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.

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.

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.