A Running Commentary on Life

the COYOTE BUSHIDO - "Way of the Coyote Trail Runner"

2011-12-24T07:37:00.000-08:00

www.SoCalCoyotes.com

the COYOTE BUSHIDO

“Way of the COYOTE Trail Runner”

Your Physical Health is Ground Zero

Running should enhance your health, not tear you apart. Recovery is key. Always keep in mind the point of doing this is to maximize your health/fitness/well-being. If you are constantly pushing, never taking time for recovery (especially if you’re prepping for “an ultra”) you will soon break down or burn out. Keep an eye on your energy levels, your health, and your physical aches-n-pains. Either we make time to self-maintain or soon we’ll be doing all the things we should have been doing all along while injured.

Respect the Run

Running is truly a gift. Always strive to appreciate that you can move your body in an inspired, elegant and amazing way. Even a bad run is still a part of a great day more often than not. You are challenging yourself for sport, and your body will react and respond and build you stronger. Running is one of the greatest representations of “you get out what you put in”.

Respect Your Fellow Athlete

Anyone and everyone who runs/hikes/walks (bikes/rides/etc.) deserves our deepest respect. Those who get out there and JUST DO IT, it doesn’t matter the distance, speed or frequency, on that day, you are an athlete and we are humbled by you.

Respect the Trails

No matter where you live, you can always visit some amazing places to run. Be it a local park or a mountain, canyon or beach, MOTHER EARTH deserves your deepest respect. She nurtures us, and we should honor this. It’s not enough to simply not litter. Pick up anything you see out there. We are using the trail, beach or path to better ourselves; let’s leave them better too. Step up your game. It will feel really good and you will inspire others to do the same.

Remember Where You Started

Whether it was 28-years ago or 28-days ago, remember how far you’ve come. Try not to waste time wishing you were better/faster/more fit than another time/period in your life, work to be better now. There was a time you might have found running difficult, laborious or even punishment, but now, you can enjoy yourself, have fun and improve with mindful remembrance.

Thou Shalt Not Envy (Another Runner)

Much of an athlete’s success is determined prior to their workouts beginning. Never begrudge someone else the hard work they did to improve. Measure yourself against yourself, and be generous with that measurement (be glass half full).

Lead (By Example)

Commit yourself to having an impact in the lives of others (runners & non-runners alike). Running doesn’t just improve you physically; it improves your overall health, well being, vitality and mentality. Reinvest that energy in others by inspiring them to take up a physical activity that inspires them. If they hate running, or don’t run, invite them to give it another shot with new perspective. 99% of us LOVED to run when we were children (“Don’t run in the hall/house or around the pool” etc.). Parents and adults were demanding we ran less back then. Somewhere we took a wrong turn. If you found your way back to that JOY (or never lost it), spread the love. Even if you only inspire 1 in every 10 people, that 1 drop in the pond will send shockwaves through their life and to those around them. It’s worth it.

The “All In” Mentality

You never know which run or race will be your last for a while. Don’t take it for granted. It’s one thing to take an easy day in a tough week; it’s another thing altogether to just run because your training schedule says so. Don’t lose sight of this simple, yet profound thing that we do and how much we miss it when it’s not available as an option.

Have Fun (At All Costs)

”If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.” –Katelyn Benton

It’s better to sacrifice performance goals than it is to sacrifice the enjoyment of running. Yes, it’s fun to improve, but if you make it to the end of a long training program, fall short at a race, and have the feeling “I just wasted 4-5 months of my life” or more, you’ve ripped yourself off in oh so many ways. Start with a fun attitude of gratitude and the race results will follow. No, it won’t happen overnight. If you want that kind of success, you’re in the wrong sport.

Pedro’ing It (Notes on Finishing Strong at a Race)

To “Pedro It” means to run your FASTEST 5k of the race in the very last 5k of that race (of ANY distance).

No matter how deep you dig, there’s always more you can give. When you’re close to the finish, line it up and knock it out, go for it, get it done, *insert clever finishing cliché here”. The ONE exception to this is when you’ve spent more than 50% of a race running alongside someone (teammate or otherwise), thou shalt not drop the hammer on a partnership (at the very end). If you’re running for position or wish to beat one teammate in particular, you agree to leave them (behind?) prior to the last 20% of that race (ex. in a 50-mile race, the last 10-miles).

There Are Many Eyes In “Team”

When it comes to a run or race there will be good, bad and UGLY days. You are part of a team, especially when you don the COYOTE jersey. Represent yourself as you’d want your teammates to represent you. Especially when you have a bad day. The great thing about failing when a part of a team is you get to CELEBRATE the success of your partners in crime instead of wallowing in self-pity. Even when you go to a race where you are a “Coyote pack of 1”, we are globally recognized (thank you Facebook & Twitter), and you represent us all. Make us proud, especially when your performance isn’t what you had hoped.

ANGELES CREST 100 awaits - 1-day of Inspiration remains (until damnation)

2011-07-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

The ANGELES CREST 100-Miler is tomorrow. This is DAY 5 of a 5-part BLOG.

If you are reading this as your first BLOG in this series, I have asked a few athletes in that finished 100's (or longer) over the last 5 weeks to provide me with a QUOTE that gets them fired up to compete, a SONG that helps them in the tough moments, and a MANTRA that helped them finish their respective races. Pssst, there's a bonus at the bottom, past my Day 5 athlete/inspiration...

Day 1: JASON HEALEY
Day 2: JUNE CASERIA
Day 3: CHRIS PRICE
Day 4: KEVIN CHAN

DAY 5 ATHLETE: STAN KOSOSKI
RACE: Western States 100-Miler
FINISH: 28:48:26 (his 2nd 100-miler, 1st Western States)
QUOTE: "Pain is temporary. DNF'ing States will hurt for years (until you get back in again, and finish.)”
SONG: Pornstar Dancing - My Darkest Days
MANTRA: “One foot in front of the other. Forward is progress. No excuses.”
Song Lyrics: Pornstar Dancing

Kelly won't kiss my friend, Cassandra
Jessica won't play ball
Mandy won't share her friend, Miranda
Doesn't anybody live at all?

Amanda won't leave me empty handed
Got her number from a bathroom stall
Brandy just got way too much baggage
And that shit just gets old

But I got a girl who can put on a show
The dollar decides how far you can go

She wraps those hands around that pole
She licks those lips and off we go
She takes it off nice and slow
Because that's pornstar dancin'

She don't play nice, she makes me beg
She drops that dress around her legs
And I'm sittin' right by the stage for this
Pornstar dancin'

Your body's lightin' up the room
I want a naughty girl like you
There's nothing hotter than a..

Stacy's gonna save herself for marriage
But that's just not my style
She's got a pair that's nice to stare at
But I want girls gone wild

But I know a place where there's always a show
The dollar decides how far you can go

She wraps those hands around that pole
She licks those lips and off we go
She takes it off nice and slow
Because that's pornstar dancin'

She don't play nice, she makes me beg
She drops that dress around her legs
And I'm sittin' right by the stage for this
Pornstar dancin'

Your body's lightin' up the room
I want a naughty girl like you
Let's throw a party just for two
You know those normal girls won't do

They won't do
I need a girl thats kinda frisky
Drinking with the fellas
Takin shots and gettin tipsy
We always wanna party cause she sexy as hell
And if i ever get in trouble bailin me outta jail
Cause she a stone cold stunna hotta than the summer
When she step up into the club every man and woman want her
she make me wanna get a stripper pole up in my home
cause of the pornstar dancin got me in the zone!

She wraps those hands around that pole
She licks those lips and off we go
She takes it off nice and slow
Because that's pornstar dancin'

She don't play nice, she makes me beg
She drops that dress around her legs
And I'm sittin right by the stage for this
Pornstar dancin'
************************************************

************************************************
DAY 5 BONUS (my quote/song/mantra and AC100 race plan)

ATHLETE: Jimmy Dean Freeman (in AC100 LIVE terms: Jimmy Freeman)
RACE: Angeles Crest 100-Miler
2006 FINISH: 26:27:05 (my 1st 100-miler, 2nd ultra)
2007 = DNF at Mt. Hillyer checkpoint, Mile 49 (3rd ultra)
2011 GOAL: 22:00:00 (give or take an hour)
QUOTE: "It's not about luck; it's about willingness to suffer.”
SONG: Superman (It's Not Easy) - Five For Fighting
MANTRA: “Just (F***ing) Do It.”
Song Lyrics: Superman (It's Not Easy)

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me

I'm more than a bird, I'm more than a plane
I'm more than some pretty face beside a train
And it's not easy to be me

I wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
Bout a home I'll never see

It may sound absurd but don't be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed but won't you concede
Even heroes have the right to dream?
And it's not easy to be me

Up up and away away from me
Well it's all right
You can all sleep sound tonight
I'm not crazy or anything

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
Men weren't meant to ride
With clouds between their knees

I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me

Inside of me, inside of me, yeah
Inside of me, inside of me

I'm only a man in a funny red sheet
I'm only a man looking for a dream
I'm only a man in a funny red sheet
And it's not easy, it's not easy to be me
************************************************

RACE PLAN NOTES
The A-plan is to utilize Suzanna Bon's 2007 splits (22:00:15) and much of Tom Nielsen's race strategy (hike the big climbs, take advantage of downhills, concede no time at aid stations, finish strong as the race begins with a 50k to go).

You can follow the race splits for ALL of us (including SoCal Coyotes Dom Grossman, Adam Bowman, George Gleason, Katie DeSplinter and Tiffany Guerra) at the AC100 LIVE link: AC100.com/live/
Some early and late race Tweets on any Coyotes near(ish) me: Twitter.com/CoachJimmyDean

Here. We. GO!

HOWL!!!!

ANGELES CREST 100 awaits - 2-days of Inspiration remain (until damnation)

2011-07-21T05:41:00.000-07:00

The ANGELES CREST 100-Miler is now a scant 2-days away. This is DAY 4 of a 5-part BLOG.

Day 1: JASON HEALEY
Day 2: JUNE CASERIA
Day 3: CHRIS PRICE

If you are reading this as your first BLOG in this series, I have asked a few athletes in that finished 100's (or longer) over the last 5 weeks to provide me with a QUOTE that gets them fired up to compete, a SONG that helps them in the tough moments, and a MANTRA that helped them finish their respective races.

ATHLETE: KEVIN "CHANDELOUS" CHAN
RACE: Western States 100-Miler
FINISH: 23:40:48 (his 1st 100-miler & coveted WS100 Silver Buckle)
QUOTE: "To get through the hardest journey we need take only 1 step at a time, but we must keep on stepping.”
SONG: Walk - Foo Fighters
MANTRA: “The most dangerous weapon is your will.” - Bruce Lee
Song Lyrics: Walk

A million miles away
Your signal in the distance
To whom it may concern
I think I lost my way
Getting good at starting over
Every time that I return

I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to talk again
Can't you see I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?

Do you remember the days
We built these paper mountains
And sat and watched them burn
I think I found my place
Can't you feel it growing stronger
Little conqueror

I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to talk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?

Now
For the very first time
Don't you pay no mind
Set me free again
You keep alive a moment at a time
But still inside a whisper to a liar
To sacrifice but knowing to survive
The first to find another state of mind
I'm on my knees, I'm waiting for a sign
Forever, whenever
I never wanna die
I never wanna die
I never wanna die
I'm on my knees
I never wanna die
I'm dancing on my grave
I'm Running through the fire
Forever, whatever
I Never wanna die
I Never wanna leave
I'll Never say goodbye
Forever, whatever
Forever, Whatever

I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to talk again
Can't you see I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?

I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
I'm learning to talk again
Can't you see I've waited long enough

ANGELES CREST 100 awaits - 3-days of Inspiration remain (until damnation)

2011-07-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

The ANGELES CREST 100-Miler is now a scant 3-days away. This is DAY 3 of a 5-part BLOG.

Day 1: JASON HEALEY.

Day 2: JUNE CASERIA

If you are reading this as your first BLOG in this series, I have asked a few athletes in that finished 100's (or longer) over the last 5 weeks to provide me with a QUOTE that gets them fired up to compete, a SONG that helps them in the tough moments, and a MANTRA that helped them finish their respective races.

ATHLETE: CHRIS PRICE
RACE: San Diego 100-Miler
FINISH: 19:44:03 (his 1st 100-miler)
QUOTE: "If you want to run fast, you have to run fast.” -Andy Salinger
SONG: Hell of a Life - Kanye West

MANTRA: Maintain, maintain, maintain. The quicker I run, the sooner I'm done.
Song Lyrics: Hell of a Life

I think I just fell in love with a porn star
Turn the camera on, she a born star
Turn the corners in a foreign car
Call the coroners do the CPR
She gave that old n-gga a ulcer
Her bitter sweet taste made his gold teeth fake, uh
Make her knees shake, make a priest faint, uh
Make a nun cum, make her cremate, uh
Move downtown, cop a sweet space, uh
Livin’ life like we won the sweepstakes, what!
We headin’ to hell for heaven’s sake, Huh!
Well I’mma levitate, make the devil wait, Yeah!

Have you lost your mind?
Tell me when you think we crossed the line
No more drugs for me, p-ssy and religion is all I need
Grab my hand and baby we’ll live a hell of a life

Never in your wildest dreams, never in your wildest dreams
In your wildest
You could hear the loudest screams, comin’ from inside the screen
You a wild bitch
Tell me what I gotta do to be that guy
Said her price go down, she ever f-ck a black guy
Or do anal, or do a gangbang
It’s kinda crazy that’s all considered the same thing
Well I guess a lotta n-ggas do gang bang
And if we run trains, we all in the same gang
Runaway slaves all on a chain gang
Bang bang bang bang bang

Have you lost your mind?
Tell me when you think we crossed the line
No more drugs for me, p-ssy and religion is all I need
Grab my hand and baby we’ll live a hell of a life

One day I’m gon’ marry a porn star
We’ll have a big ass crib and a long yard
We’ll have a mansion and some fly maids
Nothin’ to hide, we both screwed the bride’s maid
She wanna role play, ’til I roll over
I’mma need a whole day, at least rolled doja
What party is we goin’ to on Oscar day
‘Specially if she can’t get that dress from Oscar de
La Renta, they wouldn’t rent her they couldn’t take the shame
Snatched the dress off her back and told her, “Get away.”
How could you say they live they life wrong?
When you never f-ck with the lights on

Have you lost your mind?Tell me when you think we crossed the line
No more drugs for me, p-ssy and religion is all I need
Grab my hand and baby we’ll live a hell of a life

I think I fell in love with a porn star
And got married in a bathroom
Honeymoon on the dance floor
And got divorced by the end of the night
That’s one hell of a life

ANGELES CREST 100 awaits - 4-days of Inspiration remaining (until damnation)

2011-07-19T06:27:00.000-07:00

The ANGELES CREST 100-Miler is now a mere 4-days away. This is DAY 2 of a 5-part BLOG. Yesterday's BLOG was on JASON HEALEY. If you are reading this as your first BLOG in this series, I have asked a few athletes in that finished 100's (or longer) over the last 5 weeks to provide me with a QUOTE that gets them fired up to compete, a SONG that helps them in the tough moments, and a MANTRA that helped them finish their respective races.

ATHLETE: JUNE CASERIA
RACE: Western States 100-Miler
FINISH: 29:50:54 (her 1st 100-miler)
QUOTE: "Pain is temporary, pride is forever.”
SONG: Lose Yourself - Eminem
MANTRA: You can do it. You can do this. You can fucking DO IT!
Song Lyrics: Lose Yourself

Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready to drop bombs,
but he keeps on forgettin what he wrote down,
the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out
He's choking how, everybody's joking now
The clock's run out, time's up over, bloah!
Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity
Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked
He's so mad, but he won't give up that
Easy, no
He won't have it , he knows his whole back's to these ropes
It don't matter, he's dope
He knows that, but he's broke
He's so stagnant that he knows
When he goes back to his mobile home, that's when it's
Back to the lab again yo
This whole rhapsody
He better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo
(You better)

The soul's escaping, through this hole that it's gaping
This world is mine for the taking
Make me king, as we move toward a, new world order
A normal life is boring, but superstardom's close to post mortem
It only grows harder, only grows hotter
He blows us all over these hoes is all on him
Coast to coast shows, he's know as the globetrotter
Lonely roads, God only knows
He's grown farther from home, he's no father
He goes home and barely knows his own daughter
But hold your nose 'cause here goes the cold water
His hoes don't want him no more, he's cold product
They moved on to the next schmoe who flows
He nose dove and sold nada
So the soap opera is told and unfolds
I suppose it's old partner but the beat goes on
Da da dum da dum da da

No more games, I'ma change what you call rage
Tear this motherfucking roof off like 2 dogs caged
I was playing in the beginning, the mood all changed
I've been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage
But I kept rhyming and stepwritin the next cypher
Best believe somebody's paying the pied piper
All the pain inside amplified by the fact
That I can't get by with my 9 to 5
And I can't provide the right type of life for my family
Cause man, these goddam food stamps don't buy diapers
And it's no movie, there's no Mekhi Phifer, this is my life
And these times are so hard, and it's getting even harder
Trying to feed and water my seed, plus
Teeter totter caught up between being a father and a prima donna
Baby mama drama's screaming on and
Too much for me to wanna
Stay in one spot, another day of monotony
Has gotten me to the point, I'm like a snail
I've got to formulate a plot or I end up in jail or shot
Success is my only motherfucking option, failure's not
Mom, I love you, but this trailer's got to go
I cannot grow old in Salem's lot
So here I go it's my shot.
Feet fail me not this may be the only opportunity that I got

You can do anything you set your mind to, man

ANGELES CREST 100 awaits - 5-days of Inspiration (until damnation)

2011-07-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

The ANGELES CREST 100-Miler is now a mere 5-days away. "ONLY 5 more sleeps" as my childlike self used to think on December 20th awaiting Christmas eagerly. Having been to three 100-mile (or longer) races in the last 5-weeks, I felt inspired looking back on the performances of my friends, fellow ultra-runners and the handful of athletes I had the joy to coach (who competed in those events). Over the next 5-days, I shall post a look into the mentality of those who inspired me at the SAN DIEGO 100, the WESTERN STATES 100 and the BADWATER 135...

I have asked a few athletes in this group to provide me with a QUOTE that gets them fired up to compete, a SONG that helps them in the tough moments, and a MANTRA that helped them finish their respective races.

ATHLETE: JASON HEALEY

RACE: San Diego 100-Miler
FINISH: 28:44:39 (his 1st 100-miler)
QUOTE: "In order to accomplish something great you must first expect it of yourself.”
SONG: Times Like These - Foo Fighters
MANTRA: Pain is weakness leaving the body.
Song Lyrics: Times Like These
I am a one way motorway

I'm the one that drives away
Then follows you back home
I am a street light shining
I'm a wild light blinding bright
Burning off alone

It’s times like these you learn to live again
It’s times like these you give and give again
It’s times like these you learn to love again
It’s times like these time and time again

I am a new day rising
I'm a brand new sky
To hang the stars upon tonight
I am a little divided
Do I stay or run away
And leave it all behind?

It’s times like these you learn to live again
It’s times like these you give and give again
It’s times like these you learn to love again
It’s times like these time and time again

Life Time Capsule: 2010 into 2011. EPIC adventure = epic failure + success.

2011-02-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

WHAT I LEARNED (ABOUT LIFE) IN 2010
I am not quite sure where to begin with this one. Last year really didn't have a traditional/figurative beginning, middle and an end. I'm not even sure I'm writing this to be read (yeah, sure Jimmy, that's why it's in BLOG format, and not in your journal). I just talked to myself in 3rd person there. Yep, it was one of those years!

To understand where I find myself beginning 2011, it's important to look at where I was to begin 2001, yes, a decade ago (many of you do NOT know this story, which is amazing considering how infrequently I am not talking/telling stories).

In January of 2001, I declared (for the second time) "I will run my first marathon this year!" It was right after taking a groundbreaking life seminar called the Landmark Forum (feel free to ask me more specifically about this course if you're curious what you might get out of it). I then hired a coach (sponsored triathlete / Coach Kaley Parkinson who then worked at/for Forward Motion Sports) and I went to work. The trouble started when Kaley sent me his athlete questionnaire and I answered many questions with answers from when I was in peak shape, about 6 years prior (can you say oops). I was just starting to run (again) and essentially was asking him to give me workouts that I shouldn't be able to handle/withstand for another 8-12 weeks. You guessed right: I was completely injured (ITBS) within 8 runs, maybe even less (I think it was 11 days). Completely my fault. Kaley, being a triathlete coach, suggested we continue training and he worked with me in the pool. I did all I could to sustain motivation and went to the gym diligently for about a month. I swam, biked did a ton of core work. IT band didn't improve much, at least not quickly enough to train for that marathon (June 2001). Months later, I still went to the SD R'n'R Marathon out of a sense of moral obligation to the National Childhood Cancer Foundation, since I had donation/sponsorship checks for $1-$2 per mile. I arrived in San Diego, went to the marathon expo, got the course map on Saturday, picked up my bib and started walking the course. I got to the section where the course goes up a freeway on-ramp and after careful consideration thought better of it. Instead I completed another couple loops around Balboa Park, GPS reading = 14-miles. The next morning, I caught a cab to Mile 13, stretched and waited for the race to come by, then jumped in and started walking, then walk/running, then jogging towards the finish. I finished, albeit unofficially in 22-hours, 17-min (6-hours, 17-min of moving forward time with a 16-hour recovery break in the middle). It marked the first time in my life (I was 24 years old) that I followed through and did something I said I would complete when I knew my initial goal was not possible (to run the race straight through).

That race changed me. Yet, it took another 16-months to prepare for my first successful marathon (run) after 2 more injury/sickness setbacks of 2-4 months, I completed CHICAGO in Oct of 2002. Then, as inspired as I've ever been, I brought on the worst over-use injury of my running life: quadriceps tendinitis that lasted from late-Nov 2002 to Aug 2003. I battled depression (for the second time in my life), went deeply into the abyss of 'video game addition' (was averaging 7-8 hours of gaming or gaming related activities for the better part of a year). At one point that summer, I was eating 2-McDonald's McGriddles per day, 4-days per week, and on the other days, it was the much healthier choice of 2-Krispy Kreme Original Glazed and a Starbucks 'poor man's mocha (coffee and chocolate with some cream)'. My relentless girlfriend/fiancée (we got engaged somehow in the middle of all that nonsense) Kate invited me to run with her 2-3 times per week for 10-months (and I gave her approximately 100-consecutive-NO's). The 101st invite elicited a "why not, let's go" and I laced up the shoes and have not looked back since then. That tough, tough period of my life taught me patience and perseverance in ways I'll always appreciate and utilize. I haven't had a serious injury (*knocking on wood now*) since. Sure, in peak training/racing, I've had ticky-tack aches and pains, a few muscle imbalances, but all things I could correct quickly with diligent work ethic and willingness to scale training back and rest when necessary.

The next PR marathon came in Dec 2004, and I finally got my 'BQ'. I ran my 1st BOSTON in Apr 2005. Then, I started training for a double-marathon on trails in May 2005 and ran the Sierra Nevada Endurance Run in September that year. I went on one year later to complete my 1st 100-mile mountain trail race (Angeles Crest 2006) and the rest brought us to 2010.

FAST FORWARD TO 2010

I turned 34 last year, but spent the bulk of the stanza in "my Jesus year" as a couple of my friends playfully jested. The Urban Dictionary defines Jesus year this way... "The 33rd year of your life. Time to get moving and get things done." I took on more this year than maybe any other year of my life. I did things that spanned the gambit: traveled (US and abroad) to coach runners, lead running clinics and presented as a motivational keynote speaker. I performed stand up at numerous events/functions/clubs. I coached the completion of my first formal training program for the running team/group I founded (the SoCal COYOTES aka Coyote Running). I helped inspire/motivate a family member (my BIL, Stan) to run 100-miles (my single proudest accomplishment of 2010). I completed "the World's Toughest Footrace aka the Challenge of the Champions" aka the BADWATER Ultramarathon. A healthy number of things I wanted to be great fell flat on their face. I failed to finish my last major race/competition of the year (dropping out of the Oil Creek 100-Miler at Mile 76). I fell short of my coaching program goals and promises in the sophomore effort of Coyote Training Programs. I made a fool of myself, sometimes intentionally, sometimes quite accidentally on a number of occasions. It was an amazing, epic and mixed bag. I also came a few steps closer to understanding what my family means to me, and which friends I consider family come hell or high water.

I'm in my next zone now. My introspective (or is this outtrospective?) space laying the foundation for what's to come in 2011 was January. I share this with you to say, 2010 was an amazing AND perfect mess. I hope I live another year to tell the tale of 2011 and dream about what 2012 holds in store.

RUNNING (the foundation/ground work for all I accomplish in other areas of my life)

After taking my Western States 100-Miler lottery stat to 0-for-4 (I got into the 2008/2009 edition of the race by automatic entry), I saw another loss in the lottery at the MMT100. I realized my fate: to return to the ANGELES CREST 100-MILER: the site of my first 100-mile finish AND my first ever epic race fail (see: DNF). I will run the Lake Sonoma 50-miler (April) and the MIWOK 100k (May) in my training buildup to my July 23rd/24th date with destiny. I also aim to nail down the 'XTERRA Trail Run Series Champion' title in SoCal XTERRA's this year. There are 7 races (you can tally points at 6), and I'll be running 4 or 5 of them in hopes of being 1st Place 'Age Group Male' 35-39 years of age. I have 1 prospective race left, albeit it is a week after a 50-miler. Good times. I'd love to add another full Santa Monica Mountains Backbone Trail fkt attempt in there somewhere, and I also am eyeballing the Rio Del Lago 100-Miler in September. Howl!!!

COACHING

I will continue to grow 'COYOTE RUNNING' brand awareness, help as many athletes as I can achieve their athletic (and life) goals in 2011, and coach in new arenas (corporate wellness, motivational/keynote speaking, school assemblies, etc.).

LIFE
I will take an even more active role in the lives of my siblings (Sarah, Mary and Daniel), work to set up some structures to mentor my baby bro (he's a Senior in HS), and plan more trips to see Kate's family and my nieces and nephew. Also, I will continue to support my baby sis and her husband in their race and fitness goals (Stan is running WESTERN STATES!). My family is rad. I will also plan more time in with my mom, and invite her to participate (earlier) in some of my races. I'd like to get my dad down to SoCal on a simple visit to see me and my sis Sarah. I plan to move into a new apartment that allows dogs and get a puppy in the next 6-months, and use the time prior to throw out and organize 7-10 years accumulation of garbage/clutter that I don't need in my life including excess running shoes and clothing that can be donated.

CAREER
I will continue to move forward in my Motivational Speaker / Keynote Speaker business. Last year I booked 4 gigs between August-November, this year I will average 2 per month (or more) by the end of 2011 and continue developing my network of schools. I plan to book $24k-$50k+ in keynote/assembly gigs and take the next step forward in my presentation to both adults, businesses, kids and schools. I will also get a website up on my speaking/emceeing by the end of March. I already have my first "mini-doc" on a school assembly I did back in September (thank you Adam Bowman!)...

100 MILE CLUB CHALLENGE (15-min long) - video by BBrandTripel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRCxVHY7vsU

There's a LOT to do in 2011. Enough writing about it, I've gotta get crackin' sendin' emails and making calls!!!

Running with the Ghosts of Oil Creek - a OC100 Race Recap

2010-08-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

RUNNING WITH THE GHOSTS OF OIL CREEK
An Oil Creek 100 Race Recap

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It was 4:50am Saturday, October 10th when we stepped out of the warmth of the Titusville Middle School cafeteria. 80 hopeful ultra runners stared off into the darkness of night. Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "If you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." Somehow I felt calm, yet unsettled. Many questions remained, but now was a time for answers. The horn sounded which signaled the start of the Inaugural Oil Creek 100-Mile Trail Race, part of a first time trio of races. A 50-miler & 50k started an hour and two hours later, respectively, boasting a collective of over 250 athletes. These events were put on by first time Race Director Tom Jennings who seemed to have the wisdom of the ages - not a detail went overlooked.

Within 50-yards, a foursome of runners jumped out to form a lead pack and took things out via a flat and fast bike path at around 7:30-per-mile. The air was cool, but not too cold. The conversation was cordial, if not probing... "Hi, Jimmy Dean from Los Angeles here. Who are you guys? Where ya from?" Joe vibrantly jumped in... "Joe Kulak here, Philly area." The runner to my right answered, "Richard Cook, I live just outside Pittsburgh." Up rolled our fourth, a couple strides late to the conversation, "Matt Clay, I live less than an hour from here, formerly Oklahoma." None of the four of us could have realized it at the time, but we'd run together, chase each other and track each others' splits for the rest of the day. We exchanged race experiences, training programs, Oil Creek course notes and a couple of funny stories from other 100-milers. A very short half hour later, we veered right up the Boughton Acid Works trail, which reeked of sulfuric acid. The trail was wet and semi-muddy, but not too slippery. As we dug into the darkness of the forest, a fog engulfed us. We started to spread out a little. Jimmy, Richard, Matt and Joe.

Near the end of the train on the Gerard Hiking Trail was first time 100-miler Tom Sperduto. In town from New Jersey, Tom had kissed his wife Jen for luck, listened to iPod messages from his daughter Emily, and contently trotted through the first few miles smiling and happy. Tom, a man of devout faith, knew that he'd finish 100-miles this weekend no matter what. He wasn't sure how fast, or if he'd even be an official finisher, but he knew that he would not stop until he was done. "I love you daddy. I know you can do it. I know you can finish 100-miles." His daughter's words echoed in his ears and brought him to tears over and over again. Tom had no doubt. He would dig as deep as needed.

Around Mile 17, Joe caught up with me. After a minute of conversation, we realized that Joe and a couple runners with him had missed an out-and-back section of the course. Joe smiled a semi-frustrated smile, turned around and headed a mile and a half back on the course to run the section he missed. I would see Joe again soon enough. At Mile 20, I dropped back off the pace and Richard was with me shortly thereafter. He very comfortably and casually trotted by, looking great. Next, Matt caught up and we shared a few miles and stories about mutual friends and other races.

Matt surged ahead, still looking comfortable and relaxed. We discovered that our target pace and our projected pace were a bit off, and we both came into Titusville Middle School at Mile 31 a little fast. Matt spent much of the rest of the day 2-20 minutes behind Richard, never quite caught up but never fell too far behind.

Loop 2 of 3 (the 100-mile course consisted of three 50k loops and one 7.7-mile loop) was run through the middle of the day for us as the sunlight cascaded through a canopy of Fall colored leaves.

Temps stayed in the mid-40's during the day (dropping to the high-30's at night) and we enjoyed simply gorgeous overlook views of Oil Creek before again being swallowed up by this magnificent state park. Mid-race, Joe finally caught up with me again. I was around Mile 50 and Joe, unofficially, had run around 53 miles. He smiled and said, "well, glad I got that out of the way early!" He admitted to being a little bit bummed, but resolved to leave his watch at checkpoint #4 so he could stop fretting over the extra distance. He just chipped away at the times of the leaders. I then ran in 4th, and from my last out-and-back section near Mile 46, I knew that there were a few strong runners within striking distance of me. Each time from this point forward we'd hit one of the two out-n-backs and I'd see a threesome of guys who flip flopped positions - each looking stronger at different times. The trio always included Zach Mitchell (in his second attempt at the 100-mile distance) and well known ultra trail blogger Scott Mason (aka Wasatch Speedgoat). I ran for my life. I saw Joe one last time near Mile 61 on his way back out for his third of three 31-mile loops.

We exchanged smiles, a low-five and words of encouragement. Neither of us saw each other, or another runner to chase (in front of us) again.

Oil Creek State Park turned to darkness, and the darkness gave way to a dense fog. RD Tom Jennings joked that we'd be running with the ghosts of the oil wildcatters of the 1860's in the valley that changed the world. While I smiled at this little tag-line, dense fog and darkness seemed to consume us. The woods in Northwest PA are creepy enough to begin with, and we ran past old cemeteries, reportedly haunted bridges and heard semi-unexplained clanking sounds coming from far off in the valley. When the fog eased up on us, I'd make a specific point not to gaze into the woods for fear of what I might have seen. I completed my 3rd loop (almost 93-miles) and only a 7.7-mile 'Acid Works Quitting Time' loop remained. It was just after midnight, and I knew the hounds

(Zach and Scott) were still hot on my heels. At the same time I grabbed my gear with 7.7-miles to go, Tom Sperduto grabbed a cup of hot soup and headed out for his third 50k loop, 38+ miles still remained in his run. Tom wasn't far off of the checkpoint cutoff times, but he didn't care, he planned to keep going no matter what.

As the four front runners discovered the last climb of significance on the course around Mile 96, we all struggled at points to power hike up this most epic hill of the day. On a course preview run I heard one local call this hill 'the Truth'. Dizzy and disoriented, a couple of us even thought maybe most of this last 7.7 miles would be flat-ish. We were flat out wrong. I crossed the suspension bridge over Oil Creek and stared up into the foggy darkness. I could see a cluster of lights which I thought to be runners coming in from their third 50k loop. Nope, not runners, there isn't a trail up that way. Well, at least the moon looked pretty cool coming through the trees. No wait, the moon was off in the other direction? Whatever those lights came from, it made a peculiar noise and crunched tree tops. I ran as hard as I could to get the heck out of those woods. I was equally afraid of those lights I seemingly hallucinated as I was of dropping from 4th to 5th or 6th in the last 3-4 miles.

I came out of the woods, ran up the bike path on the home stretch to Titusville Middle School and crossed the line in 21:17. Greeted by Joe Kulak in the cafeteria, he shared with me that

Richard Cook never faltered and ran an inspired first ever 100 in 19:13, followed by Matt Clay in 20:11. Joe rounded out the Top 3 about a quarter of an hour later.

After a somewhat miserable attempt at sleep, I returned to Titusville Middle School to see the last hour of the race.

I watched 7-people finish in the last 38-minutes of the race. After Jennifer Broten finished, we got word there was only 1 runner who remained on the course.

It was steely Tom Sperduto. His wife Jen and friends eagerly awaited his arrival, and nervously watched the clock. Then we saw him! Tom rounded the final corner with about 15-minutes remaining in the 32-hour course time limit, and crossed the line in 31:46:30.

We learned he was as close as 6-minutes from the cutoff around Mile 85, and had to speed up to make it in time. 12+ hours spanned the time between Richard and Tom, during which an additional 40 men and 6 women in between gutted it out and finished the Inaugural Oil Creek 100-Miler. The course and conditions ended the races for 40% of the starting field, and that's 40% I'm sure will return in the next year or two to this fantastically organized event with even firmer resolve. Everyone that toed the line in these three races at Oil Creek ended up a winner in some form or fashion, and were treated to nearly perfect weather on race day. My running cap is tipped to all who participated, and deep gratitude is extended to all who volunteered and helped Tom Jennings put on this great event. I'm sure many of us are looking forward to future Oil Creek 100 Trail Runs. I know I am.

**********************************************

OIL CREEK 100 - PHOTO LINK (many shots by Jeremy Lock)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167310&id=685035882&l=857007137e

OIL CREEK 100 - RESULTS LINKS
100-MILER - http://www.smileymiles.com/2009/RES 09 OIL CREEK 100 MILE.HTM

50-MILER - http://www.smileymiles.com/2009/RES 09 OIL CREEK 50 MILE.HTM
50K - http://www.smileymiles.com/2009/RES 09 OIL CREEK 50K.HTM

Sept 27-28, 2008 - the Rio Del Lago 100-Miler, Race Recap BLOG, Tarantino-style!

2008-10-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

"OH NO!" I thought. "NOT NOW! This can't be happening NOW!"

My pacer Josh Cox and I power hiked up a hill in the pitch-black night towards a finish line that seemed a thousand miles away. We were at approximately Mile 95 of the Rio Del Lago 100-miler, with only one aid station between us and the finish line of what was to be the performance of my life at ANY distance. Or was it? Every muscle in both of my legs was locking up. These were deeply jarring cramps that felt like I was being given electroshock therapy. After this race, I was going to need some therapy. I was now barely maintaining a 23-minute-per-mile pace, stiffly limping up the hillside, wondering if my whole race was about to unravel. I had moved into 3rd overall after rallying from Mile 62 onward in 9th overall (of 109 competitors), running an average 9:09 pace for about the past 33-miles. With approximately 5-miles to go, we had but to maintain a 10-minute-per-mile pace to crack the 20-hour barrier and there was only one big hill climb remaining after this with about a mile to go to the finish. But at the pace we were now going and with the cramps I was having, we'd be LUCKY to crack 21-hours at this rate. This part I knew for sure, if I wanted the sub-20, I was going to have to suffer for it.

**FLASH TO ONE YEAR EARLIER**
Mile 47 at the Angeles Crest 100-miler: things had been quite the up and down roller coaster throughout the day. I had endured devastating fatigue, a rolled ankle, and had survived a less than stellar start. By Mile 45 or 46, I was hitting my first groove of the day. Then it all unraveled. As I climbed Mt. Hillyer, I had the sensation of my lungs filling up with fluid, it was almost like I was underwater trying to breathe though a drinking straw. I began to pray, "Please God, let me make it to the next aid station / checkpoint BEFORE I collapse, I can not go down like this." I made it to Mile 49 and the Mt. Hillyer checkpoint, but my day was over. For the first time in my life, and some 250+ races, I had earned my first 'D.N.F.' (for you non-runners, DNF stands for Did Not Finish -- for you non-ultra running peeps, DNF stands for Did Nothing Fatal).

**RETURN TO RDL CONSCIOUSNESS AT MILE 95**
I may have been physically falling apart, but I was strong mentally. I know the vast difference between the pain of effort and the pain of something far more serious. My legs locking up was not all that different from the last 10k of a marathon. I had simply gone slightly too hard for slightly too long and hadn't maintained the proper balance of fluids and electrolytes. I might have even been in a bit of a calorie-deficit. While a part of me feared utter collapse, and being overtaken by the same two gentlemen I had just passed who now ran in 4th and 5th position in the race, another part of me knew deep down they too were hurting. I pulled some electrolyte caps (Endurolytes) out of my pack and took two, one I broke apart and placed directly under my tongue (a method I learned from one of the amazing athletes I coach, in this case my marathoner Warren Wagner, because you can learn ANYTHING, at ANYTIME from ANYONE if you are willing to have a quiet mind). After two or three more grimacing steps, I stopped and started to stretch. After another deep breath or two I turned to Josh... "3rd place will go to whomever wants to hurt the most. Let's DO this."

**FLASH TO MILE 50**
I am all alone along the winding American River somewhere between Auburn and Granite Bay. I glance down at my watch; it's 4:02pm. 10-hours into the race. I'm going to have to maintain essentially the same pace for another 10-hours as I have for the first half of the race, if I am to nail my stretch goal of running 100-miles in LESS than 20-hours. It is now in the 95-100 degree range and I can see the heat emanating off of the trail. Every now and again the trail tucks back into the hillside for a partially shaded respite from the exposed hillside. At every checkpoint in the mid-day heat, I've put ice in my hat, in the bandanna around my neck and I've soaked my fleece Moeben arm sleeves with ice water, but everything has now dried out and I'm about an hour away from the next checkpoint at Rattlesnake Bar. I know my cavalry has arrived in my pacer Josh, but he's still 5-long-miles away. I'm starting to get sleepy. This is SO not good.

**RETURN TO RDL CONSCIOUSNESS AT MILE 95**
After getting mentally wrapped around actually starting to RUN again, Josh and I crested the hill and found our way back to the bike path that made up about half of the last 4.5-miles of the course remaining. We could see we were at the Folsom Dam, and we knew that the Folsom Dam Park aid station was just about a 5k left to the finish. Every two minutes, I needed another walk break. I was back and forth between cramping and being okay, so I was trying not to go too far over the line. I got too far ahead of Josh momentarily and missed a flour mark directing me to the right. Luckily for me, just off in the distance about 100-yards, I could see the headlamps of runners who were now around Mile 71 and headed out to the turn-around point. I could see they were NOT coming directly at me and knew I had strayed off course. I doubled back about 40-yards, and found the flour marks I missed, and self-corrected. Josh and I were together again and we pushed on towards Folsom Dam Park. We were only 3.75-miles away from being home free!

**FLASH TO MILE 51**
Why am I falling asleep!? I know I am not sleepy-tired nor do I feel like I've overexerted myself thus far in the race. The only reasonable explanation is that I am officially overheating. Since this section was over 7-miles with NO aid, I elected to run with my 70-oz CamelBak, and I left my bottles behind. The only problem with that is I had nothing to pour over my head. Time to get creative... I begin to drink water from my CamelBak, which was iced, spit the water into my hands and wipe it on the back of my neck. I do this again and take off my hat and wet my hair as much as I can. Then I spit the water out on my fleece Moeben arm sleeves. I do this every 15-minutes for the next hour or so just trying to stay as cool as I can. About a mile out from the Mile 55 checkpoint, Rattlesnake Bar, my walkie-talkie starts to make noise... "Jimmy? Are you there?" I unzip my CamelBak and pull out the walkie-talkie (or in this case, is it a runnie-talkie?) and fire back, "this is Phoenix, Martini do you copy?" Kate comes on the walkie... "Hi baby! Josh is here and ready to run! Get here safe! Do you NEED anything?" and I respond, "Yeah, an ICE bath. I'm melting out here. I never intended to live out my call-sign, but I'm going to have to rise from the ashes today. Hopefully I won't get lost this time around (3-years prior, I had taken a wrong turn at this point on the course and got off course and ran an extra mile), and if not, I'll see y'all in about 10-minutes!" I came up to another trail intersection and carefully examined each possible direction... PINK RIBBONS that way! Sweet! This was the place I made the wrong turn before. Mental boost for sure. I came up and over a small and familiar hill, and saw the aid station tents of Rattlesnake Bar.

**RETURN TO RDL CONSCIOUSNESS AT MILE 96**
Every time I start walking, Josh calmly barks at me, "get through this, Jimmy, we're ALMOST there, a sub-20 is within your reach but we've got to keep it going." I glance back over my shoulder halfway expecting to see a headlamp coming toward us, either Mark rallying or John continuing his hard charge towards the finish. I've got to keep going. I come up with a clever idea! "Hey Josh! We've got to at least pretend to feel strong coming into the final aid station so when everyone at that checkpoint sees us coming, then again when they see us leave, there is no hint of us slowing down!" Josh smiles. "That's the spirit!" We take off running and settle into an 8:00-per-mile pace. While in a normal situation this would come across as pure vanity, I knew that if we came limping into the final checkpoint, the race crew for Mark & John would alert them that a wounded duck lie ahead on the course, and to make one HARD push for the finish. The bad news for me, I had to pretend that I was feeling good enough to run 8's for about 200-yards leading INTO the aid station, then again for another 200-yards heading OUT of the aid station. We close in on Folsom Dam Park and Kate and Carrie squeal. I drop my CamelBak, take a quick swig of some chicken noodle soup and Coke, and Josh and I push onward into the night. Only a 5k remains. I glance at my watch again; it's 1:22am. We have 38-minutes to cover 3.1-miles that has one big hill left, what seems like a 0.33-mile climb. Methinks this is going to be close.

**FLASH TO MILE 12**
It's still early in the race. The cool morning air permeates my running clothing. I get into the 3rd checkpoint of the day, Rattlesnake Bar (the first visit) and there are a handful of runners with me. On just the other side of the aid station, Jonathan Gunderson looks up and we make eye contact. "What's UP, Gundy!" Jonathan smiles, turns around and runs out of the aid station. Later in the day, I would finally catch up to Jonathan only to realize that he has completed the Badwater Ultramarathon (135-miles through Death Valley in the dead-heat of July), the Angeles Crest 100-miler (only two weeks prior), and he's putting together an impressive triple. Aid station people yell at me, "What's your NUMBER!?" I reply, "Thirty-Five!" and I'm surprised to hear, "2nd place 100-miler! 1st place just left!" Wait. That can't be right. I tell them they must be mistaken, as there were 5-6 guys ahead of me including the top two guys from the previous two years (Mark and Jon). Nope. Only 53-milers have come through, and relay participants. I look around. Where is Kate!? "Can I borrow someone's cell phone?" The aid station crew threw a fit! "WHAT!? You're in SECOND place and you want to make a phone call!? This is unprecedented!" Little do they know that not only is it NOT unprecedented, last year's runner-up Mark Tanaka did JUST THAT and called his wife at the Mile 67 checkpoint. Per Mark, everytime Norm (the race director) tells the story, the length of his phone call gets longer. It's up to 45-minutes now. "Yes. Please. I need to call my wife, Kate. She has all my stuff." An aid station volunteer hands me his phone and smiles. I call Kate only to find out she's probably another 5-minutes away. I tell her to come pick up my non-functional head-lamp and that I'll meet her again in two hours. I've waited long enough. Gotta hit the trail. Just then, a pack of 5 of the front runners comes barreling into Rattlesnake Bar from behind. "Took another wrong turn! There was a tree that fell across the trail and it didn't look like it usually does. We lost another 8-minutes!" As I ran out of the aid station I was again side-by-side with the legend Mark Tanaka. We ran about two miles together and chatted about life, ultra-running and this race. I finally let him go and settled back into my own pace. But it was nice to hear the thoughts of one of the faster guys out there.

**RETURN TO RDL CONSCIOUSNESS AT MILE 98**
Josh and I have put together a pretty good mile, and one mile of winding, semi-rolling trail remains between us and the FINAL hill climb up past the levy. We are recognizing a road crossing here, a campsite there, a familiar rock where I stopped to stretch on the way out towards the turn-around. Josh reminds me how close we are, "we can SMELL the barn, hang tough, almost there!" We come around another bending turn, and we can see it, the final hill stands before us. A centipede of lights comes cascading down the hill. There is a group of approximately a dozen runners headed out. They are at Mile 68, and I would later learn that they were among the final group who pushed out of the Mile 67-checkpoint right before the rolling closure on the 30-hour time limit schedule. Josh and I choked a little on the dust cloud left behind and started to power hike up the hill. Another glance over my shoulder and I notice amidst the lights moving away from us, there is one pointed in our direction... uh oh. John? Mark? I hike up the hill a little faster. I turn around and that light is gone. Maybe one of the dozen runners that just passed us had turned around momentarily? No time to worry about it. We're almost done!

**FLASH TO MILE 40**
I come into the No Hands Bridge checkpoint. It's really starting to get hot. I look at my watch, it's 1:15 in the afternoon. I throw another handful of ice into my running cap and glance over the side of the bridge at the American River below. "Dear God that looks nice" I mumble to myself. One of the aid station volunteers hears me. "There's a waterfall and stream crossing ahead about a mile. You can take a dunk there, if you like!" I thought he must be kidding. Sure enough about 10-minutes later I get to a stream crossing. I pause for a moment, then say, "what-the-hell, I might as well!" I tear off my shoes and socks, wade into the cold water, and sit down. I move a few bigger rocks out of the way to get deeper into the water. 2 or 3 runners come by and run over the rocks to get across the stream and look at me curiously. The water feels amazing. I sit and soak my legs for what must be 8-10 minutes, step back out of the water and carefully put my socks and shoes back on. My legs feel better than they have ALL DAY. When I start running again, 8:30's feel GOOD! Sweet! As I work my way towards the next checkpoint, I remind myself that I'm not going by anyone else's raceplan today. Only my own.

**RETURN TO RDL CONSCIOUSNESS AT MILE 99**
Josh and I crest the final hill. We can see the lights across Folsom Lake reflecting off the water. Only flat and fast, wide and groomed trail remains. We start to throw down 7:30-per-mile pace. We can see one final light in the distance coming towards us. We're 2/3rds of a mile from home! We pass the gate where the race started in similarly dark conditions, the spot where I stopped to stretch just past Mile 67. Josh and I pick up the pace. It's so close now. We can see the lights of Cavitt Junior High. Our journey is almost over.

**FLASH TO CAVITT JUNIOR HIGH - 5:30AM**
All of the Rio Del Lago 100-miler hopefuls, the Sierra Nevada Double-Marathoners and the relay runners have gathered in the gymnasium for the pre-race speech by Norm Klien, the race director. I am standing next to my friend and a running idol of mine, none other than Jorge Pacheco. Jorge is somewhat fresh off of an impressive victory at what is argued to be the worlds TOUGHEST footrace, the Badwater 135. Badwater is a roadrace from the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, Badwater Basin in Death Valley, where temps in the summer reach a peak of over 120-degrees on most July days. The race finishes at the trailhead of Mt. Whitney Portal, where you would complete your summit of Mt. Whitney. Jorge won and became only the 3rd person to break the 24-hour mark there running the 2nd fastest time ever. Jorge looks at me and says, "Today is your day. You are going to have a great race." I can't even hear the words. Jorge is making me nervous. I get out a broken thank you and the mass of people heads out of the gym and towards the starting line. The epic adventure is about to begin.

**RETURN TO RDL CONSCIOUSNESS AT MILE 99.75**
Christmas lights line the final 50-yards of the course heading towards what literally looks like the "light at the end of the tunnel". The light spilling out of the gymnasium at Cavitt Junior High seems heavenly. As our two headlamps come into view at the school, we again hear Kate and Carrie yell out to us. "Wooooooohoooooooo!" Can this REALLY be real?!? We come off the trail onto the pavement and I see the clock... 19-hours, 49-minutes. We break the imaginary plane of the finish line and I grab Josh. "Holy shit. We broke 20-hours and came in 3rd place! How did that happen!?" Josh smiles a Cheshire Cat like smile. "Great job, dude. You gutted it out. Way to go. You earned this. Enjoy it!" I rip off my shoes and walk to the medical check in, and lay on the table. There are a handful of UC Davis Med Students working on a study on ultra-runners and the stresses we put our bodies through. After a final round of vitals, and a blood sample, I limp back to the the other side of the gym. Somehow, we AVERAGED 9:00-9:15 min per mile pace for the final 38-miles. I don't know how that was possible, as I can now barely take two steps. But I don't have to. This journey is finally over. Moments later, Mark Tanaka crosses the line and not much more than one-minute later John Souza crosses. We all shake hands and congratulate each other. I can not wait to get back to the hotel and shower. I must smell something awful. I have cut 6-hours, 38-minutes off of my only other 100-mile finishing time. 10-months of dedicated trail running, cross training and heat acclimating. I can finally look forward to some rest. For now.

The Western States 100 is in 9-short months. I intend to train hard, peak well and taper smartly. At Western States, the sky's the limit...

Above The Clouds - the Angeles Crest 100 Race Recap!

2006-09-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.”
-T. S. Eliot

MAY OF 2005- I dreamed up the most epic athletic endeavor of my life after meeting Dean. Many of you probably know where this is going, but for those of you who don't know who "Dean" is, he is THE Ultramarathon Man, a regular human who regularly stretches what is possible not only for himself, but for humanity, by completing super-human acts of endurance. I emceed an event for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at Niketown in Beverly Hills which was to be a recruitment event for the 2nd Annual Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. Not only did I get to meet Dean and pick his brain, but I got to meet his parents too. I was moved by how real he was (in person). The net result of us meeting is that I have been sparked on a wild new journey. I read his book and was enamored of the idea of running the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, the original 100-mile trail run. I resolved to do whatever I needed to do in order to qualify for and apply for entry. Over the next 6-months, I trained for and completed my first double-marathon on trails. I needed an 11-hour finishing time. I ran a 9:28. I placed 1st of runners in their 20's. I was also second to last in that age group. I remember that miles 40-54 of that race were the most complete and all-encompassing pain I have ever known. I was looking forward to the challenge of ONE-HUNDRED. I didn't get selected in the Western States lottery, and I resolved to compete in the Angeles Crest 100-Miler in SoCal. The training for "AC" officially kicked off in mid-May after recovering from the Boston Marathon and built to a exhausting crescendo in late August of 125-miles in a week. I averaged 90-mile weeks over the summer and climbed up over 100+ miles about 4 different times. I was running 10-14 times per week, sometimes 3 or 4 times in a single day. I would do 2 or 3 LONG trail runs a week, sometimes with friends Matt, Rad, Travis, Lukas, Diane, Zach and others, sometimes all alone for 5-6 hours on a Saturday afternoon. I trained through 100+ degree heat. I trained through the night. I'd run on a full stomach, an empty-growling stomach, I'd even eat WHILE I ran sometimes. It was training that I believed would prepare me for ANYTHING. Well, it did prepare me for ALMOST anything...

SEPTEMBER OF 2006 - Race day arrived...

The loneliness of the long distance runner is well documented, and the time leading up to the start of the race was somewhat lonely. There were a ton of people around me and supporting me, but I knew I was going to have to run, walk, hike and crawl for the better part of ONE day on my own, where my race and film crew could sit down whenever they wanted, they could relax, take a nap if needed, eat a real dinner, etc. At the same time, it was SO amazing to have everyone there that was there: my fiancée Kate, my mom, my close friends Nick and Gareth, honored teammates and families Virginia & Van, Melanie & Dan, Vivian & Bruce, as well as other film and support crew, Ryan, Patrick and Rich. The photo to the left was a strong representation of how isolated I felt, yet I was excited to begin the EPIC journey...

I started the run/hike/walk/crawl slowly and patiently. When the gun went off, I didn’t begin running until sometime after the first mountain climb, maybe an hour or so into the race. At one point, I was literally in 111^th place, as even one of the last crazy Germans went running past me. I didn’t care. I wanted to SOAK up the experience. The first mountain climb was fun. There were centipedes of athletes snaking up the mountain… a centi-snake, if you will. The groups were 5-20 people long, and there were a dozen or so of them, not including the front runners. I would chit-chat with people, get their name, hometown, and some of their story (is this your first 100, first AC, how many have you done, etc.). A VERY high percentage of them knew who I was from the day before when we were at the race briefing, I talked a little about the film we were making. During the race, everyone was SO gracious and kind. “Are you Jimmy making the film? It’s such a good thing you are doing! I want one!” There were at least THREE Jimmy’s in the race, and at one point about 32-miles into it, we were back-to-back-to-back in race order! "Up top" the first mountain, I began running into a 40-45 mile an hour BONE CHILLING headwind. But it was SO breathtakingly beautiful. I was up along the ridge of Mountain High Ski Resort looking at Mt. Baldy (Mt. San Antonio), Mt. Baden-Powell and numerous other peaks and valleys. I was swallowed up by the vastness of it all.

CHECKPOINT 1 - INSPIRATION POINT

It was so great to come into the first checkpoint! I was in 34th position coming into "Inspiration Point". Coming out of the first checkpoint, I was feeling like I still needed to “warm up” since I only ran in freezing winds, but I didn’t feel bad. Coming into checkpoint 2, I still had not warmed up, MORE bone chilling winds had me freezing (in spite of the fact I had two shirts on, one long sleeve, and gloves) and all of my muscles felt stiff and tired. This was at MILE 13. I was aware I had not “warmed up” and I was almost confused by it. I didn’t feel right.

I then moved into the longest section of the day (without aid), up and over Mt. Baden-Powell (9,399 ft.). The first 3.6 miles of this 13-mile section was climbing 2,800 ft. in 41 switchbacks. This part downright SUCKED.

The only thing I liked about it was looking out across the plains of the Mojave Desert and still hearing Kate, and the film crew relay messages back and forth as they drove 80-miles around the mountains to get back to me at Mile 26. I don’t quite understand how I was still in walkie-talkie-range, but I was. This 13 mile section of the course took me 3+ hours, and it was 3+ hours of MISERY. I really couldn’t appreciate the beauty of the view at all. I was TRYING to eat and I could BARELY choke down half a peanut butter sandwich.

Luckily I WAS staying pretty hydrated, sort of. I came into Mile 26 at Islip Saddle a bit bewildered. I was 3 lbs. down (160.5 from 163.5) but just felt horrible. I imagine it was one of two things… I had either caught a flu bug at the end of last week (Wed or Thu), or I was suffering from “altitude sickness”. My WHOLE BODY was off. It was one of those nightmares come true where you prepare for a race FOR A LONG TIME (18-months for me) and race day just doesn’t line up with your picture-perfect training. So, at the Mile 26-checkpoint, I was confused and somewhat bewildered… “I thought I would feel somewhat good for at least half of this race”… nope.

I put a wind breaker on for Mt. Williamson and suffered through another 1,380+ ft. climb (in 1.63 miles) and on the way back down that stretched out my legs a bit. By the time I got to Mile 30, pretty much EVERYTHING hurt. Both my rear and hips were sore and tight, my lower right shin was stabbing pain (worst shin splint I have ever had), my IT Bands were sore and tight and borderline inflamed at my knees, my hamstrings hurt on the climbs up the mountains, my calves were painfully tight, and my shoulders, especially my left upper back between my shoulder-blade and spine were killing me.

CHECKPOINT 4 - EAGLES ROOST

I came into the Mile 30 checkpoint and emotionally broke down. I believed I COULD finish, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to do 70.8 more miles in this kind of pain. I thought I might feel better than this later, but knew the type of pains I was having wouldn’t disappear all together. I was completely defeated and discouraged. Kate, my buddy Gareth, my mom, and our friend Ryan all did ALL they could to cheer me and help me feel better. They made me feel “well enough” to give the next 8-mile section a shot. I came out of "Eagle's Roost" in 67th position overall. During the next section, I ran “normally” for the first time in the day. I still felt ALL of the pain, but I found my stride within the discomfort. I was pretty sure I wasn’t altering my gait (consistently) which would have been my indication to STOP so I didn’t cause a major overcompensation injury. But dear God it hurt. Around Mile 35 I made a choice… “I am pretty sure ALL of this is going to hurt the rest of the day. I am going to run 65+ miles in pain and nothing short of a broken leg is going to stop me.”

When I came into the Mile 38 checkpoint, everyone immediately noticed my emotional turn-around and commented on it. They were ALL relieved to see me smiling and joking again. My plan the rest of the day was to take 10-20 minute breaks and work on eating and maintaining my well-being (getting massages, talking to my friends and mom to ease the discomfort), normally, the aid station breaks would be 3-7 minutes long, typically around 5-minutes. I didn’t care about time anymore. I didn’t care if I finished last. From that point forward, the Aid Station officials and HAM operators (the people radioing in time and position) would ask me if I was dropping when I had been in the car for about 15-minutes. That was typically my signal to get up and GO. The next section was the FINAL section of the course I did not already know from training. I had done EVERYTHING from Mile 43 to Mile 100.8 at least twice, sometimes backwards and forward. This was what got me through Miles 38 – 43, which seemingly took FOREVER. I knew I’d have a mental boost of KNOWING the rest of the course.

At Mile 43, I knew I was a mere 10-miles from a BIG group of friends and family AND my first opportunity to run WITH one of those friends. Matt Armstrong was to be my first (of three) pacer(s), a support position implemented by most ultra-marathon race directors to help ensure the safety of the participants. Thinking of Matt (and my friends) carried me through, up and over Mt. Hilyer. I was SO excited to see everyone, and to be "more than halfway done". In spite of my pain, I began to have fun (in some sick, twisted, disconnected from my body sorta-way). On the way out of the "Three Points" checkpoint, that little devil Kate was on the radio talking to Nick (Diablo) and Gareth (G-Money) about the awesome HOT, real dinner they were about to get to sit down to enjoy. GRRRRRRR. I turned my walkie-talkie off, I couldn't take it. I had been surviving thus far on PB&J, Gatorade, water, pretzels, Red Bull, Coke, and chicken-noodle soup. Climbing up Mt. Hilyer I met Jack Chang, a 46-year old Ironman triathlete who was also attempting his first 100-miler. He and I had a good laugh as we were literally walking backwards up the road climbing this mountain. Walking backwards spelled the discomfort of walking (or hiking or running) forward, as it was switching up the muscle groups. We were laughing heartily at the sight of each other, still moving forward on the course but only looking where we had already been. We did this for the better part of 15-30 minutes of the climb and were joined by Mike Landa at the aid station near the top. Mike had attempted this race one year prior, but had pulled out about one-third of the way into the race. He was determined to finish this year, and EVERYONE who knew his story was pulling for him. I was always excited to see him, as I was inspired by his fierce determination. I left Jack and Mike after that aid station, I realized it'd be my LAST true alone time in the race.

CHECKPOINT 8 - CHILAO FLATS

I came into Chilao laughing at my pain. It was awesome to see some of my friends I had not yet seen that day. Matt was eager to get going. I was in no hurry. I sat down for the better part of 20-minutes and ate and chatted away. Vivian Hartman massaged my legs, Greg Minter advised me on all things (he is a 3-time finisher of the Badwater-135), my mom and Kate fetched water, food, and I changed shoes and socks. It was getting dark. This was to be the last checkpoint I would see in the light of day. After saying my good-byes again, Matt and I were off. We ran the next 7-miles disguised as heat-seeking missles. In the next 7-miles, we caught and passed 12-runners. At the halfway point, I was in 66th position overall, coming into the Shortcut Saddle checkpoint, I was in 54th overall. The rest of the evening was spent relentlessly running "to be done." The harder and faster I ran, the sooner the misery would end. Anything to keep you moving forward, right!?

CHECKPOINT 9 - SHORTCUT SADDLE

Matt walks up to Jeff (my second pacer) and says something to the effect of, "buckle up, buttercup". Miles 53-60 were an incredible confidence boost. Kate was now worried I was running too fast and that I wouldn't have enough left to get over the last two looming and ominous mountain climbs in the final marathon of the course. Kate whispers to Jeff, "slow him down a bit" and poor Jeff has the yin-and-yang of knowing I'm now chomping at the bit of the "second sunrise" buckle (for those who beat the sun coming up the 2nd time) and the fear of all that if I continue on my frenzied pace, I will not only slow down, but I'll fail to finish. After some more chatter, Jeff and I are off. Off into the beauty and deadly quiet of the night we went. Jeff and I maintained that blistering pace for the first 8.5 miles of 15 miles. Position jumped from 54th overall to 44th. Jeff kept commenting on how strong I looked. I felt mentally strong but physically chewed up. It was a mind-over-matter game now, if I didn't mind (the pain), it didn't matter (how much it hurt). We hit the Newcomb's Pass checkpoint and I heard people screaming my name, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Then I turned around to see a TV monitor and Kate and many of the SGV crew were on it yelling to get my attention. Then I realized that the BRIGHT LIGHT right next to the TV was a video camera, and we were essentially video-conferenced in. I had my walkie-talkie most of the day, but I had left it at the last checkpoint, so this was a really welcome sight. I was now about a 10k away from the final marathon of the course. This is where our pace really slowed, I began to fight sleep-depravation symptoms, and I fell for the first (and only) time in the 100-mile trek. Dropping into the canyons between Newcomb's Pass and Chantry Flats (the three-quarter mark) was eerie. It was beyond PITCH black darkness. It was so dark, it seemed to swallow up the lights on our heads and in our hands. At one point I lost my pacer, Jeff, and stood still in the rustling darkness for what seemed like 3-minutes waiting for Jeff to catch up. He had turned his ankle. Luckily, we were SO close now, maybe 1-2 miles left in this section. We hiked up out of the canyon into Chantry Flats. 74.5 miles down, 26.3 to go...

CHECKPOINT 11 - CHANTRY FLATS

In the last 6+ miles I had passed a few people, and Jeff and I had been passed by a few. I was in 43rd position heading into the final marathon. I spent a solid half-an-hour at Chantry hangin with friends. Vivian and Bruce had fired up the BBQ! Kate had arranged for a massage to get me going on my final marathon. Diane Isaacs (pacer # 3) was eager and ready to go. The table was SET for a memorable final section. Due to the rugged terrain and inaccessable nature of the final 26+ miles of mountain, there was NO point from here to before the finish where my crew could get to me. We set out for the most grueling climb of the day, up-and-over Mt. Wilson via the Wintercreek Trail. It was to be around a 6-mile climb that would take the better part of 1-hour, 45-minutes. This is where things truly began to unravel. At points in the climb, I was blacking out, my vision would completely go black. I couldn't walk in a straight line to save my life. Diane took the lead and began to push the pace, (likley) in an attempt to get me up and over this mountain sooner rather than later, or it may swallow me whole. I began to want to nap. JUST lay down in the dirt and doze off. This would have been the end of me as well, as my body temp. would plummet. Diane pleaded with me to keep going. Up top, the most amazing thing happened, literally the moment we began our run back down the other side of Mt. Wilson, I came alive. I went from half-asleep to fully invigorated. Diane couldn't believe how much stronger I was now running. We caught and passed a few more athletes. Coming into the Idlehour Trail checkpoint, we had moved from 43rd to 36th position and were still driving forward. At the Idlehour trailhead, we bumped into Jeff Stein, who was visibly exhausted. I asked him how he was and he said, "not that great, but I'm going to finish!" Jeff had done the all-night training run with us, and I was inspired by him as well. We pushed onward. After dipping down into the Idlehour Campground, in more pure darkness, we began our FINAL major climb, yet another 90-minute ascent up Mt. Lowe towards the Sam Merrill trailhead and checkpoint. I began to see people. I thought on more than one occasion that I saw the aid station / checkpoint. I was so relieved when we made it to the top, as I knew that in the final 11-miles, 9 of them were either downhill or flat. Two minor 1-mile inclines remained. Diane and I blazed down the mountain. Between the Sam Merrill Trail and the Millard Campground (6.5 miles) we caught another 5-athletes. It became a game. When we arrived at the FINAL aid station at the Millard Campground, I wanted to stay for breakfast. They had doughnuts and coffee!!! I resisted the temptation. Diane and I made the final 1-mile climb out of Millard and began to FLY down one of my favorite trails, the El Prieto Canyon trail. It is a 2-mile drop, rollercoaster style, to lower Brown Mountain Road which was about 1.5 miles from the finish line. I began to get radio signals via walkie-talkie from my crew who anxiously awaited my arrival. I couldn't get there fast enough. I think I may have jammed my BIG toe about 7 times in the last 5 miles. OUCH. I did it so many times that Diane didn't think twice when I screamed at an imaginary person in a tree who I thought (really) was going to shoot us. She thought I was just getting ornery due to all the toe stubbing. Maybe the pain was causing the hallucinations? We hit Lower Brown Mountain Road and the excitement built. WHERE DID ALL THIS ENERGY COME FROM??? I was 99-miles into a 100.8-mile race! We were almost done!!!

FINAL CHECKPOINT - THE FINISH LINE AT JOHNSON'S ROCK

Diane and I streamed toward the finish line. It seemed we were running 6-minute miles, but was probably closer to 7-something. I peeled off layer after layer of clothing, threw aside my pack, dropped everything. We were REALLY here! 26-hours and 27-minutes after I began my journey in Wrightwood, I was here in Pasadena. GROUP HUGS!!!! Holy smokes, it was REALLY over!!!

WE just completed a 100.8-mile race!!!! I say WE because there was NO way I could have done it without ALL of the incredible support I received. There are SOME runners who did the whole race on their own, had their gear, food and fluid in "drop bags" dispersed throughout the course, then proceeded to run 100+ miles with NO crew or pacers. That's insane. I would have quit if it weren't for all of my friends and family being there. I believe that ALL of you now know about the cause. Just in case you didn't, I ran this 100-mile trek of insanity in honor of Sophie Hartman; a delightful 12-year-old-girl we lost a little more than one year ago (10/14/05) to leukemia. Sophie's mom and dad (Vivian & Bruce) both came out to the start and finish of the race and pretty much saw me at as many checkpoints as they could manage (Miles 13, 53 & 74 were particularly memorable). Other honoree's who came out included Van & Virginia Garner, Melanie Fastrup, and I also ran for the honoree's of other friends and fellow runners (every person who donated $100 or more could name someone else for me to run in honor of). A FEW of these people included Fred Akers, Jill Hemmer, Audrey Duffy, Monica Trent, Laura Povinelli, Nina Boluarte, Jeff Carroll, and many more who will be named, honored, and recognized in our upcoming AC100 Coffee Table Book. For those of you who wanted to donate and have not done so yet, you can do so here, there are still a few spots left for bios of honorees in the coffee table book ------> http://www.active.com/donate/tntgla/AboveTheClouds

To put in perspective EXACTLY HOW MUCH ALL of you helped...
*111 people started the race in Wrightwood
*30 people who started, failed to finish
*Every participant made it through the first marathon (and over Mt. Baden-Powell)
*Between Mile 26 & 53, 16 people dropped
*Coming out of the checkpoint at Mile 53, I was in 66^th place overall (out of approximately 95 still in the race)
*I finished 27^th overall of 81 finishers
*I / WE passed 33 people in nearly 48 miles
*6 people in front of us dropped out
*I completed the first 53.1 miles “fresh?” in 13-hours, 52-minutes (15:40 per mile)
*I completed the last 47.7 miles “less-than-fresh!” in 12-hours, 36-minutes (15:50 per mile)
*To me, this is a negative split considering there is MORE climbing in the 2^nd half of the race and I was falling asleep in the last 26 miles!!!
*To others, it’s an even-paced-effort, in what is typically a progressively slower-and-slower pace throughout as 100 miles takes its toll on the body
*I fell ONE time, one!
*I jammed my left BIG toe about 8-times, and it was my biggest race INJURY… the toenail is mostly OFF, and I bled through my sock

The $1,000 question: Will I do it again? You bet I will. I will be running 100-mile trail races AT LEAST until we've found a cure for blood-cancers.

I leave you with one final, parting thought...

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: 'WOW!! What a ride!'”
-said by a running buddy of Dean Karnazes, from the book ULTRAMARATHON MAN

GO AFTER YOUR DREAMS... YOU DESERVE IT.

What I learned this summer...

2006-08-31T16:30:00.000-07:00

I was running today (BIG SURPRISE) and I was reminiscing about the days of my youth, as we looked toward September with promise and wonder... what was that NEXT grade going to look like?

3rd Grade... I'm a BIG kid now!

6th Grade... B.K.O.C.

7th Grade... Junior High,

yikes!

9th Grade... High School Freshman!

SENIOR YEAR... will I actually graduate??? LOL

One of the things I remember is the "What I learned this summer" essay most English teachers made you write. I don't remember particularly liking English class, or even that essay, but since I had such an unusual summer, I felt compelled to remember it today...

WHAT I LEARNED THIS SUMMER...

*I learned that my body follows my mind, if I BELIEVE I can, I can
*I learned that I LOVE Peanut Butter & Jelly on WONDER BREAD and CHOCOLATE MILK maybe even mor e today than in elementary school
*I learned that the people in my life respond to extraordinary challenges, and as long as I keep taking them on myself, I shall inspire others to do the same
*I learned that I am in love with the woman of my dreams, she loves me, and our adventure together winds wildly down an adventurous trail that has me more and more excited to be with her every day, sometimes, even the tough days
*I learned I am a quick healer (maybe by necessity)
*I learned soaking running shirts in bleach and NOT full y rinsing them clean leads to a very interesting problem... sweat turning to bleach causing scorched skin blistering and hives... OUCH
*I learned that when you duck to avoid one big tree branch, look UP first to see if there is another behind it... OUCH
*I learned that in the Santa Monica & San Gabriel Mountains, I am a guest of rattlesnakes, black bears, mountain lions and other somewhat dangerous creatures, and that at least in the case of ONE black bear and TWO rattlesnakes, they are more afraid of me than I am of them (and I AM AFRAID... LOL), and I learned that I sho uld remember that I am a guest in their home, not the other way around... now THAT would be really scary
*I learned that I have a whole community (actually multiple communities) full of dream-chasers and inspiring, extraordinary people who passionately PUSH ME to be the best I can be in every area of my life
*I learned that there is NO shortage of HELP out there if you aren't afraid to ask for it
*I learned I can both be an arrogant asshole and a humble servant and that finding a balance between the two (closer to humble servant) is one of my ongoing lifelong goals and challenges
*I learned (yet again) that I have the most amazing family. My sisters (Sarah & Mary) are two of my best friends, my brothers-in-law LOVE and take care of these two important women and I LOVE my three nieces!!!

My dad and my mom are amazing, they don't feel the same way about each other, but they do ALL they can to support us three. I love my baby-bro Daniel, he's already a TEEN-AGER and an amazing athlete. My mom's boyfriend Clay rules and my step-mom Denise is amazing. Blessed, am I. And that's just my immediate family, my extended family is a CAST of characters up to adventures and greatness

*I learned that both phy sical and emotional wounds heal with time, and a courageous spirit can get you through pretty much anything
*I learned (over and over) that I love seeing people succeed. I do not begrudge ANYONE success, unless their success is earned by diminishing others (even that has its price, and the karmic reaper will come to collect his debts sooner or later)
*I learned that most of the people in my life who barely know me think I'm a manic, somewhat psychotic, running-nutcase. Hyper-caffeinated and obnoxious (they are right)
*I learned that most of the people on my "inner-circle" who know me well think I'm crazy, reckless, lovable, demanding, forgetful, and hard to keep still (they are also right)
*I learned that I can fully accept and claim responsibility for who I have become, and for who I still strive to be. I learned that I love who that person is. I look in the mirror and smile... what adventures shall I unearth tomorrow???
*I learned that achieving high school weight is a LOT more fun SUFFERING through running and training for ultra-endurance than it is suffering through some stupid

fad-diet (or other eating disorder). Okay, I don't know that FOR SURE, as I never got to my HS weight through not eating or an eating disorder, but I IMAGINE that is the case
*I learned that excessive PIZZA-consumption prior to nearly 16-miles of downhill running, prior to 26-miles of running over 2-m ountains, is NOT a great strategy for ME for a settled s tomach... but I also learned that had I to do it over again, I'd still eat the pizza
*I learned that some can handle my forgetful nature, and others are really turned off by it. The latter makes me sad, and I strive to be more organized everyday!!! (see, I'm making a list HERE so I don't FORGET!!!)
*I learned that I love nearly ALL runners and endurance athletes, but ESPECIALLY those who RUN. In fact, I can ONLY think of one "so-called" runner who's energy and persona I can do without
*I learned that gossip is SO poisonous, and LISTENING to it is worse than doing the gossiping yourself, you enable the poison and have the gossiper believe it's okay
*I learned that we have some beautiful, surreal nature-scape around the City of Angels. Both the Santa Monica Mountains & San Gabriel Mountains are breathtaking
*I learned that I know NOTHING in the grand scheme of things
*I learned (again) that I talk too much, and listen too little
*I learned (through reading someone's MySpace profile) that there are TWO distinct types of people who will HATE me in my lifetime... people who are envious and people who are just stupid. The stupid people might like me somewhere down the road as they aren't committed to anything really, and the envious will always envy, they have to live with that poison everyday... just let it go and BE yourself
*I learned that 120 miles per week is not only doable, but if you keep your focus on REST (seems oxymoronic), you will achieve NEW fitness heights by listening to your body... this ultimately led to new Personal Bests / Records in the 1500-meters (metric mile) and Half Marathon (minus another 3:30!)... next, a 100-mile trail race, assuming I finish (I would NEVER assume this), a new personal best in distance and time continuously running
*I learned I have a lot to offer both those I love (family, friends, runners and walkers) and those I do not know (if they are open to it)

*I learned that training for a 100-mile trail race and filming a documentary about it is maybe the biggest undertaking I've ever taken on, and that for my next trick... well, WHO KNOWS what's next anyway!?!?!?
*I learned that the more I run, the more nature I see, the more spiritual I become...
*I learned (again) that I LOVE my life

~Jimmy Dean Freeman
August 31st, 2006

PROLOGUE FROM FEB 15TH, 2006 - 100-miles-in-one-day, the Angeles Crest 100-Mile Application

**DONATE TO MY 100-MILE QUEST TO END CANCER**

the WHIRLWIND week that keeps on going...

2006-05-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you look at 5-year cycles of life, and looking back (or forward if you could) your life is unrecognizable to you. You are on a completely different path with a completely different outlook and direction. You know new people. You might even have a different job, or alternate career. Life moves SO fast sometimes. Well, sometimes that cycle seems to happen a bit faster. For me, 5-days. From 5-days ago until now... wow. First off, our documentary about my training for the Angeles Crest 100-mile Endurance Run went from a really good idea, to FILMING. Not only is it filming, we have a working title (which just may stick permanently): Above The Clouds: the Angeles Crest 100 Documentary (see above photo and you'll understand why), a website (www.AboveTheClouds100.com), the Angeles Crest 100 race director has pledged his support, Dean Karnazes has agreed to be interviewed and be IN the film (if you don't know who Dean is, check out UltramarathonMan.com and watch the Letterman clip), and tonight I bumped into one of the filmmakers of Running On The Sun: The Badwater 135, one of the films we discussed standing on the shoulders of in putting our project together.

Kate and I just flew back in from San Francisco, where we BLAZED the Bay To Breakers 12k. Out of 40,000 who registered (and I estimate 35,000 who officially finished), I placed 110th overall and I was the 98th male to cross the line. I blew my previous 12k PR out of the water by about 10-minutes and ran a crazy 2-minute negative split for a finishing time of 46:32. Kate looked beautiful in her peacock costume. LOL I went back out looking for Kate and MISSED her FLYING by me. About 20-minutes after she had apparently finished, I asked a Red Cross volunteer, "have you seen a peacock go by?" to which he laughed, "YEAH! That was ONE FAST PEACOCK!!!" We finally met back up, Kate BROKE an hour and finished in 612th place, but I'm NOT sure which place for females (yet). But she did SO WELL!!! For now... I am WIPED OUT... time to sleep! More on both of these things later... I am ABOVE THE CLOUDS at the moment...

the pure JOY of OT Playoff Hockey!

2006-05-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhh, playoff hockey is back. First time in TWO long years. The JOY of PLAYOFF HOCKEY is OVERTIME. There is nothing like it in ANY other sport. SUDDEN-DEATH OVERTIME PLAYOFF HOCKEY. Tonight, we were getting ready to watch the San Jose Sharks (GOOOO SHARKS!!!) host the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and OLN had coverage of the New Jersey Devils - Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils and Hurricanes were locked in a 1-1 tie for the entire 3rd period and we were excited for OT, but not completely thrilled since the coverage for that game would overlap our Sharks game. Then, with 21 seconds left in the 3rd Period, the Devils SCORE!!!! Game OVER! NO, THE GAME IS NOT OVER YET... with 21 ticks left, Carolina elects to pull their goaltender for the final 21 ticks AND the ensuing faceoff. Two of the top faceoff guys in the NHL, Brind'Amour vs. Elias. Elias WINS the draw for the Devils, but dumps it way back into his own zone and 6 Hurricanes go to a FRENZIED forecheck. With 3.0 seconds left on the clock, Carolina TIES the game! Pandamonium!!!

We were EXCITED then we realized... NOOOOOOO, the Sharks game won't come on until OT is done! No! Now, somebody must WIN in the first 5-min of OT, ANYBODY, PLEASE SCORE!!!

Carolina answers our cry... 3-min into it...

TIME FOR THE SHARKS, GAME 2 vs the OILERS!!!!

GO SHARKS!!!

the Sierra Nevada Endurance Run RECAP - 53.2 miler

2006-04-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

WARNING – this is the longest race I’ve ever run and the following is the longest race report I’ve ever written. To read this takes some endurance, so proceed at your own discretion…

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To ALL those who’ve supported me along this long training & racing journey:
Here is the long-awaited and oft-requested “race-report” email on my Sierra Nevada 53.2-mile Endurance Run which I completed on September 24^th… this is one of my signature LONG-WINDED e-mails complete with links to video and photos. If you are at work, or don’t wish to spend 15-minutes reading an email (right-now) then simply save or delete this message… for those of you who have demanded I send this (ASAP), enjoy… I hope it provides as much inspiration as you need, as you all have inspired me SO much.

Where do I start!? The first question nearly EVERYONE has asked is “why?” Well, actually, it’s been “DEAR GOD, why would you do that to yourself?” But we’ll simply start with the “why” part…

THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND MY INSPIRATION TO RUN A DOUBLE-MARATHON ON TRAILS, the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run… a 5-min, 12-second preview video link follows... http://video.kvie.org/race_for_the_soul.ram

*If you have trouble downloading the video, or you don’t have “Real Player”, you can check out a different Western States 100 video. Or if you just want to SEE MORE! This second video utilizes “Windows Media Player” or other default players by clicking the following link

http://www.runningmadness.com/041703_medium.wmv

The Sierra Nevada Endurance Run was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, hands down. That is the simplest way for me to sum it up. I have been through a lot in my life, from family turmoil in adolescence, to many marathons, even the emotional pain of physical injury, but that all paled in comparison to a double-marathon on trails, with elevation-change of 10,000 feet spread out over nearly 53.3-miles. Not only was the course “mountainous-trails” but it was 80% highly technical single-track trails (meaning nearly one-foot-in-front-of-the-other look out for rocks, roots, dips, holes, and LEDGES that could lead to a serious spill, cut, gash, or fall). Lucky for me, the Granite Bay-Folsom-Auburn area of California is some BEAUTIFUL country. The weather couldn’t have been much better than it was. I got to watch the sun rise, enjoyed breathtaking views of Folsom Lake and the American River. I pretended I was on a 53+ mile wilderness hike and I just couldn’t resist the pure joy of running most of it. The community of ultra-runners is much like the marathon community, only far more intimate and personal, considering how tightly knit marathoners are that is a BIG statement. There are SO many stories I’d like to share with you, but you know that if I got going on too many of them, this would be a short novel and a 2-hour read! For now, I’ll stick to the basics…

Sierra Nevada Endurance Run Start TO Rattlesnake Bar (Miles 0–12)
The race was to start at 6:00am. I got up at 3:45am and made my traditional “qualifying-race” meal of chocolate chip pancakes and Peet’s Kenyan coffee! After stuffing myself with as many chocolate-chip pancakes as I could get down, we were off to the starting-line. I stayed at my sister Mary’s house in Rocklin, a mere 8-miles from the start of the race in Granite Bay (which is near Folsom Lake). A very funny coincidence, the starting-line of the Sierra Nevada Endurance run was literally only a few miles up the road from the starting-line of the California International Marathon (near the Folsom Dam), where I qualified for the Boston Marathon only 10 months ago! There’s some great mojo for me up there near Folsom! The gun went off right on schedule, and nearly 150 athletes started off on their long journeys… among us were the participants of three races, the Sierra Nevada Endurance Run Relay (a 2-person relay), my race (the 53.2 mile run) and the Rio Del Lago 100-miler. Yes, there are people crazier than moi! I would need a 10-hour- 45-minute FINISH today if I were to qualify for the Western States (the Boston Marathon of ultra-trail-marathons). It was nearly pitch-black when the gun went off to begin the race, so I stayed close to many runners with headlamps on, and I walked the better part of the first couple of miles. The trail was marked with PINK ribbons and glo-sticks, it was chilly, pleasantly cool air in the mid-50’s, which topped out around 79-degrees later that day, simply DREAM-like weather for this area, this time of year. I lost myself in the predawn views of Folsom Lake. I even forgot at times that I was a participant in a RACE, as I stopped aside the trail and started snapping photos of the lake with my cell-phone’s digital camera! Then, I started running to find a good (2-bar) signal on my cell phone so I could picture-mail them to Kate’s cell phone so my family could see these breath-taking sights!!! I had my phone in the air, my arm fully extended as I waited for pictures to upload, and as crazy as these people are, most looked at me like I was from Mars as I ignored the fact that there was a race happening. When I finally arrived at the first “crew-point” to meet my dad, my baby-sister and brother-in-law, and my fabulous fiancée Kate, I was only slightly behind my targeted pace of 12-miles in 2-hours. They all laughed at me sending photos and text messages! I was nearly a quarter of the way through the race, and I was excited to see what else was in store for me! I gobbled down another chocolate-chip pancake and ran after a couple of older gentlemen (Bill & Dana) who I had ran the last mile or two with, and told my family I’d see them at the next checkpoint.

Rattlesnake Bar TO Auburn Dam Overlook (Miles 12–23)
As I started the second-leg of my quest, I wondered to myself if “Rattlesnake Bar” was named because of a high-concentration of RATTLESNAKES!!! Yikes!! I used to have nightmares as a child of snakes “getting me”, so running this particular portion of the course (which was ALL single track trails with the brush on both sides of the trail grazing my legs at ALL times) a bit creepy. I think I did sub-7-minute miles for a stretch there! When I caught running buddies Bill & Dana, they politely asked me if I’d like them to step-aside so I could pass and I playfully requested that they block me for as long as they could. I told them that I was a neophyte and rookie to the ultra-running community, and that this was my FIRST time venturing past the 26.2 mile distance that has captivated my imagination and soul for the past 5 years. Both guys laughed and smiled and took me under their wing. It was unbelievable, did I EVER run into the RIGHT guys at the RIGHT time! Little did I know, the accomplishments these two guys have amassed, it made me realize yet again how blessed I truly am, and that yet again an angel had led me to THIS race at THIS particular time. These two would serve as my guides for nearly 15-22 miles of the experience! Bill (49) was one of THREE individuals last year (along with Dean Karnazes) to run the WINTER Western States 100. As if Western States wasn’t hard enough, Dean, 5-time winner Tim Twietmeyer, and Bill had run the storied race in January, when around HALF of it was covered in snow! On top of that, Bill had completed 22-consecutive-years of the Leadville 100-mile race, a race as difficult (in terrain) as the Western States, but at a MUCH HIGHER altitude! The Western States has a HIGH altitude of 8,700 ft, and 38,000 ft of net elevation change VS Leadvilles LOW altitude of 9,200 ft (HIGH of 12,600 ft) and a net elevation change around 31,000 ft. They both commented that they were pacing themselves for a 10-hour finish, which I knew would give me some “grace-time” should I melt down in the second half on-way to my necessary 10-hour, 45-minute qualifying time. I told them both of my dream to run the Western States before my 31^st birthday which basically gives me until June of 2007 to do so. Dana informed me that not only had both he and Bill WON this race (Sierra Nevada), but he was personally on the 4-person “special considerations” committee that admits athletes into Western States. After telling him of my quest for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and of Sophie Hartmann, he gently assured me that this would NOT get me into the Western States. I fired back, “well, I’ll just have to send you photos of my UCLA co-ed race crew” to which he replied, laughing, “that WILL convince three of the four of us!” That was the LAST we spoke of the Western States until after the race. The LAST thing I wanted to do was be a pest for a couple of hours HURTING my chances to get in. I may be IN a lottery for 350 slots with 1,000-2,000 other people, but it couldn’t hurt to have met Dana when I did. Bill, Dana and I stayed together as we ascended “Cardiac Hill,” between 2-3 miles of vertical climbing that was the most significant uphill of the day, nearly 1,500 ft up. Atop Cardiac, it was a very flat, pleasant few miles to the Auburn Dam Overlook where I got to see my mom for the first time today! She took it upon herself to make sure Kate was taking care of herself while Kate was race-crew-captain for me! The two were an awesome pair. I munched down half a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, had a handful of pretzels, and refilled my bottles with water and Gatorade. ONWARD to No Hands Bridge!

Auburn Dam Overlook TO No Hands Bridge and BACK (Miles 23–31)
In the previous section of running, I had taken a nasty fall where I JAMMED my middle toe on my left foot. Not to long after that, Bill bailed, and Dana joked that he was next. He was! At the top of Cardiac Hill, he took the worst spill of the three of us, falling and hitting his hip hard, and scraping up his palms. Dana had trouble getting into a running rhythm after that, and as we left the Auburn Dam Overlook, he fell back. Before Bill and I knew it, he was nowhere to be seen (or heard). We stopped and yelled back for him, but someone else answered back. Hmmm. As experienced as Dana was, Bill mused that he’d be fine and we should continue on, as we’d likely see him again at No Hands Bridge. Bill informed me we were just about to cross a magical threshold, onto the last few miles of the Western States 100 course! I was giddy that on our way back, I’d be running the last few miles of the course in the same direction as in my current “dream” race. Granted, if the DREAM goes as planned, I’ll be running this section in pitch black darkness aided by a headlamp, as I will strive to finish in under 24-hours, or sometime between 3am-5am. It was between Auburn Dam Overlook and No Hands that runners began flying by in the other direction! Bill and I began to count… there’s the RACE LEADER! 2^nd place. 3. 4, 5, 6, 7, first girl at 8! 9, 10, 11, 12… we were ALMOST to No Hands, which we could see in the distance… 13, 14… Bill and I were in 15^th place together when we reached the turn-around point. It was now 10:40am and I was 4-hours, 40-minutes into my Western States qualifying quest! At Mile 27, I had 6-hours to complete the final marathon, which was more downhill than up on the way back the EXACT same way we came up. We had about 600 ft to climb in the next 2-miles to get back to the highest point in the race, but I was ENERGIZED! As we made our way back over the bridge, Dana emerged from the trees running with another guy, smiling and looking great. He let us know he was feeling GREAT again and he just had to make a necessary “pit-stop” in the bushes. He said, “I’ll catch YOU, Bill, later. Jimmy, have a GREAT race and I hope to see you at the finish!” Bill and I stayed stride for stride together all the way back to the Auburn Dam Overlook as he told me stories about the many people in the race that passed us, he seemed to know EACH ONE personally!!! When we finally arrived back at the crew point, Kate was eagerly awaiting. This was the point in the race that “pacers” entered the picture. A member of your race-crew could be designated a pacer, and run the last 21+ miles with you to make sure you didn’t get lost, delirious, hurt, or plain pass out. I was feeling PRETTY good considering I had just run a 50k (31 miles) on trails, and I was with Bill. So I told Kate that she wouldn’t be joining me. I knew she had HER big qualifying race (for Boston) in 21-days (the Long Beach Marathon), and in front of us was the DOWNSIDE of Cardiac Hill, and another 23 miles of pounding. While Bill and I refueled, Dana caught up to us. I introduced them both to Kate and my mom, and this HUGE mountain-man looking guy walked up and said HI. Bill and Dana introduced me… Gordy – Jimmy… Jimmy – Gordy! I darted them a look, and they both nodded. This was Gordon Ainsleigh! THE man credited with starting the 100-mile trail run craze by running what is NOW the Western States course in a race VS horses!!! I couldn’t believe it. The FOUR of us took a photo, and it was quite possibly one of only a couple photos where I’m laughing (or even smiling). You’ll see that picture (and more) in a post-email photo-slide-show that my mom put together. I grabbed another half-PB&J and ran after Bill and Dana, who were already jogging away. There was ONLY one more crew-point left between me and the finish, a mere 23 miles to go.

Auburn Dam Overlook TO Rattlesnake Bar (Miles 31–42)
Dana, Bill and I worked our way back towards “Cardiac Hill” and in the back of my mind, I knew that would likely be the last couple of miles we were together. Dana was feeling better, Bill was telling me of his notorious bad endings to this race, and both of them were asking me when I would FLY away, and I think Dana was slightly annoyed that I called my friend Sara to see where she was (she was driving up from Davis to hang with Kate and my mom and cheer me on). I think Dana called me a “whippersnapper” and said “okay, THAT’S IT!” When we hit the Cardiac Hill decent, I began to open it up. There was a split-second when I took my eyes off the trail to see how Bill was doing, and I lost my footing and slipped OVER the ledge… WHOA!!! I scrambled to grab hold of something, and JUST caught myself. As Bill caught me he gave me a very relaxed, “nice recovery!” and “good thing you didn’t fall, I was going to have to report you for cutting the course.” We both laughed, but adrenaline was coursing through my veins. Couple that with the fact that my competitive self was beginning to surface… I was in 15^th place with 20 miles to go!!! Could I crack the top 10??? I said to Bill, “Have a GREAT race, see you soon!” and I bolted. The next 9 miles were a back-and-forth between bliss and exhaustion. I was beginning to labor. I caught my first runner! He politely stepped out of the way as I flew by at around a 7:30-per-mile pace. I tried to speed up, or at least maintain pace to hold off any attempt by him to stay with me. Before even slowing down, I had caught another runner! I was now in lucky 13^th place! I thought of my dearest Kate, who’s birthday and favorite number is 13. I was now only 6 or 7 miles from Kate at the next crew station. On my way there, I caught two more runners and was now in 11^th place! I saw a sign stating that I was now LESS than a mile from Rattlesnake Bar. Only 8-10 minutes until I’m there, right? I got lost!!!! There were these “off-roading” driving paths that crisscrossed a FEW intersecting horse/hiking paths, and I was exhausted and borderline delirious. I started around a corner, and saw the crew point, but I also realized if I walked up to the crew-point from the wrong direction, I could be disqualified for cutting the course (or at least going off-course). I had SO MUCH TIME to finish in under 10-hours, 45-minutes, as my time was NOW at 7-hours, 15-minutes. I had 3-hours, 30-minutes to cover the final 12-miles. I backtracked about a quarter mile until I found the trail again and came back to the crew station ON COURSE. I was frustrated, exhausted, aching, and READY to be done. Kate bounced around like an eager puppy dog wanting to be let out. She let me know that she had found out it was OKAY for her to “pace me” from the 12-mile point in. I agreed to letting her come, deeply relieved that I’d have someone with me for those final TOUGH miles.

Rattlesnake Bar TO Twin Rocks (Miles 42–49.2)
As Kate followed me into the final major phase of the race, my mom YELLED after her, “remember, you CAN’T TOUCH HIM!!!” The rules of the race stipulated that a pacer could NOT act as “race crew” in between crew points. This means she couldn’t help me up a hill, give me anything to drink, she couldn’t even give me an Advil or carry my water bottles for me. She playfully smile back… who, me??? Kate ran right on my heels for miles. It was a gently rolling 7+ miles to the last aid station at Twin Rocks. We passed a guy who (with his pacer) had been kicked by a horse, and REFUSED aid. He was VERY disappointed to be passed by Kate and I, as he was proud of his top 10 positioning. We sped up to drop him. I was ACHING, throbbing, and in agonizing pain at this point, but we pressed the pace anyway. We caught the guy in 9^th, who was doing fine, but his PACER was hurting and apparently was ill-prepared for a hilly-mountainous 21 miles. As we passed them by, the pacer was sitting on a rock with his shoes off, and the 9^th place guy looked bewildered. We pressed on. I was in 9^th place and I prized the idea of being in the single-digits! But EVERYTHING hurt. We got to Twin Rocks after what seemed like HOURS. I had 4.1 miles left. As we finished filling our bottles with ice, Gatorade, and water, the guy who was previously in 9^th, now 10^th came FLYING around the corner to the Twin Rocks aid station. He looked fresh, strong, relaxed. I was toast. But I couldn’t let him know. We hurriedly left and it was my goal to RUN the rest of the way.

Twin Rocks TO the FINISH (Miles 49.2–53.28+)
As we started (fast), we clipped away between 8-9 minute miles (I think). I kept thinking about 10^th place, I thought MAYBE I could run hard enough to catch the NEXT person, so if Mr. 10 caught me, I’d still be in the top 9! lol Things started cramping. Kate commented on some turkeys, and I pleaded with her for no more talking. Everything was irritating me at that point. With about 2 miles left, we caught the next person, the girl leading the women’s race! She nervously asked Kate if she was in the double-marathon, Kate smiled and said, “don’t worry honey, I’m just a pacer.” We almost got lost a few more times as we looked down each of the long forks in the path for the pink ribbons tied to tree branches. The last 2-3 miles took FOREVER. We came out of some trees and over the next set of trees I saw what looked like a school building. I literally thought I might be hallucinating. That COULDN’T be the end. Must have been another school. Then we came up on THE field where I started… I was 200-yards from being DONE! I picked it up to 6:00-mile pace! I stared at the finish line in disbelief. My mom, sister, brother-in-law, and baby-niece all cheered me along the final 30-yards. 9-hours, 28-minutes, 19-seconds later, I was done, and totally spent. I was filthy, bleeding (from a fall in the last few miles) from my thumb, I had scrapes and scratches all over my legs that were coated in dirt, and I could barely walk. I had finished in 8^th place, and as they put the stickers on the finisher’s board, it turns out I was also the first person between the age of 18-29, taking 1^st place for my “age group.” A woman approached me and asked what she could get for me, and the best-sounding thing I could think of was Red Bull on ice! I drank the two best Red Bull’s I’ve ever had, and I didn’t really care for Red Bull (UNTIL NOW!). We headed back to the hotel, and I had the BEST 15-min ice bath I’ve EVER experienced. It reduced my deep-aching-pain by about 80%. After cleaning up we went to Islands for burgers, and Mary talked them into letting us into a private party and giving us FREE dinner with appetizers!!! After dinner, Kate and I went out with our friend Sara to a bar for drinks. We got home at 1:30am, and 22-hours after waking up, and 54-ish miles later, the day was done! I can not WAIT to do it again! My mom almost immediately emailed us a photo-slideshow of the day…

Here is a list of people I am GRATEFUL to, and whom without, I could NOT have done this:

Kate “the GREAT” Martini – my love and crew chief, who supported me through every training day, and every step of the double-marathon
My family who has supported me ENDLESSLY, been behind me no-matter-what I do... my mom, dad, sisters (Mary & Sarah), brothers-in-law (Stan & Reuben), and cute-as-heck-nieces (Alexis, McKenna & Gabrielle)
Sophie & Vivian Hartman – the inspiration to endure ANY pain and continue to fight on… Sophie continues to fight her fight at the UCLA Med Center, her 2^nd bout with leukemia, and I am inspired by ALL the other SURVIVORS (Alex, Virginia, Van, Kendall, Melanie, Jeff, Audrey, and so many more)
My grandparents – the memories of James & Margaret Freeman moves me to this day, they are my role-models and idols, my example of living a life about love and family, passion and commitment
The Team In Training San Gabriel Valley Marathon Team – seeing such amazing people put themselves on the line, doing something they previously thought they could not do, and quite possibly still don’t fully believe they can do, both FUNDRAISING to make a difference in the lives of others and pushing their own physical limits, I am SO blessed to be in the presence of these angels constantly… I LOVE these people with all that I have
My incredibly supportive friends, training partners, and (now fellow) ultra-marathoners who’ve provided advice, support, and motivation… Sara, Travis, Emily, Greg, Murray, Katie, Amber, Teresa, Theresa, Marnie, Gareth, Gionne, Archie, Sonia, Yoshi, Neil, there are SO many I’ve failed to mention, but who played a crucial role in supporting my quest

I shall find out on Saturday, December 3^rd, if I have been selected (by lottery) to participate in this year’s Western States, which shall take place on June 24^th-25^th, 2006. If I do NOT get selected for Western States, I plan to complete the Angeles Crest 100-mile Endurance Run (in the San Gabriel back country) from Wrightwood to Pasadena mid-late next September, 2006...

the sights of a great run

2006-04-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

The Santa Monica Mountains overlooking Santa Monica & Malibu... clouds / fog covering the Pacific Ocean.

Sometimes a single run will stick with you forever. Or more specifically, a single moment of a single run, almost like a freezeframe of a movie. If you are lucky and you catch a visual that catches you, you might have a camera with you (but how many of us ever go running with a camera? )... which is now the simple JOY of having a cell-phone-cameras and a good cell phone armband on a run. This has saved a few moments that I'm glad I'll never forget...

Folsom Lake in Northern California, near Sacramento, watching the sun rise on the morning of my first double-marathon (I stopped in the middle of the run to briefly observe and photograph this moment)...

Boston & 100 - Sophie's Story

2006-04-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

This is the story of young Sophie Hartman. She has an important story that may do more than inspire fundraising to save the lives of others; Sophie might just inspire you to live, like she inspired me…

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Sophie Hartman: Guardian Angel

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It was a gorgeous, sunny autumn day in November, but from the inside of the Pediatric ICU at the UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, much of its splendor was lost on me. I was visiting young Sophia Hartman and her mom Vivian, my third visit in a week. To say Sophie (as we all called her) wasn't doing well was a bit of an understatement. She had more tubes, probes, wires and equipment hooked up to her than the nicest surround sound HDTV entertainment center I'd ever dreamed of. I don't mean to minimize her condition; it was just such a horrific sight that you had to try to think of something else to even bear it.

Sophie had been diagnosed over a month before (10/7/04) with leukemia, still the number one cause of death of children in the United States. After a month of aggressive chemotherapy, her condition had only worsened. She was so heavily medicated that she couldn't speak most of the time. If she could nod and shake her head to communicate, it was a good day. But those good days were behind us now. Sophie's nurse Ester had informed me that the leukemia was a very rare form, loosely described as "Refractory Leukemia", meaning it was not responding to any of the treatments they had administered. This cancer had a life of its own and it was taking the life of a very precious 11-year-old girl rapidly. I fondly remembered the day in mid-October only a few weeks prior, when Sophie and I had talked about the finer qualities of Hilary Duff (her favorite singer) and Britany Spears (my favorite bubble gum pop queen). I came to visit as much as I could, as much to try to cheer Vivian up as to see Sophie. I would sit at her side, tell her running stories and goof off.

Sophie was a runner. There was a picture of her finishing a race above her hospital bed, a huge smile on her face and a full head of hair, a day now long past. I would tell Sophie of my dream to qualify for and run the Boston Marathon. I would tell her about my races leading up to the California Int'l Marathon (in Sacramento), and I brought her a 2^nd place medal I won at the Puente Hills Turkey Trot 10k right before Thanksgiving, which we hung on her IV stand. I told Sophie to fight, that her mind and spirit could keep her body alive. I told her that it was just like running the marathon, when your body begins to break down and you're so tired, you just make up your mind to keep on going because you know you will be smiling at the end. I told her that I believed in her and I knew she'd beat this (even though there was this terrible feeling in my gut, wondering if it was really possible). Ester told me the statistics… Sophie had a 1% chance of surviving 'Refractory Leukemia'. Even more disturbing; she had a meager 3% chance of seeing the outside of this ICU again. It seemed hope was nearly lost. But Vivian and I never gave up hope.

Sunday morning December 5^th arrived, and it was time for me to make my 3^rd competitive attempt at qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Only 26 months prior (10/13/02), I had fallen 12 seconds short of qualification at the Chicago Marathon with a 3:11:11, a mere half second per mile slower than the necessary 3:10:59 to qualify. On race day there was hope in the air: hope for qualifying for a long-time dream, hope for life, and hope for my little angel Sophie back at UCLA. I ran a solid race, a tactical race, maybe the best race of my life… until Mile 21. I hit the wall a little after 9:30am, and I hit it hard. I had this painful sensation, like there was a little jackal enjoying a ride on my left leg, sticking the teardrop muscle of my quad with a syringe every time my leg hit the ground. After a mile of very fast limping, it was clear my hope for qualification today was nearly gone. I crossed the Mile 22 mark in 7:48, a solid 33 seconds per mile slower than I could afford. I needed to run this 26.2 mile stretch at an average 7:15 pace, and I now faced the prospect of needing to run even faster than that for the final 4.2 miles. After running the first 21 miles (at a 7:15 average) somewhat fresh, the prospect of 4.2 miles even faster than that in agonizing pain, the worst pain I have ever had running, was a devastatingly discouraging feeling. Makes you want to run marathons, doesn't it!?

At that moment I thought of Sophie fighting for her life. I remembered I had told her to keep fighting no matter what, and I felt like such a fraud. I was crying, but I couldn't tell if it was the pain in my left leg, the sobering reality of not making my goal, the thought of letting Sophie down or a combination of all three. I suddenly felt the strength of anger… how could such a sweet little girl die such a horrible death!? I told Sophie I would run for her and I would be damned if I didn't give every last bit of me to that race. I ran faster and after another mile my IT band felt like that jackal was now sticking a dull rusty knife in the outside of my left knee. Mile 23 – 7:15! I ran harder and harder, I desperately had to make up time, I had to do this for Sophie. The miles ticked by, 7:16, 7:14, 7:04… I had less than a quarter mile to go and I might still make it! As I turned the final corner I read the clock… 3:10:01, 02, 03, 04… I was going to make it!!! I crossed the finish line and collapsed into my fiancée Kate's arms. I had finally done it!!! I was fulfilling my dream of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. I couldn't wait to get back to LA and share the news with Sophie!

Tuesday afternoon, December 7^th, I walked (or limped) as fast as I could to Mattel Children's Hospital on the UCLA campus. I hit the button for the 3^rd floor and darted to the ICU. Most of the nurses and staff had come to recognize me from my frequent visits and they smiled and checked out the cool marathon medal I sported around my neck. When I arrived at the ICU I scurried to the back where Sophie's private room was… my heart sank when I realized it was not Sophie, she was gone. I rushed back out of the ICU fighting to hold back the tears. I pleaded with a nurse to tell me where she was; that she was okay… the nurse calmly responded that Sophie had been transferred to the east wing. Her condition had improved! She was out of the ICU!!! I sprinted down the hall to get to her room! Numerous doctors and orderlies told me to slow down but I didn't care. I rounded the corner and I saw Vivian, Sophie's mom! After a big hug, she asked me how the race went. I told her I qualified for Boston and she then shared with me Sophie's marathon story…

"Sunday," Vivian said, "I reminded Sophie that it was your race day and that we had to pray for you that the angels would carry your legs from 7:00am to 10:10am. At around 9:30 in the morning, seemingly asleep and totally quiet, Sophie started to talk to you while her eyes were still closed. She started to say, 'faster Jimmy, run faster!' "

Chills shot down my spine. I pulled out my running log and looked at my mile by mile splits… it was 9:32am when my left leg gave up on me and my pace slowed. It was then that Sophie had spoken to me and I had the strength of 1,000 angels to continue through great discomfort. When I told Vivian this, tears filled her eyes. "Sophie said she ran WITH you, Jimmy." Maybe we were each other's guardian angels?

Less than a month later I was sitting at Vivian & Sophie's dinner table, enjoying a hearty dinner with their family. Sophie had been discharged from the hospital just before Christmas to enjoy the holiday & New Year's at home, since her condition had so dramatically improved. A month after that, she was diagnosed in complete remission, a miracle and memory that I shall always cherish. Sophie would call me 2 – 3 times a week and this joyful girl made me laugh every single time. She had this lightness about her, a zest for life that everyone needs and very few possess. Sophie represents so much for me and for those who knew her; she is the powerful embodiment of hope, the power of love and prayer.

Yet Sophie's story doesn't have a happy ending. After nearly 6-months of remission, the leukemia returned and Sophie was re-diagnosed with AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia). Sophie never left the hospital again. On October 14^th, 2005, we lost 12-year-old Sophia, a young girl that we will never, ever forget. For those of you who needed another reason, this is why I run. Running is my way of maintaining hope. My belief that someday soon, we'll have eliminated these terrible diseases so beautiful children like Sophie can grow up to be beautiful people, giving the world their own form of joy, hope and love. My fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society may be a small piece of the overall picture, but it's an important piece, because I strive to inspire others to do the same. The last marathon team I coached raised over $239-thousand dollars (a new SGV team record)… and I am joyfully reminded that we are all in this together. So much more together than we ever realize… we are fellow humans, doing what we can to enrich humanity. We must each do our part to keep hope alive.

In memoriam Sophia Hartman (4/11/1993 – 10/14/2005)

With Love & Relentless Hope,

Jimmy

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO MY 100-MILE RACE TO END LEUKEMIA

*If LINK above doesn't work, cut and paste URL below...
http://www.active.com/donate/tntgla/AboveTheClouds

Sharks feeding frenzy in LA...

2006-04-08T16:03:00.001-07:00

5 - 0 baby! FIVE - LOVE...

Kate and I went with our good friends Anita & Eric to see the San Jose Sharks POUND the Los Angeles Kings into near submission at the Staples Center on Thursday night. It was an equally important, no, it was a DESPERATE game for both teams. SO important/desperate that I (for the FIRST time ever) donned my Pacific teal, silver and black face paint at a Sharks road game, in an 'enemy building'. I typically get yelled at, taunted and pelted with peanuts when we go to Sharks games at Staples Center, due primarily to the fact the Sharks OWN the Kings (they are 6-1 this year vs the Kings and have 15-wins, 2-losses, and 1-OT loss in the last 18-games vs LA, 31-out-of-36-possible-points!). WE LOVE LA in more ways than one!!!!
I made an important addition to the face-painting this time around... BLACK EYES and LIPS... made me look a bit crazier and a bit meaner. Surprisingly enough, there were NO LA fans who said a WORD to me this time around. I got many curious stares, but not ONE comment was made. Not ONE peanut was thrown. And that was even more impressive considering the can of whoop-ass the Sharks opened up on the Kings. It was one of the most THOROUGHLY enjoyable hockey games I have EVER seen. Kate has been a Jonathan Cheechoo fan for 3 seasons now, and he did NOT fail to impress, scoring two more goals to bring his season total to 48 (tied for 3rd in the NHL right now). I am becoming more and more of a Steve Bernier fan myself. Might have to go out and get a 2005-06 Sharks home jersey, alternate jersey OR road-white jersey to have Bernier's rookie uniform!!!

GO SHARKS!!!

Crazy 8's... psychosomatic, addict, insane...

2006-04-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

5 days 'till BOSTON. The 'BOSTON'. The race to end all races. The OLDEST continuously-held footrace in the world. This year will be the 110th running of the Boston Marathon, held annually on Patriot's Day (a Massasschussets holiday that commemorates the midnight ride of Paul Revere). I have only had a handful of races THIS BIG (i.e. with this much emotion, pressure, and significance) in my life...

1. Meet of Champions / State Qualifying Meet, Cross Country - Nov '94
2. California State High School Cross Country Championships - Dec '94
3. Chicago Marathon - Oct '02
4. Cleveland Marathon - Apr '04
5. California International Marathon - Dec '04
6. Boston Marathon 2005 - PART I (Apr)
7. Sierra Nevada Endurance Run 53.2 Miler - Sept '05
8. Boston Marathon 2006 - PART II (Apr)

I need to PACK and SLEEP. So much to do and SO soon...

the NAPA recap...

2006-03-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

It starts and ends with Kate 'the great' Martini who wanted to do the Napa Valley Marathon from the get-go. She demanded that she be allowed to do it, AND NOW!!!! When we heard that the LA Marathon date had been bumped two weeks by Mr. Oscars, we were estatic! Kate immedately signed up, and the NEXT THING we knew, my baby sister Mary and her husband Stan were signed up! WOW! A family affair. Kate took care of many of the most important details, including booking the four of us in a SOLD-OUT bed-and-breakfast, only to convince the B&B owner Celeste to move us somewhere else. We ended up in the middle of a vineyard in a beautiful villa! It punctuated our weekend. Celeste was delightful and the accomodations were first rate. When we go back, we'll SURELY stay at her B&B since her hospitality was phenominal. Check out how much OTHERS love her at TripAdvisor.com

RACE MORNING... 3:45am
We awoke to about 5-different cell phone alarms going off, and we don't even have 5-cell phones between us. Mary and Stan were CHOMPING at the bit to be RUNNING their first race, the 6+ months of preparation had put ants-in-their-pants. The forcast was for (no kidding) 100% chance of rain! 100%! It was, not surprisingly, raining! In the 28-years of the Napa Valley Marathon, they say that THIS YEAR was the single worst year. It has only rained 2 other times, and both times it was warmer with less wind. Try the low-40's with 20+mph winds at times. Brrrrrr. We each double-bagged the trash can liners, had gloves, hats, and were bundled up and ready to go. After a long-bus ride (seemed about 5-hours long) in the rain, we arrived and shivered our way into the porta potty lines. It wasn't too long after that and we were ON our way. Stan, Mary and I stuck together for about the first 7-miles, and Kate blazed her trail towards her 8-min mile workout. Around Mile 7, Coach Barefoot-Todd joined Mary and I and I went ahead to catch Stan. Mary and Stan were both doing REALLY well at this point and clipping away 10-min, 30-second miles. I was impressed how easily they ripped the miles away. When we passed the halfway point, both Stan and Mary were running the longest they had run to date! Woooohoooo! The rain got progressively harder, the wind got progressively stronger, and both Stan and Mary kept on chuggin. At 4:47 & 5:15 (respectively), they crossed the line for the completion of their first 26-mile, 385-yard journey and had the medals and wind burns to prove it.

After ICE BATHS, hour-long spa massages, and some grubbin food (isn't ALL food grubbin after burning 3,000+ calories at one time?) we crashed for the night. In the morning we got up early for the yummy breakfast of the magical Celeste (at the McClelland-Priest Bed & Breakfast Inn - Napa) and then we went to a special wine tasting she had set up for us. Needless to say, an amazing end to an amazing weekend.

EVEN the sky from the airport gate in Sacramento gives you an idea of exactly how the weekend was... simply beautiful.

3/10/06 -----> 3:10:06

2006-03-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

My magical marathon day is today. My ONLY "Boston Qualifying marathon time", set on December 5th, 2004, at the California International Marathon in Sacramento, was 3-hours, 10-minutes, and 6-seconds. 3/10/06. March 10th, '06. Yeah, I'm the crazy sentimental type, but I notice this little freaky stuff. Between my initial marathon PR (3:11:11 in Chicago) and establishing a NEW marathon PR, it took me 26 months (with 9 of them in recovery from a nasty tendonitis-like knee injury) to lower my best effort by a meager 1-minute, 5 seconds. OR a scant 2-seconds PER MILE!

I have run 3-marathons in 3-months this year (check out MarathonGuide.com's RESULTS SEARCH, enter ANY name and the year and it'll pull up MOST official marathon finishes) with designs on doing BOSTON in April (a new PR?), the 100-miler in September, another fast marathon in December (Cali Int'l again?), possibly New York City in November (IF we get in), and a few other opportunities that will likely include the S.F. Marathon in July, a marathon (of effort & distance) in October, and a couple of FAST half marathons in June (R'n'R San Diego Half? Shhhh) & August (America's Finest City Half - San Diego). And WHO could forget the Bay To Breakers 12k in S.F. in May!? It's going to be my WILDEST race year yet!!!

LEAN-MEAN-JIMMY-DEAN-THE-RUNNIN-MACHINE

Now, time for a little prayer...
Dear God,
Please guide me to stay sane and smart enough to NOT GET INJURED with all of these crazy races and goals this year. I just keep wanting to run farther and faster than EVER. I feel like I'm racing against the clock! I'm gonna be 30!!! I feel like Sally from When Harry Met Sally... pathetic. So, grant me the peace of mind and clamness of soul to continue to help others with my running AND set an example with my patience. 2005 was amazing and 2006 can be so much more.

More on this madness soon...

My first 8k...

2006-03-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

8k? What? Who runs an 8k? 4.96 miles? Why not a 5-miler!? We're IN the U.S. of A! Use MILES!

I sought out this little 8k race as a potential qualifier for the San Francisco Bay To Breakers 12k the third Sunday in May, a race I've run 2-3 times before, quite possibly the craziest and largest road race in the world with around 70-80 THOUSAND athletes who sign up, and another 15-40 THOUSAND who do it unofficially. This year is the 95th running of the B2B 12k, and the 100-year anniversary of the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake, the event that inspired the race. SEE the article - Bay to Breakers: Out of the ashes a famous race is born.

So, for this race (8k) I need to run a 29:30 (or faster) for what pretty much amounts to 5-miles. A 5:55 per mile pace. The ONLY time I've run 4+ miles FASTER than 6-min miles in my entire life was my best 10k time ever, this past November, at the Puente Hills Turkey Trot, at which I averaged 5:58 per mile on a completely FLAT as a pancake course. I wondered about my ability to do sub-6's for 5-miles (okay, 4.96 miles) not being in PEAK shape for this distance. Not only that, I started to feel sick on Saturday after 5 consecutive days of 5 hours of sleep. Saturday evening, I crashed HARD around 5pm, slept for 3-4 hours, woke up, ate dinner, showered, cleaned up, and went back to bed. Felt okay Sunday morning, slightly below average, and made up my mind to give it a go. Woke up at 5:30am to eat an early breakfast. Instead of my normal routine of pre-race caffeine (a LARGE cup of Peet's Coffee), I drank my herbal "witch-doctor's tea", a blend of freshly squeezed organic lemon juice, Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE), freshly grated ginger-root, and a healthy amount of powered Cayenne pepper, with hot water for a pungent tea that will tame the worst of colds and coughs. I drank it all morning and it soothed my throat tremendously. I was as ready as I was going to be.

No matter WHAT time I ran, it would be my personal best time for this distance, as it was the first ever 8k I'd raced! I desperately wanted my 29:30 though, as that was the entire reason I sought out this race. I had run the pre-requisite qualifying times for both the 5k and 10k, but neither of those courses were "USATF Certified" so those times were useless for B2B sub-seeded qualification. After a 2-mile jogging warm-up, it was GAMETIME. Hitting the starting line, I noticed a disproportionate number of "fast looking" runners. Youthful and speedy. This was a GOOD sign, as fast people LOVE fast courses and flock to the races where they have the best chance for their best time. 5:55's. I planned on trying to HIT 5:55 in Mile 1 which was mostly flat, dropping back to 6:10 to 6:20 for Miles 2 & 3 which both had about a quarter mile of "incline". Miles 4 & 4.96 the strategy was to gut it out and FLY downhill, as you came back down from the 2 miles of climbing with two solid quarter mile descents in both Miles 4 & 4.96. I knew I'd have to make up time and negative split to have the best chance of success. As if I pushed too hard in Mile 1, or tried to HIT PACE in the hilly miles, my legs would "flash" full of lactic acid, and I'd slow to a relative crawl in the last mile or two. A Brea High Schooler began to sing the national anthem and the time was now...

*BANG*

We were OFF. Damn people were running fast. I estimate that in the first 100-yards, I got sucked into about a 5:00 (flat) per mile pace. YIKES. I relaxed a little bit and let a bunch of people pass me. Patience, grasshopper. It was a BEAUTIFL sunny day, with crisp air around 55-60 degrees and very little wind. It was going to be a GOOD day. A little downhill, then uphill, then downhill, then uphill again and we were approaching a turn and the 1-mile mark. MILE 1 - 5:45. Excellent. Not too fast (10-seconds per mile fast), and I was in a good rhythm. I looked up ahead and stared at the first hill of consequence, which started around Mile 1.75 and continued to Mile 2. Rhythm, Jimmy, get in a breathing rhythm. At about 1.25 miles I felt it. Gurgle, gurgle. My stomach was BURNING. This is a very common sensation in a 5k-10k, but I didn't expect it this soon, and it felt a little different than before... OH NO! The pre-race beverage with CAYANNE PEPPER! NOOOOOOO! My stomach was KILLING ME, and I had nearly 4 miles remaining. I had to think of something else. I stared into the hill. Please hill, hit ME hard. lol I need 6:10-6:20, I must stay strong but relaxd on the hill. I did. MILE 2 - 6:08! Woohoo. Stomach still burning, I told myself this was just a "toughness workout". Mile 2 to 3 wrapped through some residential streets, past a high school and a high school band, and then started to CLIMB. From Mile 2.5 to 2.75 was the most significant hill on the course. Instinctually, I started to push it up the hill, sensing that I was nearing the end of my final climb of the day with ONLY downhill and flat to the finish. I started passing quite a few people. I crested the hill and opened up my stride to PUSH the downhill. I had quite a bit of time to make up! MILE 3 - 6:18. I now had about 32 seconds overall to make up (or 16 seconds PER MILE) which meant running the last two miles (tired) in faster than 5:40 (avg). Mile 4 was both blissful and brutal. I flew downhill, relentlessly pushed the pace. Passed a bunch more people and had two guys and one girl chomping on my heels. They passed me. Had to try to stay with them. STAY STRONG! MILE 4 - 5:38! Woooohooo! I had 0.96 miles left, I know that I am a strong finisher, and I was IN POSITION to do this. At Mile 4, I had ONE final sweeping downhill for about a quarter mile, and I really pushed the pace going down, as I knew about 3/4's of a mile of flat remained and I needed every second. It leveled out and I worked on getting relaxed while still PUSHING my last mile. I worked hard to stay with the pack in front of me. I could see about a half mile ahead, which sucked on one hand, and on the other hand, the 2nd to last turn on the course was near. I rounded the final corner and saw the clock... 29:10, 29:11... it was going to be CLOSE. I had to sprint ALL OUT to make it.... I crossed the line in 29:27! PHEW! Made it! BARELY. But I made it.

Bay To Breakers 2006 - Sub-Seeded Qualification, baby! Wooohoooo!
http://www.BayToBreakers.com/registration/seeded.html

I was thrilled! 5:55 per mile, EXACTLY, the first time I've held THAT pace for more than 3.1 miles. Next stop, Boston...

AFTER running the race, Kate and I joined my mom (in town from Northern Cali) for breakfast and then went to see "Ashes and Snow", an incredible nomadic art exhibit with photography, film and architecture. Go see it. Amazing!

MORE crazy ideas?

2006-02-25T23:31:00.000-08:00

Performed last night for the first time in MONTHS. Comedy Store Belly Room. Expected to BOMB, and the funny thing is that I was prefectly prepared for and okay with that. Debuted "Good Friday". It needs quite a bit of work, but it has some promise. Kate doesn't like my "metrosexual" bit, she thinks now it's too overused. That bit is still getting the most laughs. Go figure.

I also realized today that I will finish four marathons in four months (OC Marathon - Jan, Austin Marathon - Feb, Napa Marathon - Mar, Boston Marathon - April), and then I started thinking...

MAY - ?
JUNE - ?
JULY - S.F. Marathon
AUG - ?
SEPT - Angeles Crest 100-miler
OCT - Long Beach AND Nike Women's
NOV - New York City
DEC - Cali Int'l

If I can only figure out a marathon for May, June, and Aug, then I'll do a marathon (or more) every single month this year! I've got some serious issues, I know. Comedy and running. Running and comedy. My life IS a joke...

100-miles in ONE DAY, the APPLICATION...

2006-02-15T20:03:00.001-08:00

Holy smokes, a DREAM (that could become a nightmare?) is becoming more and more REAL by the day...

I went for a 5-mile run this morning with a client, and I started to THINK about it... I have to run 20-times that distance on Sept. 16th & 17th.

100-miles

Over "mountainous terrian". From Wrightwood (near Big Bear) to Pasadena over the San Gabriel Mountains. I get tired DRIVING that distance. WTF am I thinking? ROFL

I am examining the WAIVER I have signed and am about to mail in REQUESTING they admit me into their race, it mentions: extremely difficult and hazardous conditions including snow, lack of water, communicable diseases, wildlife, vehicular traffic?, incapacitation, death, AND even "Acts of God" (the application mentions this TWICE!).

Back to LAST September: after getting lost with about 10-miles to go in my 53.2 miler (that became a 54-miler), the photo (to the RIGHT) of me having a serious conversation with my water bottles (around MILE 41) asking them if I should throw up or not sort of sums up the insanity of these ultra-marathon events (and it's participants)... CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TALK SOME SENSE INTO ME?!?!? PLEASE!?!?!

I'm mailing in this badboy tomorrow. I am nuckin futs. :)

THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE
Angeles Crest 100-Mile Endurance Run

My Leukemia Fundraising Page
http://www.active.com/donate/tntgla/AboveTheClouds

My first official blog... now a PHOTO SITE?

2005-12-16T01:13:00.000-08:00

DOES THIS NOT REFLECT OUR EXACT PERSONALITIES??? LOL

YOU AND ME IN SHASTA, ACTING SOMEWHAT GAY... UMMMMM

I'm tired, must sleep, WILL travel much tomorrow... *yawn*

Bored yet?