Twin Sisters Summit, June 13, 2009

What is now becoming an annual tradition, climbing Twin Sisters this year was pure joy. I traditionally climb this during the Estes Park Wool Market (which my wife Lorraine is very active), so this year I did the climb on Saturday, June 13, 2009 with my running buddy Vince “Master Slacker” Gerber. It took some goading to get Vince to want to do it, but I finally was able to overcome his slacker ways and get him to commit, like last year. This year the weather was superb: sunny, cool, and no wind.





Vince and I met at the trailhead (about a mile up the road from the Lily Lake parking area) around 7:30 AM. I figured around 3 to 3.5 hours for the 7.5 mile out and back journey. The trail starts out rather benignly, but then gets steeper as you go up. The trail itself is pretty nice, some rocks. But the uphill forces us to walk.

There was very little snow to contend with, with only one little patch that we had to walk on to continue on trail.





Vince and I stopped a couple of times to eat and take pictures. We stopped around 11,000 feet elevation to overlook the Estes Park valley below. Up ahead, the trail became more rocky and a little more steep, but we could now see the objective ahead, looming at 11,435’ elevation.





Before long we arrived at the radio tower and shed, about 11,300’ and took a brief break to look around. We then had a short 100+’ climb to the top of one of the Twin Sisters. Got to the top and took in the views of Long’s Peak and Mt Meeker to our immediate west, and the valley floor below. We looked east and it looked socked in down below in the St Vrain Valley into Longmont.







This run always amazes me how easy it is to get up here and the views it affords. And today no wind to buffet us around as well, and made for a very enjoyable pause at the top.

After a bit, we decided to head back down, picking our way along the boulders and rocks, until the trail became more runnable. Now we were able to run the trail. Met a lot of people coming up, and passed quite a few going down. I was wanting that beer at the end, so I tried to keep the pace going.
All in all, a nice little climb and run at elevation, the first for this season. I have upcoming Hardrock pacing duties looming on the horizon, so this was a nice entry to some altitude training. And I didn’t get an altitude headache and felt great the whole time.

I'll Make You Squaw Peak 50 Mile Report

My first 50 miler for the year went fairly well, not a PR (actually a PW), but the weather was stellar and not much snow on the course this year.

Squaw Peak 50 Mile near Orem, Utah is probably the third hardest 50 in the US, behind Lake City (San Juan Solstice) and Jemez. I used to list it behind Zane Grey as well, but upon further reflection, it is probably harder than ZG now, since I hear the course there is better marked and not as apt to get lost as in the early years. The race starts and ends at Vivian Park, just a few miles south of where the Wasatch Front 100 race ends. Same mountains, different scenery. We start and end at Vivian Park, but the course goes counter-clockwise in a loop. The race filled up in 1 day this year, and it was a lottery! I had signed up for this race last year but had to withdraw a few weeks before. The race director, John, does a nice thing for those who sign up but can’t make it: he carries them over for the following year. I still had to apply, but didn’t have to shell out the $$$ this time. When the lottery results came out in early November, my name wasn’t among the lucky entrants. I wasn’t even on the waiting list! I eventually fired off an e-mail to John asking what happens to those who were carried over but didn’t get on either list. A few weeks later, he added more runners to the wait list. I was third from the bottom. Now I had to wait and hope I can get off the wait list and into the run. On my birthday this year (May 17) John let everyone on the wait list join in with the other runners. I was officially in the race. I had a contingency plan in case I wouldn’t get to run: I’d pace my friend Bob Rayburn (who was also a carryover from last year) the last 25 miles. Either way, I was going. Now it was official.



As mentioned at the beginning, the weather was great this year. It was a bit coolish at the start, and I was wearing several layers with a long sleeve shirt and gloves. It warmed up enough during the day though that allowed me strip off those layers and wear a short sleeve for the rest of the run. It was fairly warm on the Hobble Creek Road (mile 22-26) but not as hot as it usually is. It did sprinkle on me during the last few miles of the run, but nothing to worry about.

At 5:00 AM we were all off at the start, and I ended up running with Bob and Matt Watts along the 2 miles of bike path leading to the trailhead that would start us on our first of several long climbs during the day. By the time we started on the dirt trail, Matt took off and left Bob and I eating his dust. Bob and I enjoyed a relaxed pace and made conversation as we ambled our way on the many little ascents and dips that gradually then abruptly took us up to the first aid station at mile 5.5 and 1:23 into the race. I stopped briefly to swill some coke offered by the nice Boy Scouts who traditionally run this aid station. They also have pancakes, sausage, etc. but I declined as I wasn’t all that hungry.




After this aid, you continue on single track trail and meander through some meadow like areas until you reach a road. Once I got on the road I was able to run more, but I still walked the hills. Bob and I got to the next aid station at mile 10.8 in 2:49, a bit slower than two years ago when I was here. I decided to strip off the layers here as I wouldn’t get to my next drop bag until mile 22 and it was getting warmer. I put on a short sleeve, refilled my bottles and grabbed some food and left. Bob was right there with me.

There were several turnoffs from the road onto single track trails (which shortcut the winding road sections). Several people didn’t see the flagging indicating a turn, and I ended up catching up to those who didn’t see the turn. One gal realized it was a bad turn, but saw runners up ahead and continued on. I told her watch out for other turns are there are several more. I ended up pulling ahead of her. Bob caught up with me and we leapfrogged each other on the road. By the time we got to the second turnoff, Bob told me he was going to back off on the pace a bit. Being the asshole I am, I said okay and pulled on ahead of him. I wouldn’t see him until the finish line.



The trail was fairly short and we ended up back on the road again. The pace was nice and moderate along the ridgeline road, and I was able to get to the next aid station at Kolob Basin (mile 14.8) in 3:59. I refilled my bottles, grabbed some melon and headed out. I looked back down the road leading up to the aid station I saw Bob coming up the road. I guess it was time for me to leave so I thanked the aid station workers as I left and headed down a nice, rocky trail.



The trail eventually led to another dirt road (probably the same one we were on earlier) that rolled up and down gradually for about a mile. The road eventually turned off to the left and I ran the road down from here all the way to mile 22 aid station. I wasn't hammering it, but the pace felt good and relaxed. As usual with this segment I passed a ton of people here. Some were early starters but a lot were people I was running with earlier. I didn't walk one step these 6 miles. I got to the 21.8 mile point in 5:17. I took a minute to refill and eat. I got into my drop bag and sucked down an Ensure, changed hats, refilled my pack with drink mix and food and made my way out. This year, we had to continue on the dirt road about a mile before hitting the paved road known as Hobble Creek Road. In the past, the aid station was right at Hobble Creek, but due to an asshole property owner the aid was moved up the dirt road a mile. This is by far one of the worse sections of the race: it's paved, it's usually hot, and it's straight and boring. But it didn't go badly here at all. It was warm here, but with the breeze we had along the road made it feel very bearable this year. I ran the flats and downs, walked the ups here. No sense in overdoing it as I knew the next climbs after 26 miles are energy sappers. I ended up running most of the ¾ mile of road leading up to the next aid station at mile 26.3. Before I knew it, there it was, 6 hours and 17 minutes into the run. John was there and threw on a nice, cool towellette behind my neck to cool me off some. I grabbed some melon, coke, refilled my bottles and headed out with a popsicle in my hand up the dusty dirt road.

This section usually kicks my ass so I went easy here but kept the walking brisk. The first 3.5 miles are on dusty jeep, 4x4 roads. About a mile up we had a stream crossing to deal with. There was a log there, but being my balance is shitty, I opted to walk on through it as it wasn’t very deep. The water felt good on my feet! More uphills on the road, and eventually I got to the next aid station at mile 30.1 in 7:29. Again, slower than last time by about 20 minutes, but who cares? Grabbed some more food, got my bottles and sat down to access my last drop bag. I’ve had a history with turned ankles of late, so I put on some ankle braces here to help me down the last 8 miles of steep rocky trail of the race. I also changed shoes, ones that were a little bigger (as my feet swell up) and had a more aggressive tread on the sole to deal with the snow and rocks on the descent in 10 miles. I also grabbed on extra bottle, as I would need it for the 33 to 41 mile segment of the run heading up to Windy Pass. I spent about 10 minutes here but it was time well spent. I got up and left.

This next section really kicks your butt. Right off the bat we had to go along a minor stream which was also a trail leading up to the start of our big climb through a huge meadow. Pretty much an uphill grunt until the last .8 miles leading to the next aid station is all downhill. Got to the 33 mile aid station in 8:40, about 50 minutes before the cutoff. Sweet! Now I knew I had a finish in, as there is no final cutoff for a finish. At this point, everyone who makes it here in time is committed to a finish, no matter how long it takes to get to the end. I like this aspect of the race, since the pressure is off in getting done by a set time and you can concentrate on other things, like tackling the big climb up to Windy Pass at mile 40.

After sucking down a root beer and some fruit, I took off down the trail. A runner up ahead was asking how far it was to the big climb, and I told him about 6 miles ahead. I ended up running with him and talking with him until that climb. Wally Heseltine was his name, and we had a nice chat along the way. Another runner, Andrew Barney, a local, caught up with us and we talked and made the miles go quicker. We got about 2 miles out of the aid station when I realized I forgot to fill up my 3rd bottle. Shit!! Too late to go back now. My mission was to find some goodhearted runner with extra water to lend me, as my 2 bottles weren’t going to last long enough until the next aid station. At one point, the trail headed down and I picked up the pace, as I was watching the clouds overhead build up and I wanted to get off the high point before the lightning hit. I did pass several other runners and asked if they had any extra water, but not enough to spare for me.



After about 2 hours, the big climb was upon me. I now made my way slowly up the rocky trail (no snow here as in the past) and would aim to walk about a 100 feet or so and stop to catch a breath. This was a mile long climb gaining about 1200 feet in elevation along the way. I eventually caught up with an older runner who was bent over catching a breath. I asked him if he was okay, and he mentioned his heart was racing and causing his finger to throb. He then showed my bandaged finger which he sliced upon falling just before Hobble Creek. As he said, “...sliced it open to the bone”! He said he was okay but was going to take it easy going up. I noticed he had two full bottles in his pack. Feeling a bit guilty as to his condition and to what I was going to ask next, I asked if he had any spare water as I was about out. He gladly offered me as much as I wanted. I ended up only taking half a bottle, as I figured this would get me to the next aid station. I also didn’t want to be greedy and take a lot of his water. I thanked him and continued on my way up to the top.



It took about 40 minutes for me to reach the top, and by that time it was much less steep and runnable. The high point, at mile 40.8, topped out on my GPS at 9450’. I looked off to my right and down the valley below and saw the building for the last aid station before the last paved road section to the end. I had to traverse some snow fields on the way down to the next aid station a mile distant. I finally rolled into the aid station, mile 41.8, at 12:18 into the race. It took me 3 hours and 17 minutes to get here from the previous aid station.



I refilled my bottles (all of them this time, although it wasn’t really needed), grabbed some food and thanked the aid station workers for coming out here helping. These guys (gals) had to hike up the trail I was about to run down for the next 6 miles: steep, rocky, and twisty. They also had to haul up all their gear, supplies as well. They had a spring nearby as to fill water containers. I’m always in awe of these folks!

Made the descent down the hill, with a few patches of snow near the top to get over. I kept tripping on rocks as I made my way down the steep and rocky trail. This was getting annoying and after the 3rd trip, I yelled out “Goddammit Dale! Pick up yer fucking feet!!” It didn’t help, but it made me feel better until the next trip. Finally, after about 4.5 miles the trail mellowed out and was more runnable. Hot damn! I can run more now, and got to the open meadow which was a nice paced run now. More dirt road and then the last aid station, at mile 47, was just ahead. I stopped and filled one bottle of ice water, grabbed a coke, and left. It was 13:41 into the run now, and knew a sub-14 hour finish was impossible, so I just jogged the last 3 miles of paved road to the finish. Except for one brief uphill section, I ran the bulk of it. When I saw the houses just ahead and to my left, I knew I was less than ¾ mile from the end. I picked up the pace a bit and ran it in for the finish in 14:20. It took me 39 minutes to run the last 3.5 miles of road, pretty good time for me this long into the run.

While I didn't get a PR this year, I was extremely pleased with how I ran the race, and not be totally trashed at the end.

As I crossed the finish line Matt and Ed Green were there to offer congrats. I was a bit bummed when I went to the food table that most of the food was gone. I sat down and ate a popsicle and chatted with Matt, Ed, Wally, and others I met during the day, waiting for Bob. I was hoping he had made the final cutoff. I checked with the finish line crew who were tracking runners and they said he had just left the last aid station. Bob finally ran in at 15:20, apparently doing 3 extra miles in the process. He made a wrong turn after the 33 mile aid station and had to go back to where he missed a turn to proceed on. If he hadn’t of made that wrong turn I suspect he would have caught up with me on the steep downhill and we could have finished together.

I followed my plan for the most part: take advantage of the cool at the start, go slow and easy while it's warm, and walk the hills easy and run the downhills.
This was number four for me at Squaw Peak.

I'll be back, hopefully, next year for number 5.

2009 Rocky “You’re So Screwed Dale” Raccoon

Lt. Muldoon: You want the story? I'll spin it for you quick. – Deathproof

Despite misgivings and hoping for a sub 28 hour finish, I finished in 26:43.

Thanksgiving' Announcer: White meat, dark meat. All will be carved. THANKSGIVING. – Grindhouse

Yet another trip to Huntsville, Texas for more romping at Huntsville State Park and the 2009 Rocky Raccoon 100 mile run. This year, my eighth visit to the race, I flew out with Colorado buddy Scott Olmer. At the airport gate, we met up with Matt and Anne Watts who were doing the 100 miler, and later Dan Schmidt, Carol Gerber, both doing the 50 miler. This year, the RD Joe Prusaitis, made some significant changes to the course. I was anxious to try out the new course. It looked like it might be a bit faster than before. It turned out with the more single track trails, it was a bit slower than before. More on this later.



Scott and I arrived in Houston, got the rental car, and headed out for Huntsville. After the obligatory traffic jam north of Houston, we stopped at a Taco Bell for some food to hold us over until dinner. Got to the park around 4 PM, picked up our race packets and spent some time talking to old running friends (Phil Rosenstein, Beth Simpson, Ben Holmes, Larry Hall, Dennis Drey, and many others) and catching up. We decided to leave just before the race brief and check into the hotel.

While Scott took a short nap, I unpacked and got most of my stuff ready, organized and sorted for the weekend’s journey. We’d be going to our car at the end of each 20 mile loop and I wanted to have everything in some semblance of order as to minimize time at the car. I had more clothes than I probably needed, as the temperatures were going to be in the upper-70’s during the day and mid-50’s at night. But you never know, so just in case I had more wintertime gear if needed.

J.T.: Hey, hey. You want some barbeque? Best in Texas.
Cherry: Oh, no thanks.
J.T.: What's the matter? You don't eat meat?
Cherry: Oh, I eat meat. I also eat lots of shit. – Planet Terror

It was now time to go eat, and Scott and I headed off to town in search of BBQ. Scott stumbled on this place a few years back with another running friend, Ed Green, and it sounded like a good place to try out. It was! For $12 we got a huge helping of brisket, sausage, potato salad, beans, and pecan cobbler. I’m not knocking Joe’s pre-race feed of pasta, but this was far better! We’ll have to keep this one for next year as well. On the way back to the hotel, picked up some brews.

Went back to the hotel sated, relaxed and after a beer finally hit the sheets around 10 PM.

Hanging Lady: Nervous?
Ted Striker: Yes.
Hanging Lady: First time?
Ted Striker: No, I've been nervous lots of times. – Airplane!

Scott and I woke up around 3:30 AM, did the usual pre-race rituals and got the car loaded and on the road by 4:15 AM. We wanted to get there early enough for a close-in parking spot to the start-finish area. Got to the park and the gates were closed, and 5 other cars ahead of us waiting to get in as well. After a few minutes, the gates were opened. Ended up parking off the main road right across the start/finish tent. Not ideal, but better than other locations. I tried to nap, but was too jittery so got up and used the porta john, and ended up talking to Jean-Jacques d’Aquin for a bit. Got back to the car and did a last minute lookover before heading over to the tent to check in.

Newscaster: I'm not wearing any pants. Film at eleven. – Kentucky Fried Movie

Union Army officer: Now get back in line before I kick you so hard you'll be wearin' your ass for a hat. – The Outlaw Josey Wales

Ended up being the first one to check in, but the line quickly grew behind me. Stood around waiting for the race to start, talking with other runners. Finally, it was time to line up and wait for the start. After Joe yelled “GO!” we were off into the darkness. Scott and I ended up running together from the start, and we soon started singing hash songs:

“There was a little bird….”

“I used to work in Chicago in an old department store…..”

“Hitler! He only had one ball…..”

Asshole, asshole, a soldier I will be. …..”

Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines. – Airplane!

About a half mile into the run, we made a left turn, signaling the beginning of the new course. I was pretty disoriented at this point due to the darkness and not really knowing where we will go. The trail did a lot of meandering and turning, but it was well marked and easy to follow. It wasn’t until the sun started breaking when we got to Amy’s Crossing that it started to make sense. Up to that point, however, I hadn’t a clue as to where we went or how we got here. Even here though, we weren’t too sure about the trail until we came up to the dam road when it really hit us where we were. Not long after we hit the second aid station, Dam Road, 6.1 miles into the race. I was still good on fluids so I just yelled out my race number and continued on. It was sometime during this segment that Scott and I decided to hit the afterburners to get away from a couple of chattering guys citing research results from the Harvard Law Review and some such drivel.

Stuntman Mike: Ladies, we're gonna have some fun.
– Deathproof

We progressed up what used to be called the Farside Loop, but instead of turning around at an aid station 2.5 miles up the trail, we continued on trail for a bit and came up to a checkpoint where they all tried to keep everyone straight and no cheating. We then continued on and headed back on a different trail, through what I call the “enchanted forest” of tripping roots and ups and downs. This was in reverse direction of what we ran in previous years. We got to the dam, and headed down the spillway and not long after we took a right turn which brought us back to the road leading to the Dam Aid Station we just came from 6 miles previous, but in the opposite direction and avoiding the Farside rebound section. Much improved, in my opinion.

Josey Wales: You have any food here?
Lone Watie: All I have is a piece of hard rock candy. But it's not for eatin'. It's just for lookin' through. – The Outlaw Josey Wales

Refilled my bottles and grabbed a coke, and headed out in the direction back towards Amy’s Crossing. Once there, we made a left turn and headed up the road which used to be the location of the first aid station. We continued on around and about 200 yards later we came to the main park road and the aid station there, called Park Road. Once again, filled my bottles and grabbed a coke and some oranges.

The next mile or so of new course trail turns into one of my favorites: rolling hills, fairly straight and no roots to trip on. Very nice. We then turned off back onto the trail we started out at the beginning of the loop which meanders for a few miles before connecting the path along the main road.

Ted Striker: It was a rough place - the seediest dive on the wharf. Populated with every reject and cutthroat from Bombay to Calcutta. It's worse than Detroit.
– Airplane!

Before long, we made our last left turn and down the hill was the aid station. Somehow, I figured it was further down, but this is a great location now. Scott and I both chipped in on the scanning mat for the first loop time of 3:50, and we headed over to the car to change clothes and refill our packs.

Narrator: Brutal! Savage! Beyond Perversion! – Kentucky Fried Movie

One loop down, four to go! So far, so good. I ended up spending a bit more time at the car changing out of my wet long sleeve and opted into a more cooler sleeveless SLUG shirt as it was starting to get warm out. Scott told me he had to hit the head. By the time I got back to the start tent, I didn’t see him so I figured he went on ahead.

First Jive Dude: Pray to J I get the same ol' same ol'.
Second Jive Dude: Eh. Yo knock yourself a pro slick, gray matter live performas down now take TCB'in man.
First Jive Dude: Hey, you know what they say... See a broad, to get that booty yak 'em.
First Jive Dude, Second Jive Dude: Leg 'er down 'n smack 'em yak 'em
First Jive Dude: Cold got to be. You know? Shiiiiit. - Airplane!



Now we got to see the course we missed at night. It all fit together now. We ended up taking parts of the old course that took us along the shoreline to the old 174 aid station and meandered around a bit back to the Interpretive Center (now an aid station). Crossed the road and back on the same old familiar trail to Amy’s Crossing. By about this time, Scott caught up to me and we ran together for most of the remainder of the loop. We were joined a bit later along the road climbing up the last aid station by Charlie Leonard from NY.

Trailer voiceover: You'll come home for the holidays... in a body bag.
– Grindhouse

Got to the Park Road Aid Station and had a small bit of ice cream! Man, that sure hit the spot. As we were leaving,we saw Phil Rosenstein lying on the ground with an ice pack on his lower back. Apparently he twisted it as he stumbled on some roots earlier. This was his second and last lap. I felt bad for him as he was on an awesome pace.

Captain Oveur: You ever seen a grown man naked? – Airplane!

Captain Oveur: Joey, have you ever been to a Turkish prison? – Airplane!

Captain Oveur: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? – Airplane!

We continued our way down the straight rolling trail and caught up to a group of runners, one of them wearing a blue SLUG shirt. I asked him his name, David Yak (I think). They were doing the 50 miler. Scott and I started into Airplane! quotes and one of them responded “Airplane!”. Soon we made the last right turn onto the bike path leading back to the turnaround. Got here in 8:07, or a 4:17 loop time. Went to the car and refilled and put on the headphones for the ipod. Time for distractions of music to get me through the next loops. It’s getting hotter out and nothing like some tunes to distract you from your environment. Scott left the car before I did and I figured I catch up to him later.

Hornung: Your Honor, I object to this line of questioning.
Judge: Overruled.
Hornung: Very well, then; I'd like some time to go over my briefs.
Judge: Please.
Hornung: [inspects his underwear] They're fine. – Kentucky Fried Movie

So here I was starting loop 3 and I started to feel some chaffing in the shorts. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice it back at the car and take care of it (via the old trusty A&D Ointment application) so I’d have to remember to use Vaseline at the next station. Other than that, I was feeling pretty good and moving well. It was noticeably warmer now so I decided to back off on the pace a bit and go easy. Better to go a little slower now versus dying later. I was also noticing my stomach was getting a bit uneasy and got that old familiar bloating sensation I got at Lean Horse last year. I decided I’d better start alternating energy drink and water in my bottles. For now, I decided to back off the calories and go straight water for at least the next hour. Too many calories going in as I was drinking more in the heat. I’d take in cups of Coke to supplement the loss and eat more solid food.

Announcer: [voiceover] But they soon realize...
The Boss: He's coming after *us*!
[cut to Machete opening his jacket to reveal an arsenal of machetes]
Announcer: They just fucked with the wrong Mexican! – Grindhouse

Charlie caught up with me and we ran together talking about various stuff that under normal circumstances would be boring. Yet somehow, during a run it gets very interesting. I was trying to figure out where the 50 mile point is and decided it was somewhere near the bench at the top of the climb into the Enchanged Forest. Close enough anyway, as it was 10:35 on my watch at this point. Got back to the Dam aid station before I knew it, refilled with water, grabbed some fruit and a sandwich, and got outta there. Charlie was ahead a bit but I ended up catching up to him on the road up to the last aid station. Then I saw Scott ahead, so I decided to run a bit more and catch up to him, Charlie in tow. Got to the aid station and they offered more ice cream. This time I took a whole cup full. Man, this tasted great! Scott took some apple pie slices with his ice cream. This became my favorite aid station.

Warden Samuel Norton: Lord! It's a miracle! Man up and vanished like a fart in the wind! – Shawshank Redemption

We all got back to the turnaround in 12:55 for 60 miles, or a 4:52 time for loop 3. Again, I meandered my way back to the car, but spent more time here. The sun had set by now and I wanted to make sure I had my good light with me, change into a different short-sleeved shirt, sucked down a Starbucks Double Shot, A&D, etc. Scott was already gone. This would be the last I would see of him, except on the out and backs. No worries, I just wanted a finish and a sub-24 hour, while nice, wasn’t in the plan for this weekend.

[Thinking to himself]
Ted Striker: I've got to concentrate...
[his thoughts echo]
Ted Striker: concentrate... concentrate... I've got to concentrate... concentrate... concentrate... Hello?... hello... hello... Echo... echo... echo... Pinch hitting for Pedro Borbon... Manny Mota... Mota... Mota... – Airplane!

So here I was starting my fourth loop, which typically is my toughest loop, mentally, to get through. IT was now totally dark, although there was a full moon, but the heavy forest canopy prevented much of that moonlight from reaching the trails. Full illumination was needed to avoid a trip or fall. All in all, a fairly good pace considering, and I was passing people here and there (although I was being passed by the faster runners, more than likely lapped by the front runners). Remarkably, I was able to get through the roots in the Enchanted Forest without tripping. Still passing runners, who were walking by now, and I would see more lights ahead and try to catch up. Got to the Park Road aid station, and opting out of ice cream now took some hot soup instead. It was starting to get cooler now and I was going to need to change into a long-sleeved shirt back at the car. Crossed the timing mat in 18:39, or a 5:43 loop.

Rumack: What was it we had for dinner tonight?
Elaine Dickinson: Well, we had a choice of steak or fish.
Rumack: Yes, yes, I remember, I had lasagna. - Airplane!

Got back to the car and reapplied A&D as I was really starting to fart more with the dreaded chafed cheek syndrome. Changed into a long-sleeved shirt, sucked down another Starbucks and refilled my pack. I was starting to feel pretty tired by now, but that was probably more to the lack of sleep than anything else. Got back to the turnaround tent and saw Anne Watts there waiting for Matt. Larry Hall came up to me and told me “git going!”. I replied “Sir Yes Sir!” It was now shortly before 1 AM, and decided that a sub-24 hour time is not reasonable so I decided to walk a bit now as I was fairly tired.

Rex Kramer: Our only hope is to build this man up. We gotta give him all the confidence we can.
Rex Kramer: Striker, have you ever flown a multi-engine plane before?
Ted Striker: No, never.
Rex Kramer: [with the microphone still on] Shit. This is a God damn waste of time. There's no way he can land this plane. – Airplane!


So it was walk mode for me. I was doing some mental math in my head, and figured that if I could walk this in 6 hours then I’d have 25 hour finish. Or perhaps a 26 hour finish. In any event, it looked like I would be able to finish so I decided to take my time.

Lone Watie: Get ready, little lady. Hell is coming to breakfast.
– The Outlaw Josey Wales

Got to the first aid station and grabbed a coke. I took solace in the fact this is the last time through here. This perked me up some and I actually picked up the pace a bit, still walking. Got to Amy’s Crossing and made my way onto the trail leading to the Dam aid station. It was getting a bit chilly here and there, so I was glad I had my long-sleever on. Got to the aid station and sat down in front of the heater and asked for some hot chocolate. I was probably here for about 10 minutes. Reluctantly I got up, but had to in order to finish. As I was making my way out I spotted Scott coming in. He was hoping for a negative split on this loop versus the previous loop, so we didn’t talk too long. Looked like he was on pace for a sub-24 hour time.

Mrs. Geline: I haven't felt this awful since we saw that Ronald Reagan film.
– Airplane!

It was a slow trudge up the Farside trail, and having to dodge the roots was a royal pain. Again, I told myself this was last time I’d see it this year so it made me feel a bit better. As I was nearing the Farside checkpoint, Beth Simpson passed me. She told me this was here 6th time here, and probably her last for awhile. She figured she was far enough away from the 1000 mile jacket that not coming back wouldn’t hurt do much. She asked me how many finishes for me. I told her this will be my 7th. Her response was priceless: “You’re so screwed Dale!” We both laughed at that and she went on ahead. When I got to the checkpoint I thanked them for being out here.

Henry Gibson: Although, so far there's no known treatment for death's crippling effects, still everyone can acquaint himself with the three early warning signs of death: one, rigor mortis; two, a rotting smell; three, occasional drowsiness.
– Kentucky Fried Movie

There were some places I tried to run, but couldn’t muster it. My legs were too stiff and my feet were starting to ache some. Got back to the Dam aid station and again sat down and asked for hot chocolate. A nice lady came up to me and asked if I needed some work on my legs. I said that would be nice. It felt great, until she moved up to my shoulders and I winced at that, saying let’s forget that for awhile. I only had 8 more miles to go so it wasn’t that important. I was here about 15 minutes, and decided I better get up and get going.

Controller: Bad news. The fog's getting thicker.
Johnny: [jumps to an overweight controller] And Leon is getting laaaaarrrrrger.
- Airplane!

Made my way up down the road, back onto the trail towards Amy’s Crossing. By this time it was starting to get light. As I was making my way back up the road to Park Road aid, I heard water dripping on the trees and ferns. It wasn’t raining, but rather foggy. When I got to the top of the road overlooking the Interstate just feet ahead, there was a heavy mist in the air. Luckily it was just that and no rain as I didn’t bring along my jacket.

Captain Oveur: What is it, Doctor? What's going on?
Rumack: I'm not sure. I haven't seen anything like this since the Anita Bryant concert. – Airplane!

Got to the Park Road aid station and just refilled a bottle, grabbed a coke and put away the flashlight. Just a little over 3 miles to go now. It was a serious trudge now. It seemed like an eternity since I began this last loop. I was looking for now familiar landmarks marking my progress. 2.5 miles, 2 miles, 1 mile. Marty Fritzhand and Dennis Drey passed me with about a mile to go. Marty asked if there was anything he could do for me (as I was walking). I said softly “A blowjob would be nice.” His son was pacing him just ahead and overheard and broke up laughing. We all started laughing and they picked up the pace with a jog. I tried to follow suit but couldn’t muster it. Pity. I would have enjoyed finishing along with Marty and Dennis. Not long to go though until the end.



I made my final turn out of the forest and onto the bike path, just a half mile to go. Then my last left turn towards the finish line. Lots of people there were cheering. Scott was there, as well as Ben Holmes. Not sure why, but my eyes welled up and I was weeping as I crossed the finish line. 26:43! I was very happy with that time. I saw Joe Prusaitis and thanked him for another great run, and a great new course. A lower than normal finishing rate this year, primarily due to the warm temps: 68%. I think the new revised course is a lot better, and is probably a bit slower than in the past with more singletrack trail to run on versus dirt roads. I’ll take this negative aspect over not having to do those bloody Farside out and backs any time.

Henry Gibson: It is also important to know what to do you when you die.
1) Don't try to drive a car.
2) Do not operate heavy machinery.
3) Do not talk. – Kentucky Fried Movie

I sat down and Scott came up and said congrats, as well as Ben. Ben had to drop after 3 loops due to plantar issues in his feet. Been there, done that, totally understood. Man, I was beat. After a few minutes of sitting I got up and Scott and I headed back to the car for a little sleep.



Taking a shower was a major effort, slow and awkward, but I felt great at the end of it. We made our way over to the lodge waiting for breakfast. They weren’t quite ready yet, so we all waited, Scott, Marty and myself. But it was worth it and it tasted great. I had a great a great catchup conversation with my SLUG friend Jan Ryerse at the breakfast. He had a good finish as well. Scott and I then decided to head to the airport after the awards ceremony.

Another Rocky in the books, number 7. Yep. Beth was right on: I’m so screwed!

Prognosis: Good

I saw my foot doctor yesterday, and he was very happy with the progress over the last two weeks. Instead of a 4 inch wide area of tenderness with my tendonitis (Posterior Tibial Tendonitis), it is focused on a very small area, about an inch. He told me that means it's healing up very well, and that this tender area is focused on where I did the tear. I'm still going to have to live in the ankle brace for another 3-4 weeks, and he showed me how to tape the ankle for added support. It will help at Heartland, just 3 weeks away. I wanted to get his opinion on whether I needed to cancel the run, or go as planned. He told me if it hadn't improved much from two weeks ago, he would have advised against running it. He believes I will be fine. But I'll have to 'baby' it for awhile still, and I'll need to avoid rough and rocky trails for the time being, at least until it's healed enough to deal with the uneven side-to-side terrain of trails. Looks like more boring flat dirt and rolling dirt roads at least until Heartland.

At least I can still proceed with focusing on the 3 100's scheduled the next few months for my Fall of Pain Series: Heartland, Motherroad II and Javelina.

Pain In My Foot

It seems I have a sprain in my right foot, on the left side this time. I've had it for awhile now, I just didn't realize it. In fact, I had it while running Lean Horse a few weeks ago. Originally I thought it was Plantar Fasciitis, but it seemed a little higher up than usual. I wrapped my foot with tape for the run for plantar type issues. I was a bit alarmed when I took off the tape and saw it slightly swollen and some bruising, down along my big toe.

I finally got to see my podiatrist to take a look at it, and he was puzzled as to why I had it. I didn't feel a pop, hear a pop, or hit it on anything. He told me to wear a brace for two weeks 24/7 and see how it feels then. He allowed me to go back to normal running (good thing, as I was going to anyway) but take notice of any pain in that area. This is a little more serious than my other sprains of late, which are usually on the anterior (outward) side of my foot and are easily braced. This sprain could lead to fallen arches and surgery if the tendon does rupture away from the talus of my foot. Since I've been running on it for the past 3 weeks (albeit taped) I'm not overly concerned. The pain is also not a lot (a 2 on a 1 to 10 scale). He thinks I'll be okay in a few weeks. I already feel a lot better with the brace supporting it. I was going to run this past weekend, but I opted to let the foot heal up a bit and besides, I had a ton of shit to do around the house this weekend anyway that had a higher calling and larger pull on me. I was going to run today but it's raining and cool out, so I'll opt to run tomorrow when it's supposed to be back into the 70's and sunny again.

Lean Horse Came Up Skinny

Not an auspicious start to my fall slam. In fact, you can say it’s over.

“Over?! Did you say ‘over’?! Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?” -– Animal House

Okay, I didn’t manage to finish Lean Horse, the first leg of my four 100 miler slam this year. I still have three to go. So it ain’t over yet.

I had a lofty goal of finishing in under 24 hours, but realistically was hoping for a finish under 28 hours. I haven’t done the kind of training of late needed to finish a 100 miler. Although Lean Horse is not an overly difficult 100, it’s still a 100 miles and, as I know all too well, anything can happen over the course of something like this. I was about to experience something new on the journey that I have never had to deal with before, but have heard about from a lot from other 100 milers: stomach bloating. Severe stomach distress. Dry heaves.

I drove up to Hot Springs SD early Friday morning and got there around 1 in the afternoon. Checked in and got my race packet, talked with Ulli Kamm and his wife Traudl, and met up with Pat standing in the doorway. So I went out and met his mom Mazie and Karen. They would meet me after the pre-race briefing and we would go out for dinner in town. Got to the hotel room and started sorting out stuff. Eventually I left for the briefing. Dropped off my four drop bags and talked to several people before going into the auditorium for the briefing: very low key and it was mostly a question and answer format. The RD Jerry mentioned that although cutoffs are published for the latter aid stations, he wasn’t going to enforce them too severely. “You guys came here to run so why should I stand in your way”. At the end, met up with Pat, Karen and Mazie and we did a brief tour of the first 16 miles of the course, which is in town and eventually along a rolling dirt road that takes us to the Mickelson Trail, a “rails to trails” trail which is very smooth and a gradual uphill.



Along the way we saw a wild turkey with her chicks. I hurried to get out of the car and snap a picture, and managed to get the chicks in mid-flight. After that we headed back to town and we picked up Pat’s brother Mike and we all went to the Mammoth Grille for dinner. Dinner was okay, and I got dropped off at my hotel to get ready for the next days’ run.

Got up early and did the usual pre-race stuff. It was a bit cool out, so I opted to layer: a short sleeve under a long sleeve shirt. I decided not to bring gloves or a warm hat, as I knew I would warm up quickly once started. Put on my regular ball cap, and was ready to roll. Filled up my two bottles with my energy drink, and stashed another bag of mix in my waist pack that should get me to the first drop bag at the Argyle Road aid station 16 miles in. Drove over to the race start and hung out and talked to various runners. Soon we were herded outside and behind the civic center building for the start. I tried to position myself towards the back so as to not get swept up in the early fury of the start.

Then we were off with the word “GO!” from Jerry. The first mile and change took us through town. I looked at my watch at various times and saw the pace was about 10:30. Not overly fast, but not slow either. It felt good so I kept it there for a while. We then made it onto a dirt road and the start of many rolling hills. I opted to walk the hills, as it afforded me the opportunity to take it easy early and not shoot my wad early. I was amazed though at the number of runner, most of them 50 milers, but there were a good number of 100 milers, who were running the hills. I thought to myself more power to them, as I’m going to run my race, and not theirs. I had written down splits for what I thought would be a sub-24 hour pace, and I hit the first aid station at Coldbrook at 4.1 miles in 42:39. This was right on the split I projected. So far so good. Not needing anything I breezed on through.


We soon came to a nice open meadow that connected us from the dirt road we were on to the Argyle Road that would take us to the Mickelson Trail ahead. Jerry had mentioned that there was one less aid station on the road, making the aid station distances around 4 miles, 10 miles, and 16 miles. At this point the road meandered through open country of farms and neighborhoods. It really reminded me a lot of Heartland, in that the road was a constant up and down of rolling hills, nothing steep and long, but without Heartland’s rocks and lack of trees.


I had projected a time to the next aid station of around 1:48. I hit it in 2:01, 10 miles into the run. I was okay with that, as it was starting to get warmer and I was walking more of the hills. I did take off my long sleeve shirt by this time. I got to the aid station and refilled both of my bottles, figuring an hour to the next one.

I was glad I scouted out the road with Pat and Karen the day before as I was able to get a better feel for this part of the course knowing where the end was. I was now in my run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute mode for nearly an hour. Unfortunately, the hills made it difficult to stick to it too rigorously, as I wanted to walk the hills, not run them. With each hill being completed, I would switch back to running and run for either 4 minutes or the next hill. This seemed to work out fine.

I reached the Argyle aid station, mile 15.7, in 3:06, just 6 minutes behind my split. I spent about 5 minutes here, changing into dry clothes, refilling bottles, refilling my pack, downing an Ensure, etc. until ready to go. It was getting hot by now. I didn’t have my ice hat or bandana until the next drop bag at the Pringle aid station 8 miles distant. I’d be okay until then. Bobby Keough was here helping out so he helped refill bottles for me.



I returned my drop bag and headed out onto the Mickelson. It was a gradual up and so I walked it a bit, then started running. The section between here and the next aid station at Lime Kiln Road was fairly rolling. I ran most of it, but was able to stick to the 4/1 plan easier here as the uphills were very slight. Got to Lime Kiln in 45 minutes, 12 minutes behind my splits. Still okay. Refilled my bottle and went out on my way to Pringle.

I got to Pringle in 4:42, still behind a bit, but feeling pretty good about my pace and hoping I would be able to keep this up, but I knew I was going to slow it down some as it was getting warmer out and the sun was unrelenting by now. Bobby was here to help me and I gave him my ice hat to fill up with ice. I probably spent about 5 minutes here changing stuff and refilling.



“A man drink like that and he don’t eat, he is going to DIE!” -– Blazing Saddles

The next few miles were pretty boring, as the trail was parallel to the main highway leading up to Hill City. I was running with another runner who asked me if I was doing the 50 miler or 100 miler. I said 100. He was doing the 50 and upon reaching the 25 mile mark, he jumped up in the air and came back at me as I cruised on through.

Soon the trail veered off to the left and into the farmland, and I found myself walking more and more due to the heat. I was feeling great but feeling the heat so I wanted to take it easy during the rest of the day.

“How about a Fresca?” -- Caddyshack

Got to the next aid station at Carroll Creek (mile 30) in 6:16, about 25 minutes behind. Bobby was here waiting for his runner Dennis Drey and I decided to sit down and get some ice cold beverages, refill the ice hat and bandana, and ate a sandwich. I think I was here about 10 minutes, so I decided it was time to head on out.

From here on, it was mostly a walk. I kept looking at my watch for the pace and I was hovering around 14:30 minute miles, so not too bad. It took me about an hour and a half to get to Custer and the next aid station, at mile 36. I was here about 10 minutes, getting my hat and bandana refilled with ice, sucked down a few ice cokes and refilled my bottles with mix. Got up and headed out through town.

“Am I going mad, or did the work ‘think’ escape your lips?” -– Princess Bride



The next 5 miles to the Mountain aid station was all walking, although I was able to keep up with a few runners ahead (who were jogging) and passed several people walking. I guess my forward progress is okay. I had been doing a lot of powerwalking on my training runs this year to try to improve my walking. I guess that was paying off. By the time I got to the Mountain aid station at mile 41, I was starting to feel a little off. Not sure what it was, so I sat down and downed a few ice cokes, had my hat and bandana refilled with ice. The aid station volunteer was really taken with my hat and bandana. The hat has a zipper compartment that allows you to add ice to it, so the ice stays in the hat and doesn’t fall out over your head. The bandana is a specially made item that is a bandana sewn together in half, with a chamois inside and little openings on either side to add ice. So again, the ice doesn’t fall out and stays inside. I decided to use one bottle of mix and one bottle of ice water at this point.



It was now 9:05 into the race, and I was hoping to be able to make the 50 mile turnaround in under 11 hours now. As we left, we had another mile or so of uphill, then a nice gradual downhill for several miles until the next aid station. As I was walking up to the top, I noticed Crazy Horse Monument to my right. Pretty cool sight. As my eyes were a little dry and fuzzy, I couldn’t make out the intricate details, but enough to see what it was. I also kept seeing helicopters flying back and forth overhead, which I found out later was a helicopter tour over the area.

“A Man’s got to know his limitations.” -– Dirty Harry

By now I realized I may be having some trouble. I couldn’t run much of the downhill, and my belly felt really full land bloated. I looked down and noticed it was a bit distended and sloshy. Shit! I have been electrolytes regularly every hour, and was peeing about once every 1.5 to 2 hours, so normal for me. I wasn’t sure what was going on here, but it was pissing me off as I couldn’t run much here. I’d run, but only for a minute or so and had to revert back to walking. So I resigned myself to walking for awhile. I was hoping I would feel better and be able to run more as the daytime sun started setting and it got a little cooler.

“I guess sometimes the past just catches up with you, whether you want it or not.” -– The Green Mile

I got to the next aid station at mile 47 in 10:38. I was really feeling bad by now, I saw Bobby and he offered me some ginger to try. I took it but it didn’t really help. I sat down for a bit and took in some ice coke. I asked the aid station people what mile it was and they said 45 miles. My GPS said 47.2. Shit! So I got up and left thinking it was going to take another 90 minutes to the turnaround (12 hours). To my surprise there was the last aid station in this direction just ahead. I looked at my GPS and it read 49.7. It was only 2.5 miles, not 4! I got here in 55 minutes, or 11:34 total running time.

“Wipe your face before you get up Dean.” -– The Green Mile

I sat down and was really feeling like shit. They offered me a Sprite and a cracker to help settle the stomach. I took them, and not long after I had the urge to vomit. I ran over to the side of the road and puked a ton of liquid out and some chunks of potato I had eaten at the Mountain aid station 2.5 hours earlier. Fuck! I wasn’t processing anything I was eating for at least 3 hours. No wonder I felt like shit. I was going on no calories and just burning my glycogen and fat stores. I sat here for about 23 minutes farting and hoping to feel better with each one, but it wasn’t, so I decided to try to go out and go to the turnaround ¾ mile down. I was hoping I might start feeling better and be able to finish this journey.

“Hey! Did somebody step on a duck?” -– Caddyshack

I got up among much cheering from the aid station folks (who were witnessing my condition) and walked out. I actually was feeling okay, but slow. Got to the turnaround and headed back, then I started getting sick again. More puking. I laid down on the trail for a minute or so hoping the cramping would stop. I even stepped off trail to take a dump. Still didn’t feel good. About 20 feet from the aid station, the cramps were unbearable and I started dry heaving. I don’t like dry heaves, as they really take all your energy away from you. I hunched over the fence for about a minute and decided this was it. This was as far as I can go.

My race was done.

“Percy fucked up, Hal. Pure and simple.
Is that your official position?
Don’t you think it should be?” -– The Green Mile

I finally got a ride out of there with one of the aid station volunteers with another runner who had also dropped. I got back to Hot Springs and my car, and spied the Dairy Queen next door. So I limped on inside in my smelly dirty clothes and ordered a large chocolate malt and a regular cheeseburger. Took them back to the hotel room just a block away and fell on the bed. Man, that malt and burger tasted so good! To my surprise, I kept it all down.

Pat called me not long after wanting to know where I was. I told them I was back at the hotel. They were waiting for me at the Mountain aid station on the return leg. He said they would be there shortly with beer. I got up and took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and waited. They arrived and we took our beers over to the picnic table by the river and talked about the days events, while watching runners come in for their finish.

So…..what went wrong? It took me awhile to figure this out, and I may be wrong, but I believe my problem was too much energy/calorie drinks per hour during the run. What a stupid mistake. This was something I’ve never done before, and knew better. I think the scenario was this: at the start I was drinking a bottle an hour while it was cool. This consisted of my energy/calorie drink mix, which I have used for over a year now, with no problems. Well, as it got warmer, I was drinking about 1.5 to 2 bottles an hour, all energy/calorie drink. My normal routine for hot runs is to alternate my mix with water. So I’d have one bottle of my energy/calorie mix and then I’d have a bottle of water, and I’d continue this routine until it got cooler and I was down to 1 bottle an hour and I’d either go with the energy mix or still alternate, depending on how things were going. I didn’t do that here. It was all energy mix. I did switch to water late in the race (at Mountain) but it was too late by then. All the stuff I had taken in was just sitting in my stomach and not getting processed. The body is an amazing thing. If it gets too much of something it just shuts off and waits to get rid of it via drastic means. All things being equal, this is the only logical explanation as it was something that I normally don’t do but I did. Other than that, at the end and afterward I was feeling alright: no aches, no soreness (except for the feet), no blisters. Just the stomach issues. Like they say, never do anything during the run unless you've trained for it on your training runs. Doh!

In any event, at least I got a good lesson in not what to do, and got in a nice 51 mile training run. I now have 6 weeks to get ready for Heartland, which should be enough time to work out the issues and get back in the swing of training.

One thing’s for sure: next year “I’ll be back” -– The Terminator

Off To South Dakota

I'll be heading out to South Dakota Friday morning to start my Fall Odyssey Slam with Lean Horse 100. I'm as trained as I'll ever be, so I hope it's enough. I did 40 minutes on the stairmonster Sunday afternoon after the Leadville Rainfest, and I did an easy hour on trails Tuesday, and about 35 minutes on trails and dirt roads Wednesday. Since it was in the 80's both days I wanted to get some acclimatization done before the weekend race, which looks to be in the low-80's as well. At least no rain, according to the latest forecasts for the area. I need to get a few last minute items from the store so I can throw them into my various drop bags for the race. Perhaps tonight I can actually watch some Olympics instead of packing things for the trip. Hopefully my race plan is good and I can get in a decent finish there.