Oh No! AC 100 on Fire

Over the past four days over 85,000 acres have been scorched in the San Gabriel Mountains. Many areas, including famous Mt Wilson, are part of the AC 100 course. Runners were supposed to be there early Saturday morning and again on Sunday, but the Race director canceled the trail maintenance, and it was the right call. The fires have taken over La Canada, which was where we were supposed to be. I hope they are able to get this under control quickly and it doesn't effect the race, unfortunately its out of my hands.

For up-to-date maps of the fire and evacuations click here: Fire Map

My Weekly Mileage

Here's the workouts I did last week. Everything was easy with an emphasis on mileage. With the AC 100 only 3 weeks away, this upcoming week will prove crucial, in not only my physical preparation leading up to the race, but psychologically as well. Again keeping my daily mileage around 20, I'm hoping that mid-week I can do a 40+ run and and another long run the following day! If I can manage only 3/4ths of what I want to get done this week. I'll be ready....Bring it on!

Bulldog 50k, 10th place 4:50:11

The Bulldog 50k is a real measure of where you stand in the trail running community of southern California. It is a 50k Regional championship, and Trail Runner Magazine -Trophy Series Race. I felt strong. I finished 10th overall and 2nd in the 30 and under age division. Here are some pics from the race. For complete results click here: Bulldog 50k results.

AC 100 Elevation Chart and Course Map

Here is a link to the Google Earth course file. AC 100 Course

AC 100

This is it!
Time is winding down. Let the countdown begin. 9/19/09. With a little more than 4 weeks to go I'm starting to feel the pressure, second guessing my training, and quick to snap at others. I'm pretty much zero fun to be around right now, and that's because I have tunnel vision. I'm wearing blinders and all I can see is the race. The support crew is coming together nicely, my girlfriend is here, and my family is flying out from Indiana. This really makes me nervous, 1) Ive always gone to a race by myself. 2) I'm not just running for myself, I have to make sure I do well for the people who come out to support me! I'm not quite sure i can handle this.

August Training Schedule

Here is my monthly running schedule as designed by Jack Daniels. I'm not gonna lie, I don't quite follow it exactly. True, he is one of the greatest running coaches in the world, but he also only coaches people for marathons, as you can tell by the workouts. Nothing is over 20 miles. That just doesn't cut it. How am I going to run 100 miles without ever running over 20 at one time? Do you think Ryan hall could do it, no. So why should i. So I make my long runs 35-40 miles. and my 2-a-days, become 3-a-days.

Granted, my speed has increased, which is excellent. I'm not trying to change his training for me. I just take the principles, tempo runs, lactate runs, long runs, etc. and formulate them to fit what I need to get out of it. I think its working so far. No athlete wants to rely on someone else to tell them what to do. Only I know my body and how it reacts to stress. I just need someone to point me in the right direction.

My Life as an Ultra Runner

My day is not measured by how many phone calls i make, or how many deals i close. It's how hard I ran. If I'm dead and keeled over, today was a good day. And as a runner, your only as good as your last run.

I used to hate running. It was boring, monotonous, and inglorious. Yet, one element of running appealed to me.... It was hard! I HURT when I finished running. I needed only one mile to feel sore for the next two days, and I liked that. This should have been a red flag, a warning to stay away, but I didn't. I really love pain. The sweat and emotions let out on each and every run becomes a daily cleansing of all negative energy. It is my version of yoga, except, I don't sit still very well. Instead, I run my ass off. The best part about running, it's quantitative. The more effort you put in the more results you see. Its all about the chase. The hope that once you have captured your goals you will be content. Truth being, most people spend so much time on the final outcome, they completely miss the experience that made the goal so worth while and important in the first place. The Sweat.

The effort you give, day in and day out, really begins to measure you up as a person. Its addicting. Once you prove to yourself you can run 30 miles. Why not 50? And once 50, 100 doesn't seem that incomprehensible. My theory is simple. If you can, Why not? True, this is irrational, illogical, and ill-advised by almost everyone, but for the select few whom withstood the onslaught and pressure of mediocrity, unadulterated bliss becomes a daily reward. I might be writing this specifically to rationalize my lifestyle, but you only live once. Life takes patience and perseverance, so does running 100 miles. That's my life as an ultra runner.

Valley of Fire

Technique Training: Palos Verdes