NorthCoast 24 (U.S. National Championship) Race Report

What stands out to you in this race schedule?
Rocky Road 100 February 18th
Modesto Marathon March 18th
100k World Championships Italy April 22nd
NorthCoast 24 Hour May5th/6th (U.S. National Championship)
Western States Endurance Run April 24th

Is it the big name recognition of Western States? Is it the once in a lifetime trip to Italy running in the 100k World Championships for Team USA? Or is it, "why is he running a 24 Hour race 13 days after traveling and running the 100k in Italy?"

That would be a very good question and I have a very good answer for that.... Prior to getting the invitation(four weeks before the race) I had planned and paid for my trip to run the 24 hour race in Cleveland. When I got the call to go to Italy I could not turn it down. That meant I was going to run these two grueling races 13 days apart...OUCH! I was telling anyone that would listen that the 24 Hour race would be the hardest race I had ever run and did it ever live up to it's billing...well...sort of:)

I board my plan in Oakland for Columbus, Ohio (three hour lay over in Los Angeles) on Thursday night. It was a red-eye. Finances dictated I take this flight and make up for the lack of sleep at the hotel Friday afternoon with a nap. I arrived into Columbus at 6:30am. After picking up the rental car and getting a quick bite to eat at The Waffle House, I went back to the airport to pick up Charles Wickersham, the sucker who signed on to be my crew. In all reality, Charles became my 24 hour secret weapon.

The day consisted of a two and a half hour drive to Cleveland where the race was located and the usual pre-race jog, nap, grocery stop, dinner stop, and pre-race brief among Charles and I. The race strategy was in place and the race materials were packed or laid out ready for the morning.

Charles was up 7 and out the door to reserve our coveted spot for our personal aid station. He set up the tent and chairs and put all the necessary items on ice in the ice chest. The plan was to use the tent to take naps, but no one ever slept and there was a good reason why. We'll get to that later.

I on the other hand was just waking up and after going through the normal pre-race routine was ready to go at 8:15 (9:00 start) when Charles got back to the hotel. Now, it was time to check in at race headquarters and get to the start line. The weather was cloudy and breezy and Heidi Cuniff (RD) was ready to send us on our one day journey.

The gun goes off and we are on our way. I wanted to spend the first hour or so feeling out a comfortable pace I could run the entire race. The mistake I made in 2007(S.F. One Day) in my first attempt to run 24 hours was to mix in walking throughout the race. I felt it made me stiff and later in the race made it difficult to run at all. This time I was going to run as long as I could without walking, so I needed to really dial in a pace I could maintain for 20 plus hours. The Rocky Road 100 was a good barometer for that. I maintained a pretty even pace in that race (7:58) and felt I could do something around eight minutes for the majority of the race. Obviously, I would slow late but Rocky Road gave me the confidence that I could run a 100 plus miles without walking, so that is what I set out to do.

My single goal for the day was to run at least 141 miles. That would give me a chance to be selected for the U.S. National Team traveling to Poland for the World Championships in September. To make two National Teams in one year in two completely different events would be a huge accomplishment for me. There was no real thought of winning the race because of four distinct reasons 1.) Serge Arbona 2.) Valmir Nunes 3.) Howard Nippert and what was that fourth one?....oh ya...4.) I just ran a hard 100k thirteen days ago in Italy:)

For those of you that don't know, the course is comprised of a 0.9 mile almost entirely flat paved loop along Lake Erie. I will fast forward to the twelfth hour as I just reached 90 miles. My pace was pretty consistent all day and except for a few bathroom stops, a shoe change, and bid number change I was able to maintain an eight minute mile pace each lap. Moreover, I was in the lead, but it was still very early in the race and I knew this. The last four ours would determine the winner, however winning the race was not my focus. My focus switched to the night. I knew this would be the difference. Could I stay awake, mentally strong, and motivated during the night?

I got to 13 hours (13:40-100miles) and handed my watch to Charles. I didn't want the 100 miles to be my mental finish line, so I got rid of the watch and just ran on feel at that point. I got to 14, 15, and 16 hours pretty quickly only fading to about an 8:30 pace. A lot of my success was due to my crew Charles. Every lap he was ready with whatever I needed. Running to catch up to me in many cases when I changed my mind at the last minute:) He was my hero, not going to sleep all night. If he wasn't taking care of my nutritional needs, he was making runs to the car to send Twitter updates, and to record each lap time. These recorded lap splits proved to be very important as five of my laps were not recorded early in the race and with Charles' help they were recorded later.

As I approached the 17th hour, I called for Charles to run up next to me as I was finishing another lap, I whispered to him, "This feels so easy."  I didn't want anyone to hear me because it would have come off the wrong way. I just couldn't believe that I would feel this good so late in the race after running the World 100k thirteen days earlier. BUT, I was now starting to feel the mental fatigue as it approached 3 a.m. I could see the goal right in front of me. I was two laps from 140! Unfortunately, this would be the challenge. How could I continue to motivate myself to run further when I had already done what I set out to do? I know 141 miles wouldn't ensure me of making the team and with an 11 lap lead in the race over Serge Arbona...I wanted to finish off the race with a win.

I got to 144 and Charles tells me that I could walk it from here and start my rest for Western States. Then, I looked and him and said, "I want to win this thing." He replied, "Oh." I then told him to let me know when I could stop running and walk it in for the win. I ran to 152 miles and at that point I got the go ahead to walk it in. I finished with two hours or so of walking and a grand total of 158.5 miles. It was impressive to see how strong Serge and Sabrina were running the last two hours. I took note of this as I will need to do the same come September in Poland, but I won't let it damper my performance. There is no way I would have imagined running over 150 miles and to almost run 160 is CRAZY! Charles....thank you! You were like having a second pair of legs out there. Start packing your bags for Poland:)

Now it is on to the third leg of MY grand slam, this little race called.....Western States....Have you heard of it?

NorthCoast 24 Hour

Well, I am off to the NorthCoast 24 Hour tomorrow and to say I'm a little scared is the understatement of the year. I have rolled the dice this year and I am waiting for a let down and haven't had one yet. The Rocky Road 100 mile was a break through race for me. (13:14) Ran every step and no stomach issues and that landed me a 2:17 minute personal best in a 100 mile race. Then, I ran the Modesto Marathon four weeks later and ran a six and a half minute personal best. (2:33:01) And if that wasn't enough, five weeks after that I ran the 100k World Championships in Seregno, Italy finishing 7th (2nd American) in a time of 6:58:52. Which was another personal best by nearly 24 minutes. Now it is NorthCoast and the quickest turnaround for the toughest race of the four races to this point. I don't know what to expect, but my legs feel pretty good, BUT I know I will hurt like I have never hurt before in any race. I am prepared to suffer great pain (Well, non-injury pain:) to qualify for the U.S. 24 Hour Team traveling to Poland in September. Unfortunately, God is the only one that knows what is going to happen, but with his help I will run faster and lighter and with less pain than I could ever imagine in this timed race.

I don't know how I can compete with legends such as Howard Nippert, Serge Arbona, and Valmir Nunez, but I will try. Keep your prayers coming my way. Pray for the runners safety this weekend and my safe return home to my family on Sunday. I plan to make Modesto proud and run another personal best. (111 miles in 2007) Talk to you on Sunday.

Just One of Those Days

I was awoken suddenly by my wife's voice, "It is time to get up." it was 4:15 race morning. I slept great! It was into the shower for my first warm shower of our stay and then the extensive preparation of getting dressed, which takes much longer than you could ever imagine.

Then it was off to breakfast or at least what I call breakfast on race day. A cup of coffee and nothing else. I don't recommend this fueling strategy for everyone but it works for me. I will have two Vespa amino acid supplement drinks an hour and fifteen minutes before the race respectively. That however only amounts to about forty calories altogether.


With the bus issues we have had in conjunction with this race, the men's team decided to take Michael Wardian's rental van to get us there instead. We had a smooth ride to Seregno and got there about 6:30 for the 8:00 start. Unfortunately, there were more transportation issues and the race start was moved back to 8:30. This worried me a little because I hadn't really eaten anything for breakfast.


We made our way to the start line under cloudy skies with a threat of rain and temperatures in the 50's. Ideal race conditions! The gun went off and we were in our way. My plan was to maintain a 6:45 pace for the first four Laps, then push it in that last lap. We'll, that plan was thrown quickly out the window as we were hitting 6:30's I early miles if the race. I settled into a pack of six or seven which included joe binder.


This pack stayed together for much of the first two laps, when on the third lap I got bored and put a surge in at about the 45km mark. I was able to gap that pack and run across  to a pack of four about 200 meters ahead.  The field was beginning to show signs of cracking. The group of six I was running with became a group of two and the group of four I caught up to contained only one runner that could react. That runner was a Frenchman that eventually surged past me.


My surge was short lived because about 15km later the pack of two which contained Joe Binder caught up to and passed me. The unusual part of this  was I wasn't slowing down. I was getting faster. I finished the third lap and reached the 65km aid station where my wife was and yelled "what place am I in?" she informed me fifteenth. I was ready to race the last 35km.


The field was really stringing out and runners who ran an ambitious pace early were reduced to a jog or even a walk. Heading into the 70km mark I was surprised to see that I was gaining on Joe. I said some encouraging words as I ran by and to my amazement I saw the back of another America jersey off in the distance at the 75km mark. It was Todd Braje. He was hanging tough but going a low spell. I was now in fourth on my team.


I crossed the start finish for my last and final lap and got a burst of energy from the crowd and what I was just about to notice. Andy Henshaw, arguably one of the top two 100k runners in our country had dropped out of the race and was helping out at our aid station just past the start/finish line.


I was now in third place on our team and in a scoring position. (They only take the best three times from each team. The bottom three get thrown our.) in one lap I went from sixth on our team to third. This was a huge change psychologically. I willed myself to stay focused and  not to succumb to the self doubt. I kept eating, taking salt, and drinking fluids. I didn't want to bonk the last few miles.


As we approached the 85km mark and anticipated the excitement on my wife's face as she saw me approach. You could see the nervousness as she handed me my water bottle with salt capsules. She then screamed out, "You're in 8th!" I was in absolute shock. Not only was I going to be a scoring member on our team but I may finish in the top ten which would earn me an automatic spot in the 2013 World Championship in  South Korea.


I tried as best I could to block all that out and run one km at a time. It sounds cliche but it works. I arrived at the 95km aid station and got a huge cheer from our aid station and ad I grab my water bottle they screamed, "GO!" the whole afternoon I had been told we were in 2nd place but the way they said go have me the impression that we still had a shot at gold. My legs were so heavy that I just couldn't find another gear to run in. Until I saw our number two man, Michael Wardian, off in the distance.


When I eventually caught up to him with 4 km to go we willed each other to run harder. Our pace went from 6:55 per mile to 6:30. We were both exhausted but it was a race against he clock. Could we make up enough time to pace the Italian's.


With less than a km to go, I surged ahead of Michael and kicked it in! I finished seventh in a time of 6:48:52, Michael finished in eighth right behind me. I was so over come by emotions I began to cry. I couldn't believe what just happened. There is no way this second alternate finished seventh in the world.


Shortly after my finish, I saw my wife running towards me. Her face said it all. We embraced and shared many tears. Tears of hard work, suffering, sacrifice,.. You name it.


The magical day ended with a team meal at a local restaurant and the award ceremony where we were rewarded the silver medal.


Now my focus turns to Cleveland in two weeks where I will be competing in the 24 hour National championships at NorthCoast. That will be the hardest run of my life, but the way this year is going, I won't count myself out.

Italy (Day1-Day 5)

The excitement is building as I wait to meet the team and finally arrive at the hotel we will ultimately be at on race day. Many of the people on the team are ultra running legends that I admire so being on the same team with them is doubly as honoring as being able to race for the United States in a World Championship event. My wife and I have been blessed to be able to travel throughout Italy in the week leading up to the race. We arrived in Rome Saturday the 14th and saw the sites there over 2 days. We saw the Coliseum, the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps and many of the other famous monuments in Rome. Then we traveled to Florence and Pisa next. We ate with a view of the leaning tower of Pisa and were amazed by the beautiful architecture in Florence.  Then the last two stops were Venice and Milan. The canals of Venice are amazing; imagine taking a water taxi or boat to cross the streets and having no lawns within the city. The entire city is built on wooden piles as a foundation in the water! We will be staying in a little mountain retreat at the base of the Alps near Tecco approximately 30 km from the race site in Seregno, Italy.
I have been keeping up with my running; 50 miles in four days. Although it’s significantly more difficult to do that in the middle of European cities with cobblestone streets, lots of tourists and drivers with little regard for pedestrians. The first few days in Rome it was easy to make time for running with few folks on the road because I was up before 4 am local time, running the same loop around our hotel and the British and Russian Embassies. I was like a hamster on the wheel in his cage, but never felt safer with guards posted outside each embassy, looking at me with suspicious eyes after each passing lap. We were exhausted each of the first few nights at 8 pm or earlier so we headed to bed early and the result was early wake up times. After 2 early morning runs and avoiding traffic I did one afternoon run on the second day in Rome. There is a path down by the Tiber River that I noticed other runners using. It was a rare site to see anyone running. I had seen only about ten runners up until that time.
Shortly after arriving in Venice on Tuesday, I went for a nine mile run weaving like a boxer in and out of pedestrians, not the ideal place to run to say the least. I woke up the following morning at 5:30 and ran the cobblestone grounds getting lost amongst my thoughts and the maze of streets. Doubts crept into my head. Did I train enough? Did I taper too soon? Should have I run one more long run and tempo run? These are the thoughts that pass through the minds of most runners the week of a race. But these questions aren’t answered until race day.
I am on the train to Milan as I type. That is where I will take the shuttle tomorrow afternoon to meet up with our team at our team hotel. The nerves have not settled in yet. Is it because I am the oldest member of the team and have years of racing experience on big stages OR is it because I haven’t donned the U.S.A jersey yet? It’s probably the latter.

It's Not About Me

I was speaking to the Modesto Chapter of the Lions Club today at their monthly meeting today at lunch time. My message was simple......at one time my running became me and all about me. The wins were for me. The training was for me. I took this gift that God had clearly given me and I used it against him instead of for him. I realize now that my gift was given to me to motivate others and guess what.....it has. The students at my school ask me questions on a daily basis and that includes students that aren't even in any of my classes. When I speak to me Teens Run Modesto Students about running, they actually stop what they are doing and listen. You try to get a bunch of 13 and 14 year old kids to listen intently for more than thirty seconds...it's tough:) I know kids that run now because of what I do. I don't understand it, but it is true.
So, when I toe the line on April 22nd in Seregno, Italy, it isn't about me. I will race to glorify God and to give these teenagers something positive to look up to. I take this assignment very seriously and I won't fail as long as I have Him in my corner.

You can follow my race progress April 22nd (10pm West Coast time Saturday, April 21st)  on the IAU website.

Go USA!

Seregno, Italy...Here I Come!

What a difference a few days can make. On Sunday I had a high and a low. I ran a great race at the Modesto Marathon and ended up with a 6 minute PR, unfortunately that wasn’t enough for a win that day. I lost the race by 15 seconds. But, another high point was that I was still able to run 10 miles afterward and see my friends and kids I mentored in the Teens Run Modesto program finish their marathons. My plans were to continue training for the 24 hour National Championship the first weekend in May. My tickets had been purchased and I was on track to gear up my training and head out to Cleveland in hopes of qualifying for the U.S. National Team for the 24 hour race in Poland in September. Then, my plans changed. On Wednesday I found out I was bumped from second alternate to first alternate on the U.S. National 100 km team. Then Thursday I found out I made the team. They asked me if I could commit to being in Italy on April 19^th. That’s a whopping 28 days until the first official team meeting and 31 days until the World Cup race.

Needless to say, I was shocked, thrilled, scared, excited, and overwhelmed by the opportunity that was laid out before me when I checked my email that Thursday evening. I joked with my wife that late night emails have been pretty exciting and high points of my running career (aside from the races). I found out I was second alternate via a late night email in January of 2012. Thank goodness my wife and I got our passports in order in January after that first late night email. We thought it was all for naught, though, when no one dropped off the team after the notification was made and put the thought of traveling to Italy this spring out of our minds. Then Wednesday I was notified that I was now the first alternate. A confusing email on Thursday made me think I was actually on the team so I called the team captain and was told it was true. I was named to the team because 2 people who had qualified above me had dropped from the team.

Representing the USA in a national competition has been a lifelong goal of mine and I couldn’t believe I was going to have the chance to feel the pride of representing our nation as I stood at the opening ceremonies wearing team USA gear! Yes, we get to wear what the athletes wore in the 2008 Olympic Games. Too bad the race wasn’t after the 2012 Summer Games, maybe we would get the new stuff, but I am not complaining. I will proudly wear the red, white and blue as I try to run yet another PR in a race in …oh my goodness…as I write this it is 28 and a half days.

This has been even crazier because we have been elbow deep in landscaping our back yard .  Wednesday evening we were out in the dark with headlamps to guide us laying sod and spreading dirt. Thursday, more sod and trying to straighten out sprinklers. Friday my daughter had T-ball practice and we had 5 cousins along with our kids for a play date. Then, finally, on Saturday, after a day prepping baseball fields for games that start next week and trying to get more landscaping we were able to start planning for this unexpected trip!

Oh yeah, in the meantime I was trying to keep up with my running so I could perform at my best for the race. On Friday I got in 24 miles (including running the Super Mile with middle school students at lunch). Saturday I ran 18 in between landscaping and more landscaping. Sunday I squeezed in 25 miles after church and before more landscaping. I was too tired after the week’s activities to get up at 4 am like I usually do for my weekend runs, so my wife gave me permission to take off mid-day both Saturday and Sunday.

The only thing that makes my wife and I think twice about this wonderful opportunity is leaving our 2 kids behind stateside as we head over to Europe. We have never left them for this long, and we are planning on making the trip 10 days to enjoy a few sights while we are there and get over the jet lag before the race. Once again, we were blessed by generous offers of family members and friends to watch the kids while we are gone. We are talking to them every day about the trip and what to expect so that hopefully they are prepared for when we go. We plan on using Skype and finding Wi-Fi at every stop to connect with them. I think that seeing their smiling faces on the computer screen will give me the boost I need before the race!

Now, maybe I can begin to sit back and enjoy the ride as we continue to make our plans for this incredible trip. I have already been able to enjoy the support of the wonderful people I know as I have been getting a steady stream of congratulatory emails and Facebook posts. I have been offered donation money by thoughtful friends and my brother is trying to get me a fundraising night at Oodles. The trip is partially funded, but we are trying to figure out the details of how much we will need to make it happen. It seems like everything has lined up perfectly so far, so no doubt, it will all work itself out.

What Motivates Us?

I look at my schedule on a daily basis and especially Tuesdays, and I say to myself, "Why? Why would anyone put themselves through this? For what is the end result?

(Tuesday)

• Alarm goes off at 4 a.m.
• Prepare breakfast for kids and wife from 4 to 4:30.
• Run from 4:45 to 6 a.m.(Doobie has to leave for bible study at 6), then jump on treadmill until 6:45
• From 6:45 to 7:30 Get ready for work and get Nathanael and Lauren ready for school.
• 7:30 to 8:00 Drop off Nathanael at school and go to work.
• From 8:00 to 3:00 teach with a 45 minute lunch period.(no prep)
• 3:15 leave for Nathanael's school to pick him up and set up for baseball practice at 4.(I'm the head coach:)
• Baseball practice from 4-5:00 p.m.
• Drive to Muncy School and eat dinner in parking lot.
• Drop-in tutoring at Muncy from 5:30-7:30 where I'm one of the math tutors.
• Get home 8:00 p.m. and say goodnight to kids.
• Spend next hour getting lunch, house, and running bag ready for the next day.

And this is not that much different than any other day during the week. I know I am not the only ultra runner out there that has a busy life. But what drives us to continue to put ourselves through this daily exhaustion?

The simple answer for me is........I want to see how far I can push myself. I want to know the limits of my true ability. The idea of what could be.....drives me to get out of bed, no less than five days a week, at 4 a.m. I'm not super human by any stretch. I am motivated. And motivation is one key element that gets overlooked with all successful people. So, I have my clothes laid out for tomorrow morning, the coffee is ready to go in the pot, the alarm is set, and I will be up at 4 a.m. BECAUSE I don't want to say, "WHAT IF........."