Wednesday, September 29, 2010

triumphant return

Today was the first time I have attempted to do any sort of endurance exercising whatsoever, since Wasatch. I guess that would make it (Sept 29 - Sept 11) = 18 days! I got on the stair climber at lunch and the pain on the outside of my right knee slowly got more and more acute. IT band all the way. I got off as soon as I realized it wasn't going away (and was, in fact, getting worse) and hopped on the treadmill for a little. As long as I'm on flat ground, no problems, but up or down steps it starts to hurt.

I'm sure it is due to my not stretching one bit since the race, IT band problems for me are usually indicative of a tight lower back. The lower back has been feeling tight lately. So, now I've got to nurse this. Hopefully it will not put too much of a damper on my 50k plans next month.

There seems to be a correlation between my return to running after a race, and IT band problems. My first experience with this nuisance injury was after I ran my first 50 miler, the JFK 50 in 2008. My first run back, I was practically hobbled with an IT band injury and it took a month or two for it to completely go away.

Advertising

Its about time that some decent music is actually getting used in advertisements. Granted, what this actually means is that some corporate putzes are hoping that my association with a certain song or musician will ultimately result in my buying their product. I will strongly resist this!!! But it is a sure sign people close to my age are now designing commercials. Examples:
  1. Iggy Pop's Lust for Life used in a commercial for some cruise line
  2. Buzzcocks' Everybody's Happy Nowadays used in a commercial for AARP (I think it was AARP)
  3. Judas Priest's Electric Eye used in a commercial for minivans I think (I saw it during the Steelers' victory over Tampa Bay)
  4. Last, and definitely not least, Devo's Marc Mothersbaugh (Kent State University alumnus) being used to pimp Kent State, where they kill hippies. I was most excited about this commercial, because DEVO RULES and it's about time they got some recognition!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Top 5 coolest wrestling moves

Watched some wrestling show, perhaps it was Raw or Smackdown (I don't really know), on Friday night at the wife's nephew's 14th birthday extravaganza. During the early to mid 80's I was a huge wrestling fan -- this would have been during the golden era of Hulk Hogan. It struck me how the faces have changed over the years, but the moves have not. Here is a tribute to the top 5 coolest all time moves in professional wrestling, which my dad's friend used to say was the "only true American sport."

  1. Piledriver -- We're talking Paul Orndorff style, not that stupid kind where you just pinch the guy's head in between your knees and fall down. When I was young I REALLY wanted to see a piledriver off the top rope, not realizing it probably would have killed the person.
  2. Figure 4 Leg Lock -- It looked really, really painful and I routinely used to try to put my sister in it, I was never successful and she used to laugh uncontrollably.
  3. Camel Clutch -- Here is a move that I have executed before and let me tell you: the recipient started screaming in about 2 seconds flat. The Iron Sheik was, and still is, the best.
  4. Whatever move Jimmy Snuka used to do, where he would flash the devil horns and launch himself at his opponent off the top rope, that was awesome! I think an entire generation of kids such as myself used to propel themselves off dressers, beds, couches, etc trying to emulate that move. Probably resulted in a lot of broken limbs too.
  5. Rounding out the top 5 is a tie between the abdominal stretch, and the sleeper. I don't think you see the abdominal stretch anymore. Quite a shame, since this one also looked to be really painful. The sleeper was cool because this was one you could actually do on your friends, and successfully put them to sleep. The first time it was ever done to me I remember being a little ticked off, but the guy showed me how to do it, and so I figured it was an even trade. Once when I tried to put my dad in it he taught me that the standard defense is burying your chin into your chest. The prevents the would-be aggressor from getting the elbow around your neck.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Lola

Well Wasatch is over, so, time to get on with life. For me, the transition back to normal living is always done with lots of pizza. During today's pizza run at lunch, I heard Lola by the Kinks on the radio for the millionth time. It is really a very funny song if you listen to it, some small-town kid who falls in love with a woman, not really completely aware (or perhaps not wanting to admit) that the woman is actually a guy. I got to thinking about other songs of a similar concept and started to realize that there are other good ones in this genre:
  1. Transformer by Lou Reed -- An entire album dedicated to a guy slowly deciding that he wants to play for the other team. I love this record, I think this may have been one of the very early Lou Reed solo albums after he left the Velvet Underground.
  2. 53rd and 3rd by the Ramones -- A song about a male hustler who never gets picked, then when he finally does, he kills the person to prove he's "no sissy." It is well known that Dee Dee Ramone used to do this for money, it would also not suprise me if he actually killed somebody.
  3. A Token of My Extreme by Frank Zappa -- This song is very twisted, but still good. Joe's Garage was my soundtrack for the summer of 1996.
  4. Bobby Brown Goes Down by Frank Zappa -- From the amazing Sheik Yerbouti record, which I played to death during the summer of 1997. I used to work night shift that summer and once just to stay awake, I wrote down the lyrics to this entire song. After thinking that somebody might get really freaked out if they ever found it and it got traced back to me, I decided to destroy it. For me the best part of this song is that I actually went to high school with a guy with this name, and he pretty much exactly matched the character in the first half of the song ("They say I'm the cutest boy in town, my car is fast, my teeth are shiny...."). I have not seen the guy in almost 20 years, but I'd like to think that his life probably turned out like the second half of the song!
  5. David Bowie -- Pick almost anything from the 70's: some specifics that come to mind are Rebel Rebel, Five Years, ........ David Bowie rules and he could probably record himself doing laundry and it would sound awesome.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Wasatch 100 pictures

The race starts with a lot of climbing right off the bat



Approaching Chinscraper



Runners climbing over Chinscraper just before I got there


My Asian buddies I leapfrogged with frequently. Obviously the ground was covered with snow. This was a couple miles after Chinscraper.



Could be long the descent into Francis Peak



Amazing views after the Francis Peak aid station



I think this is at the top of Sessions Pass -- this climb had me rethinking whether or not running 100's was really a smart thing for me to do.



Somebody told me that at Wasatch you get amazing views, but you pay dearly for them.



My Asian buddies again, I think on the switchbacks down into Big Mountain Pass.



Don't know where this was at, but pretty much the entire course was this beautiful.



Big Mountain Pass aid station -- notice the Steal Your Face flag below the American flag



I may be going to hell in a bucket, but at least I'm enjoying the ride (or not, I look pretty unhappy here)



Coming into Alexander Springs aid station



Sunrise over Catherine's Pass



Last 20 yards - "I'm breathing so I guess I'm still alive, even though the signs tell me otherwise" (Tool)



Getting congrats from the race director while my mom patiently waits



"Think what you like, this is really where it's at" (Talking Heads)



I did not run the fastest time, but I was hoping for the best posing award



Laid out at the finish with my tea



Very happy finisher of Wasatch Front 100

Monday, September 13, 2010

Wasatch Front 100 Race Report

Here are a couple thoughts on my 2010 Wasatch Front 100 adventure, in no particular order:

  • A quick look at the elevation profile indicates that the first ~8 or so miles are uphill, with the final push being the infamous “Chinscraper” section, so named due to how steep it is. My sense was that Chinscraper is the welcoming committee for the race, to give you a sense of what you’re really in for. “Welcome to the Wasatch Front 100! Think you’re tough? We’ll certainly put that theory to the test. Have a nice day!”
  • Learning to run on tired legs is CRITICAL to the successful completion of this race. Even by the long, relatively non-technical descent into Francis Peak at mile 18, my legs were already twitching. Chinscraper just crushed me right from the get go.
  • Early on I made the decision that the only way I was going to finish the race was to gingerly jog the downhills, and walk the uphills and flat sections. The climbs were so long and steep that I needed to bank as much energy as I could to get through them.
  • If I hadn’t picked up my trekking poles at Lamb’s Canyon (mile 53) I probably would not have gotten through all the brutal climbs in the second half of the race. Big thanks to my mom and my older sister for meeting me at Lamb’s Canyon to give me my trekking poles! I was not comfortable leaving them in the drop bag in case they “accidentally” got picked up.
  • Despite running all summer in near triple digit temperatures, it was freezing on day 1 of the race. There was fresh snow covering the trail (and the rest of the mountain too) before we even got all the way up to Chinscraper. Chinscraper itself was freezing cold and wet from all the runners who climbed over it before me. My fingers were blue by the time I was done climbing over all the rocks, maybe this indicated some medical issue besides coldness, but at the time I remember looking at my blue hands and thinking it looked kind of cool. Blue hands, right on!
  • By day 2 of the race, it was considerably warmer, probably a lot more representative of late summer weather in Utah. This wild swing in temperature, coupled with the extreme stress of running a mountainous ultramarathon in a sleep deprived state, wreaked havoc on my body’s ability to regulate its temperature. During the race I was okay, but for almost a day after I finished, I varied between being freezing cold, to sweating bullets. I went through this cycle probably once every 20 minutes.
  • Part of my elevation acclimation in the week prior to the race included doing the climb from the Brighton ski resort (mile ~76) up to the high point of the race, Catherine’s Pass at about 10,400 feet. I did this hike on Labor Day and the trail was packed with people, including many kids. In particular there was a little girl about 5 years old who was having the time of her life with her friends and parents. This girl was as sure footed as a mountain goat. When I did that climb during the race at about 7 in the morning, I kept thinking about how if that little girl could climb that mountain, there was no reason I couldn’t do it too.
  • On my Labor Day climb up to Catherine’s Pass I hooked up with a woman who has 5 Wasatch finishes and was a Grand Slam finisher in ’09. She was doing that climb as part of her training for the Bear 100 in two weeks. During our brief time together she gave me some invaluable advice on how to complete the race (1. Don’t get sucked into the campfire at Desolation Lake aid station, and 2. If you can make it out of Brighton before the sun comes up, you’re golden.). She said she would be the weigh-in lady at Lamb’s Canyon on Friday night, so I showed her the gap in my front teeth as a way to identify myself, and told her I would show it to her again when I saw her at Lamb’s. When I re-identified myself to her during the mandatory Lamb’s Canyon weigh-in I got the warmest welcome ever and it boosted my spirits tremendously.
  • Although not the longest or steepest, the climb up to the top of Sessions Pass crushed me.
  • When I die, mix my ashes with that of the dog’s ashes and throw them off Catherine’s Pass at sunrise. I would include my wife in the mix but I would imagine she’s probably got more formal plans for her remains. I forced myself to stop at Catherine’s Pass at sunrise, down 2 gels, and watch the sun come back up while standing on top of a huge mountain. I don’t think I will ever be the same.
  • Is anyone actually still reading this?
  • I thought western trails were supposed to be wide, and relatively free of the annoying obstructions we have in the east (rocks and tree roots). Evidently this is not true. Not by a longshot. At the awards ceremony after the race I shared this sentiment with the race director of the Squaw Peak 50 and he reminded me that after all, these are called the Rocky Mountains.
  • Made the impromptu decision to pick up a pacer at Upper Bigwater (mile 62), who took me into Brighton (mile 76). He was a real good soul named Dan who was scheduled to pace somebody else, and that person ultimately decided he didn’t need it, so Dan I think was just sort of hanging around to see if anybody wanted to be paced. I am usually anti-pacer but for whatever reason decided I could use the company. I warned him that under normal circumstances, I don’t usually have that much to say, and when I am running an ultra, I will have even less to say. Further, I said that if he asked me any questions I probably won’t even have the energy to answer him, but if he could just hang out with me for a while I would be very grateful. This dude was a saint. He religiously reminded me to eat a gel at the top of every hour, and then again at half past the hour. Then, for whatever reason when I decided I wanted to switch to the “quarter after/quarter till” gel-eating schedule, he was right on that as well. When I told him I wanted to sit at Desolation Lake for no more than 5 minutes, he set his watch and had me out of there in 5 just like he said. We had a grand time counting the shooting stars on the climb out of Desolation Lake, and the descent into Brighton. He really helped the time go by in the wee hours of the night and morning by asking about my work, although I don’t know if he was prepared for the conservative rant that he got. He has a 3 year old son and told me all about how great being a parent is. I think he said he is training for his first Ironman. GOOD LUCK DAN AND THANKS A MILLION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Finally found the caloric intake formula that works for me: a gel (Hammer or Gu, whatever is closest) every 30 minutes, supplemented with whatever solids I can get down at the aid stations. I really didn’t crash once during the race, which is a first for me. It took me two marathons, two 50k’s, four 50 milers, a 70 miler, one 77 miler, and two hundreds to finally nail it. Important lesson learned though, at some point if it feels like a gel won’t stay down, don’t try to chase it real quick with Gatorade. This will lead to stomach badness!
  • My favorite part of a 100 mile race, besides the finish, is the countdown to the start. You have no idea how it will unfold but you can be certain that what you are about to experience is something you’ll never, ever forget.
  • Apparently in Utah, any climb under 1,000 feet counts as downhill. I was told by one of the aid station workers that “it’s all downhill” after mile 87, but I guess they forgot about the last little punch-in-the-face climb out of Pot Bottom at ~mile 91. But hey, who doesn’t love a surprise hill at mile 91!
  • Distance from last aid station to the finish is 7 miles. Due to delirium I thought I only had 2.5 hours to complete it in, and that included one last small hill to climb (the rest being downhill, actually, truly downhill). At that point I did not think I could make it before the official cutoff time of 36 hours, but felt obligated to give it everything I had. I was pushing as hard as I could up that last hill, knowing that I would have to essentially sprint to the end to just make it inside the cutoff. I was RELIEVED when I realized that I was reading my watch incorrectly, and actually had 4 hours to do 7 miles. At that point I made the decision to casually walk it in, which is exactly what I did. Of course I had to muster up a run the last 20 yards though.
  • During the course of the preparations for this race, I spent an enormous amount of time, effort and money making sure I did everything I could to be ready. I sacrificed my entire summer. I would do it all over again, in a heartbeat. It was definitely worth it. At some point in my life I will revert back to the state where I’m getting more applesauce on my bib than in my mouth but I will always know that I completed a monumental task like the Wasatch Front 100.
  • This effort is dedicated to my three favorite girls, in no particular order: daughter, wife, and dog.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

More Utah




The last 3 days I have driven up to Brighton, ~9000 ft, just to try to get a little more acclimated to the elevation. I did not do any hiking, rather I just sat there at a picnic table (or yesterday, in the car since it was really cold) reading the best book ever, Fight Club (it was a book first, and yes, the book is much better than the movie). After 4 hours of sitting there each day, I was ready to cut my wrists due to boredom. I am so bored, I can't really take it anymore.
The pre-race weigh-in and meeting starts in a little over an hour and a half, so that should cure the boredom. A cold front is currently moving through (see pictures above), which means rain, and temperatures about 20 degrees cooler than the beginning of the week. On the downside, we will likely get rained on tomorrow morning. On the upside, we very well may see fresh snow at the higher elevations!
Drop bags are all packed (again see above), ready to be dropped off. Slept like a baby last night after watching Seinfeld, The Simpsons, and 2 episodes of Family Guy. Something tells me I will not sleep as well tonight! Got to catch the bus to the start at 4 AM!
Finally a big shout out to Cam "Wrong Way" Baker for essentially destroying the field at the running of The Ring this past weekend, and unfortunately missing a turn and therefore getting DQ'ed. Cam is a very gifted runner and a nice guy (also provides me with very useful advice on how to raise a girl) and I suspect we will all be seeing his name at the top of the standings a lot more.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Utah day 2

















Today I drove to Brighton ski resort, to do the hike up to Catherine's Pass, the high point of the course at ~10,500 feet I believe. On the way up I came across a woman who has finished Wasatch 5 times, and as a matter of fact was a Grand Slam finisher in '09. She offered a ton of good advice and will be the weigh-in lady at Lamb's Canyon aid station. I showed her the gap in my teeth as a way to remember me by, I told her I would show it to her again when she weighed me in on Friday night so she'll know it's me. She is the one who took the picture of me at the top of Catherine's Pass.
The trail up to the top from Brighton was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. It certainly was not easy, but hill repeats on the big hill at Laurel definitely was a good choice. Although not as long, that hill is much steeper and far more technical. Then again, I will be doing that climb after having already run 75 miles! I also saw a moose on the way up and got a picture. It is kind of hard to make out (above) but it is the picture at the bottom.
Finally, there was a young couple with two small chidren pointing out Mickey Mouse on a distant peak to their kids. I decided to risk being labeled a Buttinski and asked them to point it out to me too (they reluctantly played along). It is the 3rd picture from the top.
Went to Whole Foods again, that place truly is full of strange people. Also, still miss family.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Utah day 1
















Drove to the Big Mountain Pass aid station and did some hiking to see how I felt with the elevation. Probably got to about 8500 feet and felt ok. Maybe a little out of breath but nothing I would even worry about. I failed to plan big time and only took one water bottle, and no food. I was out for 3 hours and had a headache by the time I got back to the car, but I attribute that to not eating rather than the altitude. It is interesting, the sun is very strong but there is a constant breeze (depending on which side of the mountain I was on) and although I'm sure I was sweating, it evaporated immediately. I also got pretty sunburned since again, I failed to plan ahead and did not bring a hat.

It is so quiet on the top of the mountain (again, when there's no wind). You can't even hear any cars. It reminded me of an interview I read once with Jimi Hendrix where he talked about when he used to jump out of airplanes in the Army: "...once you get out there everything is so quiet, all you hear is the breezes-s-s-s..." very true.

Also had my first experience with the Whole Foods franchise today, with mixed feelings.

The good:

  1. Pretty much had the kind of food I like to consume: mostly, lots of grains pre-cooked that I can keep in my refrigerator here in the hotel. I will probably be spending my food money from here on out at Whole Foods

....and, the bad:

  1. Everyone who shops at the Salt Lake City Whole Foods knows one another. I don't know any of these people.
  2. There are a lot of young people nowadays who boast prominently displayed tattoos. That's going to look cool when you're 80 and can't cover it up, especially you ladies!
  3. The people there generally have that sort of "Coexist" vibe. I have more of a Slayer's "God Hates Us All" vibe.
  4. Saw one dude pull up on one of those little scooters and for a split second I must admit I briefly entertained the idea of kicking it over.

To each his own, I suppose. Above are some pictures I took today with my new throwaway digital camera that evidently leaves a little something to be desired in the fidelity department. I also managed to scam a free night here in the hotel, since the ceiling in my bathroom is wet and crumbling due to a leaky pipe in the bathroom above me. I complained about it and they agreed to not charge me for last night. Boo yeah.

Tomorrow I will drive out to Brighton and hike up to Catherine's Pass and hopefully get some more good pictures.

Finally, I miss my wife and my dog.











Thursday, September 2, 2010

guilty pleasures

Here are some of the things I am into that I would not necessarily advertise, but since nobody looks at this thing, here goes!

  1. Prince! I love Prince and basically anything he ever recorded. Side 1 of Purple Rain is a desert island record of mine for sure. Plus the guy can play like 20 different instruments.
  2. Madonna! I love Madonna too, especially the early stuff! Lucky Star is a popular song that frequently gets belted out around my house. Material Girl, Like a Prayer, all that stuff is great. Mike Watt is a Madonna fan too, so I'm less ashamed about this one.
  3. Loretta Lynn! A secret desire of mine is to sing "You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man" at a redneck karaoke bar and really pour it on, and watch the ensuing chaos.
  4. Dancing! I can't dance to save my life, and would never even consider doing it in public, but when it's just me and the animals, we seriously cut a rug. Sometimes I will do it in the presence of my wife. I can imagine that once our daughter is born, there will be lots of dancing.
  5. Roses! My roses are my pride and joy and I take great care to prune them regularly.
  6. Vegetable gardening! I don't try to hide this one too much but I love gardening.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

French

Yesterday I flipped my yellow lab calendar over to the month of September before I left work for the day. The little quote at the bottom is the only useful French I care to know:

J'embrasse mon chien sur la bouche!

Translation: I kiss my dog on the mouth.