I LIKE RUNNING IN CIRCLES

Well, Friday night I flew down to San Francisco via very fast hollow tube with sticks on the sides. Linda McFadden picked me up from the airport, and we stayed at the Holiday Inn close by. Wake up call at 5:30 A.M., and we drove all over San Francisco looking for ice. You would think all gas stations would have ice right? Well they do in Idaho. We went to 3 different places and had the toughest time finding ice! Don't worry, Idaho has a ton of the stuff everywhere. Got to the race site at about 7:30, to our surprise, the RD was getting into it with one of the participants, who he disqualified. Got to meet Norm Haines, that was cool. He is a way dirty old man! Well, the race got started at 9:00 on the dot, and the heat didn't take long to kick in either. It got above 80 during the day, making for lots of Endurolytes. I racked up miles, and if it wasn't for the fact that I was a sweaty pig, the race was going well. I discovered what it means to be road trained at this race. No hills or trail to work the legs are very hard!! My energy waned. I started off running 4 laps and walking 1, but after a while it went to running 3 and walking 1. I was really happy when the sun set, and started to cool off. There was a nice breeze, and I started to recover from the heat. I did well for a few hours, and up until about 11:30 PM I felt great. Then the "Hundred Mile Hangover" kicked in at about 62 miles, and I wasn't doing so hot anymore. I started dozing off on the run, and my feet started hurting extremely bad. I took some Ibuprofin, but it didn't help at all. Calling it a night at 64 miles, I crawled into Linda's car and decided to get some shut-eye. Linda hopped in the front seat for about an hour and tried to get her heart to calm down. She was back out on the race course after that, but I stayed inside. It got so cold outside, probably down into the 30s. Sea fog rolled in, and I couldn't keep my core temperature up. It was very cold. I woke up again at about 7:15, and it wasn't so cold outside anymore, so I decided to start running again. Linda had 3 miles to go before she hit 100, and I decided to go and pace her. After I started running, I came back to life. Didn't feel too shabby after a long period of rest. She hit 100, and I kept going. Running faster and faster, shouting encouragement to all the other runners. I did my last mile in 8:21, my best lap of the whole race. Some of them came in under the wire to hit 100, it was really awesome to see people bust a gut in the last hour. I sure did, and am also glad that I took a break. Should be able to recover now easily for 48 hours of fun at Ultracentric. I post pics here shortly from this race.

Race Calendar 2009

As we come to a close of the 2008 season, the focus shifts to a new year and new hopes of redemption. I can remember back to all the horrible mistakes I made in my planning and preparation for this year's race calendar, and how I will adjust to what is coming up next spring. I do not plan to do anywhere as many races next year as I did this year, as I have already participated in 11 ultras and 4 full marathons. This is averaged out to a race every 3 weeks, hopefully convicing Chirs Kostman that I am seasoned enough for his July Blisterthon;) Next year I will participate in:
Leon's Fat Ass 50K, January
WSU 100K, April
Lincoln Marathon, May
Watershed Preserve, May
Sawtooth Solo (200K), June
July is up in the air, considering I get into Badwater. We will see.
Plain 100+, September
Le Grizz 50, October

The Sawtooth Relay is normally set up as a relay race from Stanley to Ketchum, Idaho. Last year I completed the event as a 100K. This June, I am planning the do the event as a grueling 124 mile event from start to race finish and back to start. If you are interested in helping me crew for this event, let me know! This will be a difficult undertaking and I will need as much help as I can get.

Well, I have two races left this year. I am on my way to San Francisco next week for the San Fran 24 Hour, and to Texas for Ultracentric (48 Hour) in November. Hopefully, this can seal my entry into Badwater when I apply for the event in January. I will not be doing any serious training between now and the beginning of December, but be looking for me out on the trails at that time!

BorahBorah

Well, it was a good week. Took off earlier and went up into Lowman for a couple of days for some high altitude training. Ran about 20 miles there. Drove back into Boise, then Mountain Home, then up Hwy 20-Hwy 93 to the Lost River Mountains. Those things are incredible. Woke up Thursday morning, it was 19*F outside when I woke up! Started the climb up Borah at 7:30 AM. Got there at 10:15, much to my dismay, my hands were frozen stiff, and couldn't even pull my camera out for some sweeet shots. I have some that I will post shortly. 0*F at the top, and 50-60 MPH winds that tried to rip me from the mountain. No luck. Ran back down the mountain in an hour, and made for a hasty retreat back to Boise. It snowed here yesterday, so I can only imagine what those mountains are like that I was on only a short few days ago.

City of Trees Marathon

Well, the day started off pretty well. Got up, had breakfast, drove down to Park Center Park where the race began. Gun goes off, and the first 4 miles are a steady uphill. Was on a steady 8:15 pace to that point, then we ran downhill for a few miles, bumped the pace up to 8. Boise is very beautiful, and a great town to host a marathon in. I was doing great for my time, all the way to the half marathon mark. Hit that in just under 1:46. I figured if I could keep it up, I would be sure to break 3:30! Unfortunately, I had not planned according to the 'race conditions.' The race had nothing but water at the aid stations. Not being able to fuel up, like at every other long race I've done, my energy started to wane. Hit 20 miles at 2:54:00, and slowed considerable from there. The 20 mile mark was the only place on the course that had GU. I gave it all I had, but ended up at 3:43 for a finishing time. 9 minutes off of my PR, and will learn to depend on myself more.

Karl finishes

The man of the hour finally finished at 04:20 EST this morning. 54 Days, 21 Hours, 12 minutes. What a stud. Unfortunately for me, I am in the military and was not able to grow my beard for the extent of the run. Congrats Karl, you are a champ in my book.

New feet

My left arch is in a funk. Bought some new insoles today so I can run 60 miles a weeks again, unlike the pitiful 10 I've been doing. I'll keep you posted.

Plain <100

Well, I successfully fell out for the 1st time ever. It started with the 3:30 AM wake up call. Me and dad had driven up early on Friday to make it to the pre-race briefing at Thousand Trails at 3 PM. The next morning was very hectic. A huge breakfast, and I misplaced my GPS until about 30 seconds before the race started. Got out onto the steps, and I heard somebody say "go," and we were off. Into the darkness. The 6 mile climb to Maverick Saddle was long, but not too tough. We were running along the Mad river, filled up our bottles there. After that was the climb up the Hi-Yu Trail. That was a tough little climb. Wonderful view though, as the sun had just come up, and the valley below where we had started at was very picturesque. Ran along the Hi-Yu trail for a while, until we hit the Lonely Lake. It was glass. Ran to Ann Lake, about 10 miles in, and had breakfast. Continued up to Klone Peak, 20 miles in, and had another meal. I got cured of my appetite for Clif Bars during this section. Those things really started to taste as gross as they look. Boy oh boy though, my dad's breakfast burritos got better and better. I looked forward to the next 10 mile stop to eat one. After I hit Klone Peak, I started to feel like crap. Since I started ultrarunning, my stomach has gotten worse and worse at processing those gels. I had a few in the 1st few hours, and decided when I wanted to throw up that I would eat any more. Switching over to solid food, my stomach felt a lot better, and my mood popped up again. after Klone peak it is a very long and steady downhill. After the peak you hit "the haunted forest." It is all burnt, very quiet, and very mysterious in my mind. I ran into my dad and this hiker at this point. He came to say hello, and nothing more! Thankfully, he had no aid, because I would have been very tempted to take some at this point. it was a few more miles down this hill from that point, and I found a stream. Filled up with some ice cold water there, and was back on my way. A couple more miles down the trail, I hit the 2nd SAR checkpoint. They had a hammock, and I wanted to lay down in it. I decided not to. Kept going down, down, down, until I hit my 2nd favorite section of the course, where the trail becomes asphalt/foot and I become a blister on it. Ouch! Found myself at the culdesac trailhead, and Chris and Tom the RDs were there. Spun around to the left, and ran down the trail to South Tommy Trail. Me and Dan Probst and one of his friends stopped at Fox Creek to water up. This is the last water for 14 miles. It is also the start of my favorite section of the course. This is a 4800' climb in 6 miles. I had to stop more than 10 times on this climb to get my heart rate down. This was the toughest climb of my life. Got to the top of Signal peak, and ran down Tyee Ridge at this point. Actually, I lie. I was so wiped out from the climb I couldn't do much more than a slow walk. Slowly, I recovered. I was so lonely out there, and so miserable. I had hit the lowest emotional point I have ever had since I started ultrarunning. I felt the big kill coming closer. There is a long uphill section of the Tyee Ridge trail, then it is a rolling downhill. On the uphill section, out of nowhere, I hear "Run Ben, Run!!" Dan Probst had caught up again. His buddy that he had been running with had faded on the climb to Signal Peak, which I could understand. We ran together for a while, and the company was good. I still felt bad though. We got on the downhil to the next SAR, and I took off. 8:30 miles, and I was flying. That felt pretty good, although my knees were not doing so hot. Ran into Joe Lee at this section, the gentleman I got my GPS coordinates from. He dropped here. I kept running really fast, because the sun was setting, and I wanted to make as much time as I could before it got dark. I got mixed up on the trail, because it was a bushwhack trail more than anything else, and the bricks used to reinforce the windy section that the motorcyles used were strewn all over the place. I tripped over one, and got my 1st battle wounds of the race. The descent into Cougar Creek was horrible. It was down this really steep hill with more rubble than the Flintstones would ever deal with in a lifetime! Me and Dan got to Cougar Creeek and filled up, the 1st water in 14 miles. It was nice and cool down there, but it was very dark outside, so I knew it would be getting cold down by the water here. I was completely beat, and felt CCC 100 kicking me in the butt. I knew I didn't have much energy left. got onto the Mad River trail, and it was 5 more miles to the next SAR checkpoint. I was planning to stop there. I lost Dan for a while, and then he caught up. We got on the road to Maverick Saddle, and got to the SAR checkpoint there at about 11 PM. He went on ahead, I didn't. This is where the big bloody DNF caught me at. Being an idiot, I had decided to try an incredibly difficult endurance run 3 weeks after my 1st 100, thinking my body would be healed up by this point. I was wrong! This is the 1st time my legs weren't strong enough to keep moving. I will be back again to conquer this course, so we will see how it goes at that time. Thanks Chris and Tom, that was quite the challenge.

Cascade Crest 100

The Cascade Crest 100 mile Endurance Run. It makes Western States look like child’s play. The experience I had during this event was nothing less than spiritual. We started the race at 10 AM, with my dad and Brent Spilsbury to see me off. Our first climb was very steep, and to make it worse, 2 motorcyclists were trying to pass the whole field on these steep, tight little switchbacks. Get to the 1st aid station, and I am smoked. The 1st climb really kicked my butt, and I was ready for some down hill time. There were rocks, making running down the next hill impossible at best. The miles before Tacoma Pass was very hilly and mountainous. I got into Tacoma Pass (mile 23) and my dad was there. Took a bit of a rest, and then I headed off to Snowshoe Butte. Hit Stampede Pass at mile 33, and threw my headlamp on. I arrived there at 6:30 PM. I was feeling great, really enjoying the scenery. The Cascade Mountains are gorgeous. By mile 40, it was starting to get dark out. Miles 40 to 47, Olallie Meadows, were very, very wet and rocky and muddy. My feet weren’t happy with that. Got to mile 47, had been running with this nice Canadian, Laurie for a while, and caught up with my pacer. She was going to run from Hyak at with me, but it was cold out and she wanted to be moving. The descent into Hyak was horrible. We walked our way down this extremely rocky road for a good mile, and got to the rope sections. Charlie the RD said you didn’t need the ropes to get down the hill, and he was right. You could roll down if you wanted. Bushwhacking through the trees sucked pretty bad. Got from there down to the road, and met up with the infamous tunnel. It was very, very long. Nice and wet, with the condensation on my glasses driving me crazy. After that, we ran down this nasty asphalt road into Hyak at mile 53. I was very tired. The aid station was set up with a Christmas theme, which helped brighten my spirits. The 1st half of the course was hard. It was just before midnight when we got out of Hyak. We ran on this painful asphalt road for 2 or 3 miles, and then began the long ascent to Keechelus Ridge. This ascent marked one of the most serious lows I’ve ever had. I was so worn out, I really doubted whether or not I could finish. People were dropping like flies from Stampede Pass and Hyak, and wondered if I was in for the same fate. We got to the top of Keechelus Ridge, mile 60, and I was in better spirits. I passed a couple of people on the way up, and that helped restore my confidence. Stephanie and I took the next 8 miles very quickly, and I passed 12 people. That really set my spirits high, and the downhill was a nice change of pace. The next section was absolutely horrible. Starting at mile 68, the “Evil Forest” and “The Trail from Hell” have a reputation for being the nastiest trails of the course. The Evil Forest really isn’t a trail, just course markings and glowsticks through the brush. I got out of that section, and came to a fork in the road with no markings at all. I had to run up the road ½ a mile before I could even find any, so me, my pacer, and another runner went and followed that one. For the record, we left the Kachess Lake aid staion (mile 68) at 4:15 AM, and we didn’t get into Mineral Creek Aid station at mile 73 until 6:30 AM. That trail, was just, absolutely horrible. Words can’t describe, you just have to experience it for yourself after 68 torturous miles before hand. You arrive at Mineral Creek, and the trouble doesn’t stop. A glorious 7-mile ascent awaits you. We lost my dad, which was just horrible for my pacer, and she ended up going all the way to mile 88 with me. James Varner and Laura Houston had an 80’s Revival Party at mile 80 for us, which was just great for those of us that just had the worst hike of our lives. They sent us off, and our next obstacle was the Cardiac Needles. A series of 4 short hikes, they go straight up the hill, and took all of my energy. I popped my 1st Iboprofen of the race after those hikes. They were so very hard. I really had nothing left, after the ascent from Mineral Creek and the Needles. After that, we made our way up to Thorp Mt, mile 84. Thorp is the highest point of the course. That hike was grunt as well, but the view from the top was incredible! Glenn Tachiyama was up there taking pictures. After the horrible climbs I was put through, I was ready for the descent that followed afterwards. No I wasn’t! It was so treacherous, like trying to make it down an avalanche of rocks. I barked, because I could see the next aid station. I heard a faint “Oorah!,” from my dad who was there. He was supposed to meet us at mile 68 and 73, but had fallen asleep and wasn’t there. We were so glad to see him there, since Stephanie got 50 miles of pacing with me unlike the 15 we discussed. There was one more climb after the French Cabin aid station (mile 88), and after that, the rest of the course was downhill. I ran along Silver Creek for many miles, and passed through these gorgeous meadows, until the final descent into the Silver Creek aid station, at mile 95. That ascent was so brutal on my quads, which were shot, and the rocks and rubble broke these painful blisters open on my feet. It was excruciating. I was so happy to get into the aid station. It was just pass 2 pm, so I still had a shot at doing to course in under 29 hours, which was my goal. I high tailed it into Easton (not before making a wrong turn), and was so high and excited to be finished. I did a full on sprint the last 100 meters into the finish lines, and had a little victory dance. 28 hours, 55 minutes. I made it. I received my finisher’s print and the CCC belt buckle, which I had desired for so many months before the race. What an incredible experience. The course was absolutely brutal, and I felt like a champ for finishing it. Thanks, Charlie. My feet are destroyed. My soul is renewed.

Closing in on the big race....

Well, my 1st 100 is closing in. After many hard months of training, I find myself not even worried about the pounding to take place this weekend. I've been doing the Crossfit exercises, and have been training with the kettlebell as well. Stand by for details this weekend!

Sasquatch and Mt. Hood

Friday morning at 7 a.m. Matt Burton, Jason Durand and I headed out on the road for Mt. Hood Oregon. Saturday I was to be competing in the Pacific Crest Trail Mt. Hood 50 mile. I was very stoked for the race, since it had filled up very quickly last January. Oregon is a terribly boring drive along I-84, 5 hours on that highway seemed way too long. We set up camp and drove out to Portland, and checked out the Widmer Brothers Brewery. Oh the building smells of sweet, sweet wort! That was a lot of fun. Got back to camp, awake at 4:30 to the hoots and hollers of the early starters getting up. Pre-race night is never easy to sleep through, as the nerves and anticipation for an exciting day build up. We were camped at the Clackamas Lake Campground, just a short 1/2 mile walk from the race site. Olga and Monika got us started with this ridiculous kiss, which threw me off for the start. Later I found out they were sisters. I was so happy to be out on the PCT! Timothy Lake was covered by clouds, hiding it's immense size. I ran very conservatively the 1st half of the race. Got up to Timberline Lodge at mile 25, took a short break, and threw on the IPod. Blazing down the mountain jammin' to Dragon Force, I made it to the next aid station in 40 minutes (6:20 miles!). I was in serious race mode. The next 5 1/2 miles though were a long climb, and I hit my major low of the race. Got in at mile 36 and my mind was fried. I told Matt "I need the ssshhhhhhh" (referring to the coppertone spray), spraying an invisible aerosol can on my arm. He figured it out. So I was running along the trail and out of a bush jumps Erin Keller! Cool girl, I guess she was having some bouts with GI distress. We ran together for a few miles, then I peeled off. I was running very quickly. I don't think I stopped and walked the last half marathon. Ran past the little Crater Lake, which is perfectly clear and very cold! Cool sight. Timothy Lake is a very beautiful sight in the daylight, and even better because you are on the home stretch. I was minding my own business at about mile 45 when Sasquatch jumped out of the woods and started running with me. He complained about not being able to find running shoes that fit. There was a guy that did the entire race in Vibram FiveFingers, and beat me by over an hour! Well, I was so ready to be finished with the race that I left Sasquatch in the dust, and all over a sudden, found myself on the road to the Ranger Station where I had started at the crack of dawn. After 9 hours and 37 minutes, I called it an excellent day of trail competition, and can't wait to do this race again. A big thanks to Olga and Monika for putting this event on, and happy trails to everyone who was out there!

This week...

Oh I don't know which is worse!! Beating the living daylights of my body on the weekends or being sore all week long.
Monday: 6 mi. AM (2 mile PFT pace 13:51), 4 miles afterwards
Hill repeats 6.2 mi. PM, 8th St. Trailhead
Tuesday: 4.1 mi, +1 with the tire
Wednesday: 2 mi. (easy, needed a break!)
Thursday: 9.3 (3.1 AM, 6.2/ 8:00 mi. pace)
Friday: 2.5 mi. AM, 20 mi PM.
Saturday: rest
Sunday: 6.5 mi.
Total:57.6
Sunday's run was very nasty. I haven't been doing very well with food at hot temperatures, so I downed an entire DiGornio before this run. It was 102 F outside, and my stomach was saying "pull over and let me make a pit stop!" I didn't give in. Take that nausea! It should be an interesting week coming up, with the Army Band going on tour. We are on our way up to Coeur D'Alene this wednesday. Funny how I mention the Army, because I am going back into the Marine Corps this October! GySgt Pezdek re-auditioned me, and I finally scored the 3.0 I have long been working for. On top of all this training , as well, I finished my 1st symphony "The Water Symphony," after 3 years of painstaking work! Trying to get a premier from the North Texas Wind Symphony for this wonderful work of art. Well, only 55 days until Cascade Crest 100. You're mine, belt buckle!

A fun time in the bushes!

I definitely have to say getting up at 2:50 in the morning isn't my thing. Especially when I went to sleep at 10 pm! Well, this is the state of mind I was in when I started the Sawtooth Relay at 4 a.m. June the 14th. 32 *F, and I was tired, and cold, running in pitch dark. Once I got onto Hwy 75, the temperature dropped to 26 *F and I was not very happy. My time was going very well, and I was making 6.2 mph very consistently. My dad and younger brother were crewing for me, and I would see the Tahoe drive by with my dad sitting on the window ledge "Way to go Ben!," and I was trying to figure out who was driving the car at this time. The scenery was absolutely incredible! Watching morning come and the sun hit the tops of the White Cloud Mountains was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The first 24 miles were very flat, and I do believe that because of this I hit my 1st low early. Towards the end of this stretch, I became very tired and walked for a mile or two, you generally expect a lot of hills to walk on and I didn't have any, so I will definitely plan around this next time I visit Stanley for the race. At the 1st marathon mark, you start your ascent up Galena, which is a brutal climb, but offers absolutely spectacular views. I hit a high on the way up to the summit, and had a wonderful climb. Cresting at 8701 ft. above sea level, I could definitely feel the altitude and was happy for the 6 mile descent off the mountain. I took a lunch stop (this was mile 32), popped some ibuprofen, and was on my way. My dad went back to our campsite to get my mom, and my 2 younger brothers and my best friend, Mark Johnson went on with me. All was going very well, and I had been making spectacular time. Then the heat got to me. I started having GI distress like it's the cool thing to do, and had to make pit stops every mile or two. This was at about 45 miles. Even though the course is completely downhill from here, I was moving very slowly because of the stomach cramps I had. My dad and my mom caught up with us, and he was doing everything he could to pump me up. I would run into a checkpoint, and the whole crowd of people would be cheering me on. It was awesome. I ran into Anita-Nell Swanson, fellow Pulse member, and she really helped to motivate me along the way. I kept chugging along, and I remember my dad asking me "Do you think you can make it?" after coming out of some bushes. I replied "I'll drop dead before I give up," and I was that determined to finish. I sucked up the GI distress, and started pumping out 8:15 miles, pretty hard considering the miles I had covered. Those last 10 miles were really, really, long. I was really motivated when I caught up with fellow musicians and racers Mark Koob and Leanne Spinazola. Leanne ran some of those last moments of the race with me, thank you so much! I was an emotional mess. We hit the last checkpoint, 2.67 miles to go, and I made it hurt. The stomach cramps forced me to stop, and I made a point to run as hard as I could afterwards. I came weeping across the finish line in 12:07, taking 3rd Overall. What an incredible experience! I recommend this race to all ultramarathoners. Gorgeous scenery, awesome atmosphere, incredible finish line food. Thanks to Holly Finch and The Pulse Running and Walking Store for sponsoring me, and a huge debt of gratitude to my crew for their support. I couldn't have made it without you guys.

Shafer Butte Endurance Run

It started with the phone going off at 3:50 sharp. No problem, except that I had gone to bed at midnight. Pulled myself together, grabbed my day pack, and headed out the door. Ready to chisel out another one for the record books.
Got to Fort Boise with Burger King burritos in hand, prepared my gear and did all the essentials on my checklist, the pre-race ritual. Inside the porta-john when I hear the word "GO!" and realize they've gone without me. Like the roadrunner, I dash out to catch up with the rest of the pack. A chilly morning, and I can see a hint of the daylight soon to come.
We hit the 1st aid at mile 11. Much more here than I expected, and load up on pringles and oreos. Scrumptious! After the aid, the route takes you up the Boise ridge road, through this small cabin community, and up towards the butte/Bogus Basin. 19 miles into the course, we hit our 2nd aid.After that, we ran through Bogus Basin Ski resort. Got to the North side, and had to scale down this ski run with approx. 1000' of descent. I turned my butt into a sled and had a hey day with the hill. Ran 6 more miles to the turnaround on the back of More's Mountain, and caught up with Steve Boyenger and his crew. We ran back to the aid station, much to our dismay with snow flurries on the way back! Paul Lindauer, Steve Boyenger Lori Bantekas and I ran together for much of the home stretch. We got to the last aid station (mile 41) and I was feeling really good, so I split off and ahead. Almost to the finish, I can see my parents standing in the road. Sprint to the tree, and I finish in 11:26. Quite a phenomenal race, I will definitively try to be back for it next year. Thanks to Frank Hanson and all the volunteers for putting on a great event!