This was, for me, kind of a busy weekend. A dress run, on top of a race, along with regular weekend stuff? I’m glad we got an extra hour!
Before going on and on about running stuff, I want to update you about “No Shave November.” There were several really great suggestions about what and who to watch. I appreciate the feedback. I am using the suggestions where I can. 30 days is a long time, after all. I can’t give a definitive list of everything I’ll be watching, but I will say Tombstone was day 2. That movie is at least 80% mustache. I would like to pick a Clark Gable film that isn’t Gone With The Wind. For day 3 I’m thinking Kill Bill volume 2. The flowing beard, mustache, eyebrow, and hair combo are impossible to ignore and tough to beat. Days 4 is probably going to be Shaft 1971.
On to adventures!
On Saturday, Sydney and I dressed up in purple dresses and ran around midtown k.c. with the pearl necklace hash house harriers. It was something. Love those people.
I woke up early Sunday. Earlier than I wanted. I had forgotten about the time change. Fall back! Lol, it’s useless. I had to be at Longview swim beach early for packet pickup. It was perfect running weather. Rainy with no lightning. Cool, but not cold. If i hadn’t been pacing, i would have tried to set a new personal record.
But i was pacing. I was pacing the 2:30 finish time. A pace of 11:27 minute miles. I love pacing! I try to keep it fun without being obnoxious. Motivating without being overbearing. And, most importantly, on time.
The rain made things interesting. The paper flag showing the target time fell off less than three miles in. For ten miles, when I thought it was necessary or appropriate, I would shout out “two and a half! Finish time of two thirty!” That’s just one of my very funny jokes.
I thought it should have been a dentist doing that pace time. Get it? That’s it. Those were the only jokes.
I finished very close to on time. According to my garmin, I finished the seconds late. Officially, I finished in two hours, thirty minutes and thirty seconds. It was as close to perfect as I could ever hope for.
But ALL my goals are ways away. And I’m training “in the dark.”
Also, since I’m paying for another year of this jazz, I may as well produce at least a bit of content. Maybe this will be my thing? One post a year, justify the blogs existence?
In celebration of No Shave November, I’ve decided to highlight and try to watch some movies with, in my opinion, the best examples of facial hair. First up of course is the 1977 classic Smokey and the Bandit. Burt Reynolds in his heyday. Sporting a trademark lip warmer. Up against Jackie Gleason as sheriff Buford T. Justice with a pencil thin flavor savor. Mm-hmm! Those are some fine mustaches for sure.
Smokey and the bandit is only available to rent at the moment. But surely this summer it will pop up on a streaming service for free. I wouldn’t spend money on it unless you’re REALLY into southern redneck car culture, burt Reynolds, Sally field, and/ or Jerry Reed.
J/K! J/K! I see everybody out running. I see the stories on Instagram (rex.hunt.7) and Facebook, Garmin Connect, and strava (canceled premium after the price hike, but there’s no deleting the app 🤷♂️.) H.B.I.C. Sydney and I have been getting out in it, too. It’s…invigorating. inspiring? It’s certainly educational.
Syd and I did a long run in the caves at Park University. Go Pirates! It was fun. I guess the following weekend was the time to go, though. ALL of our friends were in there, jogging the just under a mile loop.
Syd and I did not do the caves at that time because we were busy registering for the Winter Argo 13.1 mile run. Or for Bootsy and me, a little bit further than 13.1 miles.
So Sydney and I registered and then ran a little bit of the road. Just a few hills, to remember what it’s all about out there. We saw friends and horses. I made a snow angel.
Fun story: After “Ollie’s Ultra,” Sydney couldn’t find her shockz. 🎶Sad trombone🎶. After searching and searching, she decided they must be on a picnic table in Chanute, Kansas. She ordered new ones, they arrived, everything is fine😐.
We brought some camp chairs from her place to my place in preparation for Cactus Roulette 🌵. Sydney is running 12 hours out there and is going to want to sit eventually. Having the chairs here has been great! I’ve been using them to take my shoes and boots on/off. I feel like Mr. Rogers. So I’m putting this chair away after putting my boots on, and I see Sydney’s shockz draped gently around the arm of the chair. I leave them there because clearly, “that’s where she keeps them now so she doesn’t lose another pair…” I think to myself cleverly.
The next day I’m going on about how great place looks since she cleaned it (she cleaned the house, it looks AMAZING!) And she tells me she was looking for something and just got on a roll. I said “ah! Your shokz! They were on the arm of your camp chair!”
Her
Face.
I thought she was going to cry, or attack me, or run out of the house like it was haunted. She walked over to a basket on the counter, pulled out a pair of headphones, and said, “These are yours.” Then she walked over to a different basket in the corner of the room, grabbed a pair of headphones, and said,”These are the ones I just got.” She walks, gingerly, to the camp chair. Points at the shokz. THE shokz. Turns and walks upstairs. She says, “You should blog about this. I’m getting cleaned up.” She may have cried. I don’t know. She definitely muttered. Hey, who hasn’t, though? Right? People are…you know?
Cactus Roulette 🌵 12 hour noon to midnight.
Argo 13.1 mile run (50k).
H.B.I.C., Chad, me, and some horses.Date night! Mexican food, giant margaritas and the Chiefs vs. Bills game
Just a bit past halfway through January. A little beyond the halfway mark of the work week. The start of the long stretch between federal holidays. Now feels like a good time for an update. Just a check-in to see “how’s it going?”
Sydney and I are still together, which is nice. Co-habitating has its challenges, for sure, but we are rational, grown-up adult people. There are upsides also. The good outweighs the struggle. Like, for instance, Brooksie is here all the time!
Mr. Brookside
I did make some resolutions for the new year. Most went right out the window (as they do), but I’m still going strong with 100 pushups a day. Modified. *ahem* occasionally, I’ve had to do make-up pushups. Since I make the rules, I’ll allow it. 🙂
Budgeting and saving are right on track. I’m reluctant to get too detailed. Financial information is sensitive. I will say I’m not starting a “go fund me” for groceries (yet).
Speaking of money, it’s tax time! Hooray! I, like all poor people, love tax time. Our reward for being employed by someone else is easy-to-do taxes and a little financial windfall. Maybe it’s big ol’ t.v. time? Or down payment on a car time? Mine is put a dent in a credit card balance. The super slam was expensive, y’all. It wasn’t just physical endurance.
Work is going very well. The business is stable. I’ve started a new position. I drive the forklift now. It’s not as good training-wise, but it’s a lot more fun.
Training has been slow. Winter GRIT is more than halfway over, and I’m not even up to 100 miles yet. Let’s blame the polar vortex. Sub zero temperatures, snow, and ice. I’m not ashamed of my reduced running schedule. I still managed to get out there a bit. I even did a little challenge for my friends. I challenged them to make snow angels. A few people did! It was wonderful!
Snow angels are best done near the end of a run.
I’m looking forward to better weather, more dog walks, easier work schedules, and some winter racing.
I hate the cold! I hate snow! I hate ice! I hate putting on 20 lbs of clothes just to walk a dog! It’s the worst!
Winter is also excuses season. From the weather to illness to the reduced daylight hours, if you don’t want to do something, there’s a reason not to. I guess I like that part.
I use shoveling the driveway as a replacement for strength training. I consider running over the debris field left behind by the road clearing snow plow technical trail training. And trudging through deep snow does make me feel badass. Also, sometimes I can get a nice snow explosion bursting through a snowbank on a curb, or running under low branches. Just “KABOOM!” Out of there, snow goes everywhere!
I make a snow angel and take a picture of it. I post the pictures on social media and challenge my friends to make snow angels. It’s fun. Plus, I like to show off. I guess I don’t hate the cold after all.
A person must be careful running in these extreme temperatures. Cover as much skin as you can. Layers! Loose, and multiple layers. Pay attention to your body. If your fingers or toes are hurting, stop and get inside. The only prizes for pushing through in this weather are hypothermia and frostbite. Be smart, but d.b.a.p., if you’re careful, you can do it. There’s no shame in NOT going out in the cold, only glory if you face it.
I may be getting a little influence from the “fearless motivation” playlist. I know it’s over the top. I take inspiration from wherever I can find it.
Nothing lasts forever. Spring is coming. Stay safe!
Sydney has registered for her (first) hundred mile race. She’s training hard and following all the best advice.
My year so far is going great! I decided 2024 is the year of 24. For anybody unfamiliar, “24” is a television program about the head vampire from the lost boys uses flatlining to protect the United States from terrorism. It’s pretty amazing.
I had planned to take a break from racing. Those plans have been…adjusted, I guess. Sydney and I ran the “Hangover half marathon,” an annual race on the first day of the year. Usually. We did okay. We weren’t racing, really. Sydney was treating it as a training run, and I was running with Sydney.
I’m doing the Aesics Believe in the Run Winter Grit mileage challenge. It’s going well. I’ve set a goal of 300 miles over the month. I’m already over 50 miles into it. Usually, something comes up to ruin the challenge. Either injury or work issues. Things are looking good so far, though.
To summarize: While my girlfriend trains and works for a huge goal, I’m binge watching old television shows and kind of running, if I feel like it.
So long, 2023! You were a great year, but it’s “out with the old, in with the new” time.
2024 has so much in store!
Sydney has signed up for the Kansas Rails-to-Trails Extravaganza 100 mile race in October! Yaaaa!
She supported me so much during that crazy slam! I’m really looking forward to helping her all I can while she chases this daunting distance. She will do it!
Along the way, there are going to be races and long runs and hash runs and strength training sessions. 💪
Another year of “challenges!” Starting with aesics believe in the run winter grit. Can I get 300 running miles in January? We shall see!
There’s the Taji 100 in February. Team “on your left”, formerly “ice cream, strippers, and jesus,” is looking strong. Plus we get a whole extra day to get miles! Hello, leap year! 😄
Throughout the year, I’ll be participating in the Marine Corps marathon sergeants’ major challenge.
Also, you know me, I’ll probably get tempted into any number of crazy challenges and events.
But to start the year off right there’s the hangover half marathon, followed directly by moving Sydney into my place!
The Kansas Rails-to-Trails Extravaganza, or “KRT,” was already a blur as I finished. Six one-hundred mile races. This was it, the end of the challenge.
Honestly, Sydney and I were kind of expecting this one to be a cake walk. A gimme. A mulligan. A victory lap.
Rail to trail with no elevation? The same course we started with, but in the fall? Everyone clamoring for pacing spots? How could it go wrong? What could be difficult about THIS race?
Enter the midwest weather.
But let’s start at the beginning.
Sydney got us a beautiful air bnb 5 minutes from the start line in Ottawa. A gorgeous old renovated farmhouse. We went to packet pickup and just missed Clint (from Clintisatallrunner on youtube).
The next day, we saw Clint as he headed out with the rest of the 100-kilometer runners. Turns out he had a really tough day.
We ran into Jason “the year I got the runs” Silvers. He was signed up for his very first 50 mile attempt. He also had a really tough day.
The prairie spirit trail is easy, but these are really difficult distances. Even under the best conditions, really talented people dnf. And the conditions were not perfect.
I started the race way too fast. I guess if I’m not going to be smart I can at least be consistent.🙂
I was dressed for the weather, but very quickly realized I was wearing too much. I was feeling warm before the sun came up.
These views…a phone-camera doesn’t do it justice.
I charge into Princeton and took off my pants. Feeling much cooler (and less restricted), I continued on, trying to catch my friends Clint and Laura. Laura Plaisance had paced me during the prairie spirit trail 100. She couldn’t pace me this race, though. She was busy winning the 100k. Congratulations, Laura! I hope I spelled your name correctly!
I mainly leap-frogged the other runners into Richmond, where Kirby gave a play-by-play of me applying squirrel nut butter to my “areas.”
I jogged and chatted with some really cool people. It seems like during prairie spirit, I was mostly alone during the first half. Either way is fine for me. I’m not afraid of being alone, and ultrarunners are (usually) some of the people I can stand to be around.
When I reached Garnett I decided I was going to try and finish in under 24 hours, but only if I didn’t have to kill myself trying to make it the last leg. So, basically, I was trying/not trying 😅 🤔.
I feel like I was very lucky with the weather. Some of the shorter distances got soaked! I didn’t get really wet until after the turnaround at Iola.
I was spotted by Sydney’s boss as he drove down the highway. It’s nice to be recognized. I was trying to get the eighteen wheelers to honk, but I didn’t have any luck with that.
I got to Welda and all our friends were there cheering me in! Some were in awesome costumes! I nearly broke down into tears! The volunteers at Welda had the best aid station by far.
I hurried on to Colony. That is where I pick up a pacer. That is when the fun begins!
Michelle and her husband, Scott, were having some trouble deciding who would pace and who would crew. I don’t know how they worked it out, but Michelle was my first pacer. She paced the hell out of me! We were running a pretty solid 10 minute pace, walking every time we hit a mile. It was exhilarating! We got to Iola in no time at all!
At Iola, I ate some potato soup and changed all my clothes. The crew made a human screen for me to change behind since I’m so modest. It seemed like it would be dark soon, and it was cooling down, so I put on pants and grabbed a headlamp. P-quad was up to pace the next leg.
Erin “p4” (p-quad) Withers is a friend and hasher from the Wichita area. She has been awesome at supporting us throughout the slam. Most notably pacing and crewing at the Honey Badger 100. She showed up at KRT ready! It seemed like she had 2 of everything. Good thing, too, because I was a needy f-er out there. By the end of the night, I was wearing her fleece headband and wet weather gear called “frog-togs” she had “borrowed” from a friend. Thanks, Johnny!
We got rained on just a little bit before we got back to Colony. Apparently, Scott had been begging Gay Ann for a pacing slot. He wanted it? Well, he got it! From Colony to Welda in the pouring rain. No biggie, just the second longest leg. I was glad Scott got a chance to pace. He was awesome! He was the only one able to actually keep our intervals straight using his watch.
As we approached the Welda aid station, Scott got a call. Apparently, my pacer for the next leg was having a little trouble with the weather. Scott was going to have to pace me for two soggy legs!
Scott was a champion. He kept me going by asking questions and kept pretty good time for the intervals. Outside Garnett we saw a light bobbing around. Another runner coming towards us? Scott asked me “what is that?” To which I replied, smartly, “Karen.”
Karen has been wanting to pace me ever since I paced her at her first full marathon, the Lagerhead. She ran that race like a champ, and I am very proud of her. I was very worried, however, that she might push the pace. Karen likes to chit-chat while she runs (that’s a plus), and she tends to speed up as she gets more excited about the conversation 😆. That did not happen this time. She stayed right on pace, and kept my spirits high! We ran/walked and talked all the way to Richmond.
At Richmond, I FINALLY got to run with Gay Ann. Gay Ann had ran a race earlier in the day and really needed a rest. There was real competition for pacer spots, but Gay Ann could pace as much (or as little) as she wanted. She earned it.
Princeton came up quickly, and I picked up the final pacer: my sweety, Sydney! It was very important to me that we get to run the final leg together. Symbolism, you know? We did this terrific thing together. She carried me, really. Sydney arranged EVERYTHING, from transportation and accommodation to equipment and fuel. She had to cross the final finish line with me. We had a nice walk/run interval. We always run well together. As we approached Celebration Hall we heard them playing our song. We ran across the finish line and danced to sexy and I know it.
After we finished, we took a TON of photos. Pictures with all the medals. Pictures with all the pacers and crew. I held it together pretty well, considering. I expected to be bawling my eyes out. I think I was just relieved.
I know this is a very long recap. I am aware it took far too long to finish and post. Thank you for your patience.
The final race in the Kansas grand slam of ultrarunning super slam is the same as the first race in the Kansas grand slam of ultrarunning. Starting at celebration hall in Ottawa, Kansas. Running on the prairie spirit trail all the way to iola and back.
Maybe it’s poetic? Ending where it began, but a different season. The whole thing began way back in January, when I ran cactus roulette 24-hour, trying to get prepared for The Hawk. Every run, every race, every workout all leading up to this.
As of this writing, I have no intention of trying to “win,” or “breaking a record.” I’m really just looking forward to getting some fun miles with our friends.
The weather report so far looks awful! Rain, cold. Maybe wind? I love it! Let’s get miserable! Maybe we should set up a swear jar or “whine fines?” We’ve been pretty lucky with the weather this entire time. I guess we are due for some comeuppance.
We have a great group of pacers and crew signed up. There are more pacers than available pacing spots, so competition is getting a bit heated. I hope it’s all in fun, but I’m not worrying about that part. The whole thing is H.B.I.C. business.
Speaking of, Sydney has done a great job (as usual), getting everything set up for success. For example: accommodation 5 minutes from the start line. Yes, please! How about that? No 4:30 wake up. It feels kind of weird. Plus, all the fun costumes and Halloween stuff she’s doing. This will be a race to remember!
So, I’m very excited. And nervous, still. What I’m really doing is putting off thinking about what comes after. 🤔
This was a fun one. Getting to the start line was rough! There are warnings all over the literature for this race about flat tires. The roads are sharp rocks and gravel, watch out! Sydney and I were very nervous about it. We drove down the weekend prior for a dry run. Let her have some practice finding the aid stations. That paid off tremendously! She wound up being a little bit of a pathfinder for the other race crews. 😁
My name came up to work mandatory Saturday overtime, and there is really no room for compromise there. Luckily, I had already scheduled the weekend off! So I guess I’m a little more prepared than I like to believe.
We went down to packet pickup Friday afternoon. Sydney got some more detailed driving directions. There was a malfunction at the tollbooth in El Dorado, where we stayed that weekend. Our room was amazing, by the way. Days Inn was great! We slept like logs.
Early race morning things got hairy. We didn’t get a toll ticket in El Dorado. There was a lineup at the tollbooth in Cassoday. I took off my vest and jumped out to see what the problem was. It ended up being nothing, but now we were running behind, and I had to check in. Check-in is at race hq/finish line. The start line is about a half mile down the road from there. We just make it. I tell Sydney I’ve lost a bottle. It could only be at race hq, that’s the only time I wore the vest outside the car. She said she’d look for it. I went to get my pre-race photo. People kept jumping in front of me. Elden,the race director, kept yelling out the time until start. The Runner’s Church preacher was there, trying to pray right into God’s ear, just as loud as he can get. It was very frustrating!
Also, I was pretty nervous. 3 weeks is not a lot of turnaround time. I feel like I did the best I could. I felt okay, but I’ve done enough of these now to worry about mile 63 right at the start.
My plan, as always, was to go easy. Take it easy, take the whole time, and get to the halfway mark before dark.
Heartland, I thought, should be ideal for taking it easy. It’s got rolling hills and very pretty views throughout the race. And gravel. Big, chunky, tire-shredding gravel.
The gravel roads I sort of remember from doing the 50 miler in the spring. I might have blogged about it. They tore my feet up then, and they tore my feet up this time. There might be a practical solution to the foot problem. The only thing I can think of is “get tougher feet.”
Sydney found my lost bottle at the Cassoday tollbooth! That was a very lucky break. We hooked back up at the second manned aid station. I got to pet a dog and eat some snackies. It was a bit unsettling because they moved the aid station since the spring race. I came over a hill expecting a celebration and only found a sad little sign with an arrow pointing uphill.
This was also when the wind started blowing right at the front of me. It was at my back for the first and last 16 miles. So for about 100k, it was rock & roll and heavy winds in my face.
The aid stations were all pretty good. Standard ultra foods, tents to get out of the wind, friendly-ish volunteers. I had 3 burgers during my run. That doesn’t sound like a lot right here, but at the time, I felt like the hamburgler or Jughead.
I got to Matfield Green Aid Station, the last manned aid station before the turnaround, in really good shape. The trailhawks ran this aid station, and it was my good friend Eric volunteering! They had good ramen (spaghetti soup) and potatoes, but no forks. 😳
Crossing a flyover above I-35 on my way to Lone Tree Aid station and turning around, I got a semi truck to honk. Still fun as a grown up! There’s an unmanned aid station with water and Vaseline and very little direction. I lubed under my arms, where I had a hot spot going and jogged down the road. The course was well marked, I’m just very bad at looking. I knew I was going the correct way, though, because I saw more runners on this little 3 mile stretch than I had seen so far all day. Right then, at that moment, it occurred to me that I had not brought a headlamp. I made it before dark, but just before. So I was hoofing it out of there, trying to get as close to the aid station as possible before “dark” dark.
When I got back to Matfield Green, Jamie and her kid had shown up to help the crew, and Kirby was there, ready to pace me. The new faces re-energized me!
Kirby was a great pacer! We talked about her running goals (a marathon in Febuary! Killer!) And childhood road games. I am so glad she told me about “my cows!”
After Kirby, Coach Randy took over. He carried me all the way back to Cassoday. Figuratively. We were doing consistent and fast intervals and also used the terrain to help maintain a real nice pace. Not too fast! Not too slow. We did pick it up whenever we saw another runner (soul-taking? Lol!)
The funny story: Randy and I are passing “the Runner’s church” preacher and he tells us “don’t miss this turn coming up.”
So we cross an unmarked cattle guard, and Randy says, “I think we missed that turn.” After some quick math and a review of the strava heat map we decide yes. We did miss that turn we were specifically told about. And we also got passed by 3 racers! Grr! Not that I’m competitive. 😉
As we make our way to battle creek, the first/last manned aid station, we change up the intervals. 1:30 run 1:30 walk. Just a 30 second change, you might say? Plank for 30 seconds.
Battle Creek is special to me because my friend Scott “KSdirtrunner” is the one manning it the entire weekend! I just met him last year when I volunteered at this event and he has been an inspiration to me ever since.
The longest 8 miles in the world are between Battle Creek and the Cassoday Community Center parking lot. Randy and I are doing our thing…1:30 run, maybe 11 or 12 minute pace, 1:30 walk. Power hike! I have been practicing, and it did pay off. We passed some guys who were really suffering through the chilly morning.
We were approaching the end of the gravel when Rick from mile 90 pulled up and started taking pics. Randy and I agree, you do NOT walk in a race photo.
NOT walking!
Also, we could see Syd and Kirby stalking us from the paved roads, so I felt some pressure to go ahead and finish this thang!
We’re jogging the last 8/10 of a mile to the finish. I had told Randy the finish line strategy of start jogging at the stop sign, slowly build speed until I sprint into the finish. He asks me what the elapsed time is, and I tell him, “26:57 and change.”
He says, “Don’t you want to beat 27 hours?”
I ran. I sprinted in and finished at 26:59:18!
Afterward, it was coffee, a massage from Happy Hawk, and a table nap before a bath, a proper nap, and the long ride home.
W.W.R.H.D. 