The Mission:

From Nov. 28th, 2008 to Feb. 8th, 2009 (12 weeks) I intend to run 13 races of marathon distance (26.2 miles) or greater to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In total, if all goes as planned, approximately 388 miles will have been covered over a span of a 12 week time frame and a significant amount of money will have been raised for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

100% of donations will go directly to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

2 more finished, 2 more left

Sorry for the late update - my Sunday had some lasting effects on my Monday & Tuesday, more about that shortly...

Saturday morning was Pigtail's Run, a 50K consisting of 3 full loops around Lake Youngs Watershed, plus a small out and back section to ensure the proper distance. I ran 2 loops of this run last year and had a wonderful time, so much so in fact, that I see that run as what really pushed me into the 'excessive' marathoning and ultra running. With fond memories in mind, I decided Thursday evening that I would make an attempt at a 50K PR (personal record) come Saturday morning.

Saturday morning was chilly, but good for running. I started the first leg of the first loop running with Eric and Steve (when do these guys not run?) and stuck with them until Steve told me he was going to back off the pace a bit. I kept at about the same speed assuming they'd catch me eventually. The course is a rolling loop with a few hills that do a bit more than roll, nothing crazy, but by the third loop they look a bit more daunting. I decided to run the entire first 2 loops and see how I felt from there. As approached certain hills on the third loop I considered walking them but I kept giving way to my stubbornness, at some point I decided I wouldn't walk until I got to a certain hill that seemed the steepest to me (other than the final hill on the out and back section). When I got to said hill, I once again decided to keep running, in the end I only briefly walked once, on a small incline of all places, as I ate my final Gu and prepared to finish off the last 5 miles or so.
(heading toward the last hill at Pigtail's - photo by Eric)

The stubbornness paid off as I finished the race in 4:44 (and change), a personal best by about 13 minutes! Once Van (the race director) posted the results and splits I was able to see that I had run the course fairly evenly (not even, but close enough) as well, with my first loop being 1:23, my second completed in 1:29, and my final loop in 1:33. I'm pretty happy with all of that, especially since I didn't check my watch once while out on the course.

(After Pigtail's - trying to stay warm - #10!)

Sunday was a different story entirely.

After a fairly long Saturday evening of celebrating Burn's Night with a group of friends, I was finally in bed and ready for sleep at about midnight, I was more than well aware that this was a bad idea, but sometimes real life just has to mix with running and I'd rather do both than give up either. Sunday morning came early, I dragged myself out of bed, got ready, and made my way to the start of the race. Once there, I was informed that one of the bridges on the route was out and as a result instead of running 2 out and back sections we would be running 4 shorter out and backs plus another small out and back to get the distance right, for some reason, at the time, I thought that was a good idea(?).

(What? The sun was just barely up, and I was already walking?!? - Photo by Eric)

(That's better! - Photo by Eric)

From the first steps I could tell it was not going to be my day, my knees were sore (something I'm not used to as it's honestly never been the case before), my ankle was sore (after having held up fairly well the day before), and my stomach felt off (I really kind of lived it up Saturday night). After a very slow out and back with Eric (again... sheesh!), I headed to the port-a-potty for some, umm... alone time... From that point forward things got a little better, but not significantly so. The run was long and I was slow and sore which made it feel that much longer. On the final 'back' of the out and back, I was able to 'catch' Eric who was also having 'one of those days,' we made our way to the finish together, ending with a personal worst of 6:02:38. I'd be more upset about it if it weren't for the PR the day before... besides, it was day 2 of a double, there was a pretty dusting of snow on the course, and, if nothing else, I was able to be out there doing it, which is no small gift...

(Help! I've run out of finger's! I knew I had to catch Eric for a reason - #11!)

Which of course brings me to my one last statement of this post... please, please, please send this link to friends and family and to anyone else you may know who might be willing to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! My friend (and inspiration behind this '13 in12') just received a transplant on Monday, and now we wait and hope that the stem cells do their job. There are many more folks out there at one stage or another of dealing with blood cancers, and the LLS is there to help them... so, once more, if you've yet to donate (or for that matter signed up to be a possible bone marrow donor) please do and inform others who might... thanks...

(sorry for the long post - next week: WSFA50K)

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Capitol Peak Mega Fat Ass

Mega Fat Ass = Mega Collapse

Well, okay, not really but, oh boy was that second half of the second loop tough...

I started the morning feeling very tired and slightly sick to my stomach, not exactly how I wanted to start the day, but what was I going to do? I jumped in the car and made it down to the Mima Trailhead by about 7:30am. At 8am the race began and the conga line formed, about a half mile in things started to open up a bit and I worked my way forward to where Eric and Steve were. I stuck with them for a good half of the first loop, though the entire time I was thinking that we were going a bit too fast. When I reached the completion of the first loop (of 2) 2:28 had ticked off the clock, it seemed like a descent time. As soon as the climbs began on the second loop I got a sense of what I was in for. At some point Van Phan passed me and for a minute there it looked as though she would pull far away but then, for the next couple of miles I was right on her heels, again, this was a mistake. Although I'm usually only a bit behind Van on marathons and 50Ks and every so often I actually finish before her, I know a few things - she's better on trails than I am, she's stronger on hills, and she's MUCH better at pacing than I am - altogether she a stronger more experienced runner than I am. After those few miles on Van's heels I hit a massive wall, with about 10K left I was running on fumes, I ate a final Honey Stinger and hoped for the best. The miles dragged and the minutes jerked (Clash reference) but I finially hit the finish line in 5:18: and change. Here's hoping I actually learn the lessons the trail and my body attempted to teach me ;-)

(#9, #9.... #9...)

View more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/thisnic/CapPeak?feat=directlink (the majority of which were either taken by Eric & Michelle or Allison

...and, if you want to see a cool little video of the trail, check out this post from Thomas' blog.

Next weekend: Back to back 50Ks - Pigtails Run & Yours Truly!

Please keep spreading the word, only 4 weeks left!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

One real quick note...

So I guess despite the fact that I was out having fun on Saturday, not everyone at Bridle Trails was... in fact there was only a 65% finish rate. Of the 77 of us who lined up for the 50K, only 50 finished... I'm honestly surprised by that, but, things happen...

Also, if you're interested in reading a longer winded race report from last Saturday, click HERE.

Monday, January 12, 2009

#8 - Bridle Trails 50K

Saturday was #8 of 13, 6 'loops' through Bridle Trails state park for a total of 50K. Loop 1 was run in a grey that those of us living in the Pacific North West like to call daylight, loop 2 was run in dusk, and the remaining 4 loops were run in the dark, aided by a headlamp and L.E.D. flashlight. The course is a mix of single track trail and wider gravel trails, though, by the time the third loop was starting they were all pretty much reduced to a muddy, messy slop, or, as I saw it, they were elevated to FUN!
( I assure you, I am holding up 8 fingers... dang reflective clothing...)

Results are not yet posted, though, according to my watch, I finished in 5 hours, 18 minutes, and change, I finished in 5:17:46, officially, a time I'm fairly happy with, given the (FUN!) conditions.
(Yep, there was enough mud out there to go right through the shoes and socks - perfect!)

Next up: Capitol Peak Mega Fat Ass 34 Miler. From what I hear, this course should be muddy as well, which means I should have a grand ole time (and also, it means I need to hose off my trail shoes tonight)!

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Fund Raising: As stated previously, the donations have slowed but are still trickling in... as long as the trickle continues I'm content, if it picks up again to a steady stream I'll be thrilled! As always, please forward this link on to anyone you know who might have some spare time and a spare dime! Thanks!

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And on one completely unrelated note that I'm just too damn excited about to not post everywhere I can... tonight (1/12) I registered for the STOMRY 100, which will be my first attempt at 100 mile ultra come August of this year...

Monday, January 5, 2009

More Catch-Up...

Still behind on my updates... sorry about that... I really will be back up to date soon... until then, here's another bare-bones update...

  • The Last Chance Marathon (12/31) and First Call to Run 50K (1/1) both went off without a hitch... well, I was felling pretty beat-up out there at the Last Chance but was back at it, feeling much better the next day (pictures from both at the end of the post).
  • Prior to the 'Last Chance' I was "bribed" with a generous donation, to run in a t-shirt proclaiming "Concords Are Better" an advertisement (for lack of better word) for the blog of the same name, please check it out here: http://concordsarebetter.blogspot.com/ (and again, note the photos at the end of this post).
  • The Western Washington Fat Ass, which was to take place on 1/3 was canceled due to an excessive amount of snow on the course, that resulted in a lazy (long) weekend for me!
  • The schedule has (for one last time - knock on wood) changed - in order to make up for the various races that have been canceled over the course of this 'thing,' two less familiar (ie: unmentioned before) races have been added to the list. These races are the WSFA50K (2/1) & the Valentine Marathon (2/8) and they both fall within the 12 week window.
  • I could use some volunteers to help pull off the WSFA50K, if you or someone you know might be interested, please email me!
  • Finally, as somewhat expected, donations have sort of tapered off right now, that seems to be a common thing when fundraising past a certain amount of time. Having said that, it just means it's time to for me (us?) to start pushing harder! Emails will be sent! Pleading will increase! But, along same lines, please, please, please, tell your family and friends as well... send them the web address, if you already have, ask them what they thought (some of us need frequent reminders ;-) , and if you been meaning to donate but just 'haven't found the time' please do so. The totals are looking great right now but I'm convinced, together, we can get this thing to $5000! (Yep, that's the new goal, that's what we're going for!)
(Coming in for the finish at the 'Last Chance')

(Post 'Last Chance' - #6 of 13 - note the shirt!)

(Misty morning at the 'First Call')

(hitting the snow on the final mile of the 'First Call')

(#7 of 13 complete! Still smiling!)