?)

However, I got a long way TuTu go before I reach the legendary Badwater status of this Dude.

Aint gonna happen?

(well probally not.)

I guess its time to Race?

When we lined up at the starting a few cute girls asked to have there picture taken with me.

Hmm?

Maybe I like this tutu?

Last week the guy who beat me wore one, perhaps it will make me faster.

(yeah right)

The funny thing is I felt more uncomfortable wearing a shirt and stupid vibrams on my feet.

On your Marks, Get Set, GO!

Out of the gates did I jump out in front? Not even close about 5 dudes jumped out at about 8 minute pace up the first 3 mile climb.

It had been along time since I had worn shoes on my feet and the vibrams felt pretty awkward. The rain was coming down pretty steady but this first part of the course had yet to show it's saturation. Did I make the right decision not to wear sandals?

After the first 30 mins of racing I could still see the leader and figured I was about 3 minutes back. This did not bode well for me to be in contention on this day. I was running apprehensively. My amplitude as a trail runner is pretty low. I only do it a handful times a year and lack the confidence that comes with experience.. I am capable of doing well if the situations are right but on this day.I was more concerned about falling over than going fast.

My feet were a little banged up with blood blisters from the last week's barefoot race I could feel each time I pushed off on my forefoot. It wasn't causing me too much grief but forced subtle changes in my stride.

A lot of the trail was single track and My tutu gave me somewhat of a Ghetto Booty. I kept getting fondled by shrubbery as trail reach out for a few cheap thrills at my expense. I thought about ditching the Tutu after the first 8 miles but I was man enough to keep my skirt on.

By the end of the loop I realized the vibrams were the right decision. by now the course was starting to fall apart. The weather sucked but it was kind of fun at this point skipping around in the mud.

I carrying 2 water bottles and had only drank a few sips. I upgraded one of them to a bottle filled coconut water from my drop bag. At which point I decided to ditch my rain soaked shirt for the rest of the race.
(weather was in the low 50's)

Up the climb on lap 2 I passed a ton of runners from one of the other races going on . They were all on their decent and I got a ton of smiles along the way. Everyone was super nice and positive and I did my best to return the favor with some encouraging compliments to each of them.

Not too sandal friendly

The course was getting ugly. On parts that should be a sub six minute mile going downhill I my pace was closer to ten. I still felt good during the climbs but downhill I had nothing.

Third loop (a repeat of the first)

For some dumb reason I was carrying a full water bottle that I did not drink from thus far in the race. (That's kind of Stupid!) I decided carrying too bottles was unnecessary and went off with just that one It turns out when I was cleaning it the night before I forgot to wash the soap out. Delicious it was not.

By this point the body wasn't feeling that great. The changes in my stride were causing some top of the foot pain. I got I grouchy and even walked a little bit of the uphill. (lazy bastard) Quickly I realized it was warmer if I ran so sucked it up and finished the loop. I got out my funk when I saw some friends going the opposite direction, once again the dumbass in the tutu made someone else smile which intern made him smile and everyone lived happily ever after.

Well not quite yet I still 9k left to go.

PCTR Santa Monica Mountains Highlights from Billy Yang on Vimeo.

Congrats Birthday Boy Chris Price had just won the race in an amazing time of 4:12.

I still had to run theFinal loop 4.5k straight up and back down. I ditched the soapy water and decided to haul ass up the hill and get this thing over with. On the way up I was passed by my buddy Dom (the Ac100 winner) He looked great and I was proud of the dude, he works hard and does it with a positive attitude which I totally respect.

A this point I was in 5th place and I didn't really want anyone to pass me. I held on the entire way up. At about mile 29 I hit an embedded rock and went flying. If you hit right part of trail you could have lot of fun sliding in the mud. (all I hit were rocks). I only had a few miles left and they were downhill I ran them the best I could and maintained my position.

Perhaps an even scarier site than seeing Bigfoot come out of the forest

Tired, cold, bloody, with a mud soaked tutu

I finished the race with a smile

Why did myself and a bunch of other crazy people go through such an ordeal you ask ?

For a freaking coaster!

Are Ultra Runners tough? YES

Are Ultra Runners smart? That's up to you to decide.

By the way that coaster is from the first time I ran this race back 2007 I have used nearly everyday since for my morning coffee.

After the race I met up with Vanessa and Shacky. They were both pretty stoked I had finished the race Ballerina style.

Thank you guys for your support and thank you all the volunteers and to everyone who gave me a smile out on the course.

I hobbled over to my car which was a bit sumberged in water and got the hell out of there
(sorry I'm getting board writing this report)

When I got home about an hour and half laterblood was still flowing from knee. It was time to lick my wounds fill my belly and inebriate the pain.

After some warm food Hot sake and some Stone ale.

Artists rendition of me carrying my sponsor Vanessa seconds after crossing the finish line.

Life is good.

Krispy Kreme Challange West 2011

2011-11-13T07:38:00.001-08:00

Run two miles. Eat one dozen Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Then run two more miles.

All week long I dreamt of doughnut's. It had been over 18 months since I last had one. On that ocasion we made grilled Krispy Kreme bacon cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches, by slicing the doughnut down the center and grilling it on the frying pan before using it as a bun . After eating a Krispy Kreme bacon cheseburger plain a Krispy Kreme bacon chesee burger with all fixings and a Krispy Kreme chicken sandwich I wasn't full. There was room for one last sandwich! At some point long after midnight I decided to simplify things, still using a grilled Krispy Kreme bun I added six strips of mouth watering bacon and nothing else.
* Hallelujah *
It was one of the greatest things I had ever eaten.
(tangent time)

I don't really miss doughnuts all that much but I do miss bacon. Now that I eat a vegan diet my relationship with bacon has gone astray. Bacon represents some hot exgirlfriend that I am still in love with whom has gone on and married my best friend. Forbidding me from her succulent goodness ever again.
(to stray away from anything pertinent even farther)
The Mc'Rib Is kind of like a regrettable one night stand. You wonder what the hell you were thinking. The Mr Rib disappear's And then some some how, some day it's back? Although you already no it's realty not gonna be that great the temptation still remains.

Back to reality.

The Krispy Kreme franchise did not come to Los Angeles until long after I had given up having the munchies. I have always been a glutton and I deffinetly have a sweet tooth.

Surely a mere dozen doughnuts would be no problem right?.
It's just 2,400 Calories!
(That's not even half a days worth when training hard)

I would have to temporarily give up my laurels on eating a Vegan diet, but in the spirit of competition I would make the sacrifice.
The cow pus lactated into the milk used in each doughnut probably wasn't more than a drop or two, Right?
:)

I found out about this event two years ago and was realy dissapointed to not able to participate in it. Last year I completely forgot about it until pictures showed upon on facebook. I did not want to miss out on the fun this year. Lucky for me I was too lazy, poor, and banged up to run in the Javelina Jundred held on the same day. Might as well head down to San Diego and eat some Doughnuts. And If I wanted to go out and pace at Javelina that night I could drive out to AZ after the race.
(my car would be packed just in case)

Well if I'm heading down to San Diego I must stop by the Stone Brewery, and if I'm heading by the Stone Brewery I might as well play some Disc golf along the way. I decided to drive down south the Friday before the event and have a little fun.

Goat Hill Disc Golf course Oceanside CA

First stop Goathill, my buddy Jeff was supposed to meet their at 10 but he had over slept so I got an extra 90 minutes to practice my putting (losing whatever false sense of confidence I had brought with me). I did however nail this birdie putt on the 17th a 796' par 4. I through a crushing 550' roller that left me with an easy thumber up shot and about 30 feet left to the basket.

I was running late and got to Stone about 2 hours after I planned to arrive. The place was a zoo and they had about 30 people in line at their Store.

Plans of filling a growler of Old Guardian and schmoozing with the staff were out the window, the sun was setting fast, this line was gonna take forever and I wanted to get another round of golf in..

I filled my trunk of with beer and headed down to Kit Carson Park in Escondido. I didn't have much time to spare and I ended up finishing my round in pitch darkness.

My friends Shacky and Vannesa were both competing in the Krispy Kreme Challenge and offered to let couch surf at their house in San Diego. It was great to see Shacky again and I finally got to meet Vanessa whom had been an online friend for the past year. After a few hands on Monopoly deal and a couple 22's of Arrogant Bastard. We all called it a night at a pretty early hour.

Shacky and Vanessa I had both signed up for the Doughnut Man Division. Instead of running 4 miles and eating 1 dozen doughnuts. They would have to run 6 miles and eat 2 dozen doughnuts. I had thought about this option but seeing as only one person accomplished this feat last year. I wanted to go up against stiffer competition. I was serious about this event and was there to win, if I could..

The weather forecast predicted rain the morning of the race. Some people may never think it rains in San Diego. I however have been cursed and knew it was inevitable. Of the last 20 trips I have made it down there it has probably rained 15 times. I am cold blooded and also I sun worshiper I dig rain about once a year. These were not ideal conditions.
(Dilemma)
I wasn't sure what the terrain of the course would be like. I had brought a couple pairs of Luna's with me and also my sketchers Go-Run's. If the rain was coming down during the race or if the course was saturated with puddles I would be sacrificing time by wearing sandals. If the course was rocky it may be uncomfortable for bare feet. As for the sketchers although I had packed them with me the idea of wearing shoes seemed a bit extreme.

If it were raining I would go barefoot and tough it out.

Sure enough when I woke up the next morning and the weather sucked.

Race Number on Barf Bag

I dig it!

The hole vibe of the race was pretty cool. It wasn't all about having stupid fun, it was also a toy drive for needy children, of which I brought a bag full.
(toys not children)

Scouting the course before the race. I noticed that much of the terrain was flooded and there was also an area of thick mud. Both would bode well for going barefoot. However most of the course was was on asphalt with countless rocks washed up upon it from the storm. This could be a problem?

Shacky and I

Minutes before the race was about to start.

Vanessa and Shacky

Let's Race

Photo by Ana Valle

When we lined up the competition looked pretty damn fast. I lined up next to a dude wearing a diaper it turns out he was the defending champ I didn't want be starring as his soiled pampers the whole race. My plan was the same as usual take early lead run like Pat out of hell and deal with consequences later.

Photo by Ana Valle

I went out pretty fast.

Photo by Ana Valle

Although the terrain was not ideal for barefoot running. I didn't feel a single rock.

My pace was right where I wanted it to be finishing my first mile in 5:17. I was at about 90% max speed and diaper dude was right on my ass the whole way. The laps were tracking a little bit short and I got into the doughnut coral in 9:30 about 5 seconds in front of second place and another 5 in front of third.

It was now a three person race between myself, Diaper dude and some dude wearing a Tutu. Running wise were all pretty close.

It was anyone's race to win at this point.

It would most likely come down to who could finish their donuts first.

What did I get myself into?

I had looked forward to this section of the race thinking I would enjoy the first few doughnuts before hitting a wall. My plan was to flatten the doughnuts and stack them like pancakes.

When I got into the coral I sat my box down and started work on my first doughnut. Maybe the first bite was enjoyable but that was about it. The mindset I had gone in with was completely wrong. This was work not play! Mind over matter I thought. It was no "cake walk", This was a

"Doughnut Run!"

I ate my first 2 doughnuts way slower than expected, eating them one by one. I looked over my shoulder at diaper dude and he was already on doughnut 4 and then to the left of him tutu guy had been already finished 4 and had 4 more smashed and stacked in his hand.

Why wasn't I stacking my doughnuts? I had to get my ass in gear. My box still looked nearly full while Tutu guy's was nearly empty. I immediately grabbed 4 doughnuts flattened them on top each other. (to make my box appear more empty). About a minute later Tutu guy was done with his second stack (unbelievable!) he had his remaining four donuts in his hand and his box was empty. I was barely half way done with doughnuts 5-8, this guy guy was in whole nother league! I grabbed my remaining 5 doughnuts flattened them down the best I could and the added the 4 half doughnuts still in my hand

It was the size of a 4 by 4 from In and Out
Packing 1,400 calories of fat and sugar

My box was now the only other one that was empty but I was way behind. I wasn't even halfway through my stack when the crowd erupted. Tutu guy was done and out on the course. (before some people even finished their first 2 miles). The times on the official results say he finished his doughnuts in 4min 38 seconds but he may have been up to 30 seconds faster according to my clock.

If I could focus and just get these damn doughnuts down perhaps I could make up some time during the run. I did the best I could. Nobody else was close to finishing and maybe I could make a stellar comeback? Once I got my mental game down the final few doughnuts were surprisingly easier than the first.

The dude working the coral exit turned out to be one of my Ultra running friends Tracey Moore after 6 minutes 45 seconds of eating I told him I was done and I was off and running. I looked at my watch and had over 2 minutes to make up. It was nice to be running again. The rain was still falling but at the present time it wasn't that heavy. Surprisingly the doughnuts didn't seem to affect my ability to run, I was flying at sub 5:30 pace and it wasn't taking much effort. I felt like I was making up ground but how much?. Eventually I caught sight of Tutu guy, he was well over 1/4 mile ahead of me and his legs were also spinning fast.

At that point I knew I had been beat. I didn't slow down and charged through the rest of the race the best I could. The final 300 yards I sprinted through at a sub 5 min pace to a second place finish 1 minute and 50 seconds behind the winner and 2 minutes and 45 seconds in front of the third place finishing diaper dude.

I had done my best and was proud of my efforts. I can deffinetly can improve and I plan I doing so for next years event.

Photo by Ana Valle

I was getting cold in my Sports Kilt, it was now time to change into some warm clothes grab my umbrella, my camera and watch the rest of this fiasco unfold.

At the finish I was greeted by my friend Steve Mills the Race Director for the San Diego 100 and also a pretty awesome runner in his own rights. All the volunteers were real nice and supportive which made for a great morning.

Winner

Congratulations Tutu Guy!
His running was quite impressive but his ability to get those doughnuts down was absolutely amazing.

Diaper Dude also ran a great race. The dude is no slouch.
(I'm glad he was running behind me )

The woman's winner cruised in about 12 minute's later

But it came at a cost

What a waste

Photo by Ana Valle

While her competition was still reeling. She had recovered with a beautiful smile.
Congratulations
:)

How were my friends doing in the doughnut man division you ask?

Well when I walked up to Shacky and Vanessa while they were on their first dozen. It had looked like Vanessa had thrown up in her doughnut box and was still eating out of it? I was a little grossed yet at the same time proud of her determination. I didn't know what to say to someone who was eating their own vomit? I thought she may be emotional so I snuck away puzzled by the whole scene.

It turns out she had not thrown up (Alright) somehow she had come up with some ass backwards strategy of making doughnut goulash. It didn't work! Both Shacky and Vanessa realized they they had bit off more than they could chew and dropped down into the single dozen event.

Shacky's finish

Vanessa's finish

The Doughnut coral looked more like a mud wrestling pit by the time we were done with it.
Sadly there were no girls in Bikini's to be found.
:(
(Except for in my imagination)
:)

Although the race was over for almost everyone a few elite athletes were still battling it out.

They say bird's of a feather flock together.

In this case it was

Drunken Arrogant Bastards!

Congratulations Brian! I'll be coming for you next year :)

Rhett and I

Also competing in the event was an old friend of mine from days playing professional disc golf. The ex President of the So Cal Disc Golf Association Rhett Stroh.

Good to see you buddy.

and then there was Iso Yucra.

This is one tough dude! a few years ago he ran the Brazil 135 (through a rain rorrest) The Arrowhead 135 (through snow) and Badwater (through the desert). He's areal nice humble guy and I though maybe if I take a picture with him some of that would rub off on me.

The weather was cold but I had a bunch of clothes on except for my bare feet which were somewhat numb. At one point I looked down and blood was oozing off of the side of my right foot.

"Well that kind of sucks!" I thought.

The old adage "numb foot = dumb foot." was playing out to be true once again. Lucky for me It wasn't a cut, rather apopped blood blister. My feet felt fine but I was in for some grief when they thawed out.

Eventually we went in the car the warm up. As my feet thawed they were on sensory overload. I wanted to scream. I tried to focus on Shacky's hula girl to distract me from the pain.

The race was now over for everybody but one man still remained Long after the title of doughnut man had been crowed this determined warrior dressed in a tuxedo shirt and top hat became the third and final finisher of the elite division.

By the time we were ready to leave

I could barely walk without girting my teeth. I new this pain was only temporary and in a day or two I'd be better. Heading out to Javelina to go pace seemed like a stupid idea.

We headed back to Shacky and Vanessa's place and although it was still well before noon that had changed into their pajama's less than 5 minutes after arriving. It was the Perfect time to Enjoy a few Stone IPA's and get in a couple hands of Monopoly Deal.

Thank you guys for the Awesome hospitality!

Although I did not win I am optimistic that myself and others from the event will make it into next years calendar.

I think I make a pretty sexy Miss April.

As for my feet. They were fine. The next day it was good to be back home on the sand.

The first few steps were a little rough but the next 10 miles wore a big grin.

Life is Good!

100 Mile Endurance Challenge

2011-11-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

First off thank you so much to everyone who helped donate to the 100 mile club It really can make a difference in a kids life. Personally I suck at asking for donations and I am very thankful for your support. I know there are a lot that are poor bastards like myself who would of like to have donated but could not afford it. In that case You should feel very guilty! LOL but you can totally redeem yourself :) All you got to is go out and do somthing nice for a child to make up for it! (simple) If you do this all guilt will dissappear but be warned such random acts of kindness can become habbit forming, also other's may see you being a good person and might decide to do something nice themselves.

Race day

Leading up to the race my body felt pretty good. I had a cold which limited my running to about 40 miles the week of the race (a little more tapering than I would prefer) and was pretty optimistic about how the race would unfold.

They wanted all runner's to arrive by 7 a.m. for an 8:30 a.m. start. I live about an hour away from the starting line. I set my alarm for 5 a.m. but was up at by 4 a.m. I didn't want to get up that early but I was too excited for the race to sleep.

Unlike most races having a crew was mandatory for this event. (doh) Although I like helping others achieve thier goals I'm not good at asking others for help. I'm a pretty independent guy and I try not to be that needy. I have a lot great friends whom offered support but come race day most them were nowhere to be found. Ultimately I only really needed one person.

Once again it was my sister stepped up to the plate In support of my Lunacy.
I'm Really lucky to have such a supportive family, Thanks sis.

This event would be a little different. My projected pace of around 9 min mile should put in front of most of the other runners . I was pretty sure most of the aid stations would not be ready for me. I packed my sisters van with enough food and drink to get me too the finish line so that I could get by without any other support if need be.
A couple other interesting things about this race were that all runners must carry a gps and a cell phone. I found the smallest phone I could and jammed it in the pocket of my handheld.

Before the race Kara gave a nice speech thanking the runners for helping raise money for the 100 mile club. A few rug rats from the club came out and told us how many miles they ran last year. I think there was a six year old that ran over three hundred miles. We were all quite impressed..

"Thank you Kara for being such an awesome lady and for starting such an awesome organization, non of this would be possible if wasn't for you. The seed's you have planted become a beautiful garden and I can't wait till that garden becomes a forest !!!!"

I you have never not yet clicked on any of my links for the 100 mile club please do so now. It really is a remarkable organization.

Thank You.

It was an interesting mix of people at the starting line. The event is called the 100 mile Endurance Challenge, Not race. It was about getting to the finish line not about being the first to arrive (although that was my goal). Most of the runners were of the older variety and I figured they would be comming in well over 24 hours. There were a couple people I felt that had a chance of breaking 20 if the stars aligned. I ran into a young runner Thomas P. whom I'd met at the Calico 50k earlier in the year he's a local dude who I've seen few times running around the South Bay. I had a feeling he was gonna have a good day. I thought I might have some company for the first half of the race but he had planned to go out a little slower. Out of the 40 or so runners in the event I think 8 of them were wearing Hoka's and one dumb ass was even wearing Sandal's.

Off and running, Good bye everyone.

Within the first mile of the race I was on my own running down the streets of Corona. I think it was about 5 miles till we got out of the city and on to some bike paths. At 8:30 in the morning the weather was beautiful and was stoked to finally be running

5minutes later. Dumm de dumm de dum.

Along the way we had a police escort, the only problem was that I got too far in front of the other runners for him to trip the signals green for me and found myself at the mercy of the Devil's red hand as I waited begrudgingly for the little white man to let me cross.

I started the race with a shirt. What the hell was I thinking?
It was gone the first chance I had.

Who says running along the side of the freeway can't be beautiful?

13 miles in what a glorious day

Trudging along the body felt pretty good for the first 20 or so miles. I was averaging about a 8:20 pace and not working very hard. A few friends from the 100 mile Club were setting up turn signs for the course, I tried to out flank them a few times but they always were always one step ahead of me.
Having a car kind of helps but sneaking across bridges gave me a fighting chance.

Comming into the first aid station I saw some grass and decided frolic throughout as the Credits from Little house in prairie rolled on in my head. Doot Doot Do Do Doot Do Do

The aid station didn't have much to eat and they only bottled water (which I try to never use.) I grabbed a few slices of apples weighed in and hit up my sisters van. The day before I drained 6 coconuts into water bottles. I drank them all by mile 50. I decided to roll out my IT bands as a precautionary measure. Instead of the usual 30 seconds at an aid station I was there for at least 3 minutes.

10 minutes after leaving my left foot began to bug me a little bit. It was in the same place thatI felt pain the day before the Long Beach Marathon. On that ocasion it did'nt play out to be a factor. I was hoping it would be the same case today. Am I becoming a hypochondriac I wondered? Am I getting smarter? Or have I become a wussy? It's a combo of the 3 but I'm not sure what the ratio is. By mile 30 my body was at a level of fatigue I didn't expect till mile 50. I didn't expect the race to be easy, my immune system was fighting busy fighting off my cold and now I was trying divert my energy to my legs.

I got on the phone (which turned out to be a really nice thing to have) called up my sis and told her I wanted to switch sandals

My sister was doing an outstanding job as my crew. Supposedly this was designated spot to meet up with crew, it seemed a little sketchy to me. I was becoming needy. Having a crew is making me soft.

I switched fresh pair of Original Luna's
I normally race with traditional leather laces but if there is no need to go fast (sub 6 min miles) the elastic laces preform great. I also dig the new ribbon system between the toes.

by the time we hit the beach in Costa Mesa the Marine Layer had covered the sky with fog. The weather felt like it had dropped 20 degrees. I was miserable. The aid station on my the map of my GPS was not there and my it would be few more teeth chattering miles before I got some clothes on my body.

About 10 miles later The haze had cleared up as I entered Sunset beach with a smile on my face.

Way too many pictures of me. There was nobody else around for my sister to photograph. I have provided this kitten to relieve some of the strain my ugly mug has put on your eyes thus far.

Mile 50 Long Beach
I came into mile 50 in good spirits. There was a nice crowd of people at the aid station who gave me a very heart warming welcome. My foot was really starting to bug me. I could live with the pain but I really did not want to become injured. My pace at this point was still fairly decent and I came into the aid station between 8 and 8.5 hours

The first time I have ever sat dawn in chair during an Ultra.

I decided to tape up my feet something I usually reserve for when I plan on running fast. In hind sight perhaps I should have started the race this way. (live and learn)

Within the next few miles things began to get ugly. It was not a throbbing pain on every step but at least once every 2 minutes I would grimace or verbally express my pain grunting out some sort fake cursory suck as Farzle snaps!!
My pace was now twice as slow as it once was. Running hurt bad but I could still walk without much pain. I shuffled along for few miles trying to strategize a game plan to get me to the finish.

As I meandered through the Long beach harbor I got a call from my Bank. It seems someone had my debit card and was making charges in Maryland. It was kind of a surreal moment to be in a race conducting business on the phone but at least it distracted me from the my other problems

I then got a call from my Best friend Dan Westergaard. He offered to pace me through the night when I got to San Pedro. I told him that my prognostics were not good but I thought I could at least Death march it to the finish line.

By now it had been about two hours of mostly walking and I was still all by myself. Where the hell is everyone? I was bumbling down the bike path through a shady area of Long Beach towards Wilmington changing my mind on every other step whether I should continue or not. My sister seemed very concerned about my predicament and at the same time I was worried about her sitting in a mini van in this crappy neighborhood.

I was at about mile 59 I thought I could make it to the next aid station at 62 but each step was now very uncomfortable.

She found a well lit parking spot a truck stop at mile 60.
It was time to quit but I wanted to keep going.

I sat down in the stupid chair again put on some Inginji socks trying to fool to fool my body into thinking it would magically be okay. I was still in the lead but there was no way that was gonna last .

About 100 Steps later I would withdraw from the race.

Thank you to all the volunteers and congratulation's to all the fisher's. My hat goes off to you.

Present Day

It's been a little over 2 weeks now since the race. Although I was and still am pretty bummed I couldn't finish. I made the right decision to quit. My foot does not feel broken yet is still far from being 100%. I have some spring in my step but endurance wise I don't think I'll be pushing the envelope anytime soon.

Pushing the envelope!
What the hell does that mean?
You got to be pretty tough to push an envelope. That's me tough guy extraordinaire.

I did manage to run a little over 50 miles the following week week with 30 of them comming in shoes (yes shoes first time in nearly 2 years) and another 60 last week I got a good opportunity to try out Sketchers foray into the world of minimalist footwear (whatever that means) and hopefully I can help them evolve their product into something great. That being said there is ZERO chance I will giving up my Luna's anytime soon. I think incorporating shoes is a good idea for the present time.

Where do I go from here?

In a perfect world My body would of held up and I would be heading to Arizona to run the Javalina 100 on Nov 12th and if that was sucessful cogs would be in motion towards a possible sparathalalon appearence in 2012.

Those aspirations I will have to put on hold for little bit. As for now this Saturday I have a chance at ever lasting glory and an even better chance at throwing up.

Krispy Kreme Challenge West
Run 2 miles eat a dozen doughnuts run 2 miles.