Sunday, June 29, 2008

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!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

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.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

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!

Finishing the Hagg Lake 50K

Race to Robie Creek

Race to Robie Creek
The Statesman got an awesome shot of me crossing the finish line!

McDonald Forest 50K

McDonald Forest 50K
Running through the hills near Corvallis, OR