Me during the winter storm

In the past days, I have been busy training and working with my gear, pretty much getting ready for my next race Tuscobia 150 miles. The race itself is semi self-support because we will have 2 Aid Stations along the way. The race starts from Parks Falls WI to Rice Lake, WI on the Tuscobia trail that is 75 miles, so we have to go back and forth. The final cutoff time is 60 hrs with two cutoffs in between -Birchwood, 86.5 miles at 6:00 on Sunday & Winter, 119.5 miles at 11:00 am on Sunday.

This will be my 3rd time, where in the last past two I finished second place in both, as I hope to finish again this year. During the Summer I have been thinking what if I try double, meaning 300 miles, where the first 150 miles will be the actual race and the other 150 miles will be my. In fact, that is what I will do this time. I'm going for the double 300 miles; it will be great to spend some time by myself on the trail during New Year's. For those who have been following me, I will keep you with some updates along the way. So far I plan to post once every 10 hrs or so if you think that it's cool, then that is what I will do. Please feel free to post comments. It'll be nice to know that someone is following & tracking me.

At least, winter shows up with snow storm. We got 12 inches of snow in 24 hrs. I didn't lose the chance to be outside, so I went for a 17-miles hike during the storm to try some waterproof gear. Overall, it was great experience to see and feel the power of our mother nature.

As a result of the big chunk of snow that we got already, I started to build an igloo outside my apartment. Hopefully I will finish by the end of the week and will spend some nights in there.

I hope you are having a great winter, go outside and feel the cold but be safe.

Volunteering at the Surf the Murph

From left to right. Wayne A Nelson, Ross Jilk, and Londell Pease

 Last weekend I went to help out at the Surf the Murph race. It was nice to see the race from the other side of the table, I got a lot fun watching some friends doing the race.

Afton 50K

For quite some time, state was preparing for a government shutdown and, indeed, growing concerns for such event became reality on June 30th.  The shutdown affects so many people, businesses, and almost all government-regulated functions and areas.  As a result, all the state parks are closed.  Until the two political parties reach an agreement or come to a compromise, the situation continues to be pessimistic.  You may wonder if perhaps I have shifted my interest to address political issues; this is not the case; however, they have inadvertently affected many races that would have been taken place at the state parks as Afton was one of them.

Due to Afton State Park being closed, the race took place in Afton Alps.  Thanks to the experienced race director and his loyal crew who made it all possible for the Afton 50K to carry on.

As usual a few minutes before the race, we were informed of some details about the course, and that each lap was about 12.5K, which for the 50K runners that would be 4 times.  The race started at 6:30 a.m..  I was probably in the first half of the group who quickly first got my 50 meters.  We were expecting a small hill, and that was just the beginning.  After that was a flat of 400 meters into the woods, followed by a large puddle of water, along with fun single track climbs and descents will come shortly.  Then I came to the first aid station and refilled my water bottle.  I took off again and kept running, battling this part of the trail since it was very very technical, so I decided to not turn on the mp3 and paid more attention instead.

Just before reaching the second aid station, I met Helen, who was taking pictures of and supporting the runners.  It was then that I realized the electrolyte pills I kept in my shorts pocket were gone.  Given the heat and the temperature of 80 F, I was fortunate to be able to stock up on the electrolytes, gels, and some snacks at the aid station; otherwise, I would be in trouble.  Then I was right back on the trail once again.  After a while, I finally crossed the first of 4 laps.  As I continued on, I came across three MN pacers: Dan, Adam, and Tim.  Overall, the course was very technical, yet it was also fun since it was my first time at Afton Alps.  While I tried to maintain my pace, it was difficult since the heat was more intense, and some areas didn't have any trees; it felt like fire was coming from the ground.

 But I kept battling and with ample water supply, I was still safe in the race.  After 7 hours, I made it to the finish line.  I removed the shoes and laid on the grass...relaxing.  I chatted with other runners about races, gear, nutrition while I was enjoying a delicious burger and lemonade.  When the race director said that the course was really hard, he was nowhere joking indeed because not only were there DNFs in the 50K but also the 25K.  I felt lucky to have remembered to take the electrolyte pills every 20 minutes consistently and water constantly to help out with the terrible temperatures. 

Well, I hope you enjoy reading about my racing experience as I do very much.  As for the remainder of this month and August, I haven't scheduled any races; however, I will do something a little different even though it still involves the trail, of course.  I will keep you posted, but until then I will simply let know that it has something to do with non-stop thru-hike of 1100 miles and self-support.

            

     

More coffee please...

Kettle Moraine 100 Mile

It started with planning and organzing my 4 drop bags, making sure I got all the essentials like socks, gels, electrolyte capsules, Desitin, Aquaphor, atlethic tape, long-sleeved shirt, lamps, shoes and, of course, my mp3.

After 5 hours and 30 minutes of driving, I finally got to the General Store location where I was supposed to pick up my race packet.  This time my number is 76.  I was greeted by the race director, who seemed very nice and thanked me for coming.  After a quick chat, I headed out to the Nordic Trail, our starting point for tomorrow's race.  I walked around and checked out the trail a bit, then it was time to check into Corssroads Motel.  We unpacked and relaxed for awhile and went to grab some food.  As always, I had pasta, pizza, and Gatorade.  I quickly chowed down the food and, at the same, tried to prepare my things for tomorrow.  Shortly after, I took a bath and relaxed in bed, ready to fall asleep. 

Saturday, June 4th, 4:30 am.  The alarm went off, but I wanted to continue dreaming.  I slept for a few more minutes, then I got up and went to check the parking lot.  I noticed that the weather was starting to warm up, and the temperature began to increase.  At this point, I knew I had to make changes to the drop bags, switching my headlamp from the 63 mile to the 47 mile marker because with this heat, it would slow me down.

Already in the start line and just minutes before the race, I found my buddy, Nate Jackson, who is also competing in the race.  We stood amongst the crowd, waiting for the signal to go off at 6:00 am.  Surely, it did; everyone started out slowly; some even walked.  And, after we all warmed up, I completed my first mile in 10 minutes.  I kept up and greeted everyone I know like John Taylor, who by the way was taking pictures.  As we are in mile 5 at the aid station, I grabbed a banana and continued on to the next station, about 2.7 miles. That took me 30 minutes, and when I got to mile 15, I checked in.  From this point on, the heat became a problem since we were so much in the open with no shades from the trees.  I felt nauseous, and it was difficult to maintain my pace.  I decided to walk for a bit.  After walking for a while, I started to get worried since it was too early into the race to walk already.   

I stopped at some point to pee and, in doing so, it clearly showed that I needed more electrolytes, so I got some more with more water, too.  By 1:20 pm, I reached the first turnaround point, Scuppernong.  I changed socks, ate, and refeuled, then I continued running.  At the mile 47 I decided to stop and took care of my blisters on both feet with the help of Vicky.  Once I felt alright about the blisters, I tried to run faster; otherwise, I would have problems with the second cutoff. 

    
At 10:41 pm, I arrived at the start/finish line, where Nate and I met up.  I was tired and with blisters on both feet, I remained in the race, as well as Nate.  I changed the socks again and put Desitin on my feet to protect the blisters for the 10-mile walk with Nate, which was a long time.  Finally, we stopped, and he said he could no longer go on because he hurt his foot and was also too tired.  For no other alternatives, I began to run again and shortly before 5 am, I reached the 77 mile marker, not to mention I fell as a result of low light and fatigue. From this point to Rice Lake turnaround, it took me an two and a half hours back and forth, and this section was supposed to be very technical.  And once again, the worry for the heat came.  With more enthusiasm than ever, I kept my pace, and it was not until mile 97 that I started to look at my watch again.  When I saw the miles continued to get closer to 99, I felt better because I knew it was only a matter of minutes before I got there to the end.  So I just gradually walked and within minutes I crossed the finish line.  Vicky, who helped me tremendously with the blisters and at almost every aid station, was there waiting with open embers to congratulate, as well as the others. 

With the kettle in my hands, I can say that it was a lot of work to win it.  To sum it up, I can say that I know now more about my body and how it responds to the heat.  Hence, I am going to consider this in my future training, for any minor details, let alone the major ones, can greatly affect me (or any ultrarunner).  As was the case this time, about 60% of all runners who started the race had problems with this issue.  So now, I can finally get some good rest at home.  Hope you enjoyed a little bit of my adventure.

                                     

Pacing and Me?

I remember when I was 16 years old, I would run with my friend, Carlos, on the beach of La Paz, Mexico.  Carlos was  a good runner, and I was no where near that.  I had no knowledge of nutrition, hydration, clothing, among other elements within the world of ultrarunning.  At the time, I didn't care about that stuff since I was only trying to stay healthy and fit.  Then one day Carlos and I had a dare to try for the 8K, and I
immediately took it without thinking twice.  There was nothing to lose, I thought.  After I ran my first 8K, I continued running, but I was never in any official races until I was 19.  I was in the Army and was signed up for the 10K (only available one at the time).  I ended up in 14th place with 28:00 out of 700 participants.  And now, I find myself competing in all categories from 5K to 150 Mile, as well as moutain biking and adventure races.  In spite of all this, I'm still learning from other runners, just never get tired of asking questions.  Even though I have been in several races, I still get anxious (excited, too) every time I record a race, seeing myself at full speed and getting in touch with Mother Nature.  By the way, I'd recommend cross-country running since there will be less injuries, more fresh air, and less worries about the cars.
Recently, I've been in contact with Sam, leader of the MN pacers.  As a matter of fact, there will be a get-together meeting where pacers and runners will meet and get to know one another a bit.  I'll probably give a little speech about why I am interested in becoming a pacer; this will be my first experience as a pacer.  I hope to do a great job supporting my group of marathoners.  This marathon will be in Brainerd toward the end of April, where I will lead a 4:00 group.  In the meantime, I'm still searching for other pacing opportunities.  For those of you who have had experiences in being  a pacer, please give me some tips and whatnot, so I can prepare myself.
Having said all ths, I'm working on recovering from Arrowhead.  It was definitely a bummer for me, but I'm training myself for next year.  There's about 6 weeks before I see some action again on the trail, but the weather in MN is so unpredictable.  Despite the storm we had last weekend, it's good news for those who ski or ice climb.  Speaking of ice climbing, I will do this for a couple days this week.  I'm looking forward to it!  I will keep you posted for sure and, as always, thanks for being a fan.  Remember - live your life to the fullest and do what you are most passionate about.