About Me
This is very much a work in progress, so bear with me, this will always be changing (hopefully), I'll start getting more of my info up here, so stay tuned!
This is just intended to be an easy place for me to throw down some info about some races I've been able to participate in, I'm not an experienced blogger, but often during my race research I come up with limited info, so maybe my notes can help you. And to be honest, writing after a race helps me digest the event, to think about how things went, and remind myself later what worked or did not.
I've only been running since around 2011, and my first ultra 50k was fall of 2016, and larger was late 2018, so this is all new and I'm learning as I go, I make no promises of knowing what I'm doing! That being said, I am feeling great about how things are going so far :D
Here's a running list of the races I've ran, honestly this is more for me and my bad memory: Complete Race History
And more recently more has been tied to Ultrasignup.com as well.
The 5(ish) minute bio.
I grew up playing little league baseball for a few years, but besides that, I absolutely hated exercise. Running the mile in high school was painful, I found no enjoyment in it, that’s for sure.
Fast forward to 2009, I’m almost 30, I recently quit my 1-2 pack per day smoking habit, and am stacking on the weight by eating copious amounts of food and large volumes of craft beer. I was always restless and anxious after stopping smoking, but exercise was still hard. I met my now wife, and we decided a little health checkup wouldn’t be a bad idea, so I went to the doctor to be told how well I was doing, and left with a diagnosis that my cholesterol & triglycerides were sky high and off the charts, my blood pressure was high, and I was generally in bad shape (all 270+ pounds of me).
That was the final push I needed.
I changed all of my habits. Substantially less beer. No more fast food burgers. More fruit & veggies. Started packing my lunch for work. Drank a ton more water. And I started to run.
(side note: all of this story is a partnership, my wife also started running with me and changed her habits, we became each other’s motivators and coaches and participants, so while I will tell this as a personal story, know most of this is a joint story of us)
I downloaded a few apps to my new smart phone, at that time, I liked Endomondo, and then went for a run. I ran late at night so no one could see me. I managed a walk/run of a mile. Eventually 2. Eventually even 3 miles. Then I could run a whole mile without stopping. This was all new, I’d look back at my run on the computer and it was so cool that my own 2 feet took me through those paths and neighborhoods, I was exploring new areas, blocks from my own house. I slowly built up my distances, I was probably up to 4 or 5 miles in an hour, lots of walking mixed in, and I wanted to sign up for my first marathon (a 5K). By now I’d lost close to 50 pounds, and was enjoying this new found hobby, where I actually felt good.
Over training did hit while riding my new bike (cross training of sorts), and I inflamed my IT band (outside at right knee), so I ended up having to walk the 1 mile fun walk instead of the 5K, but I got to see the crowds and experience the excitement in the group, and knew I’d get back to it. (Kaleo K9 5K, Sacramento CA, July 2011)
Time and (painful) home therapy and the leg healed, and I geared up for another race. This one was now the Octobrewfest in Davis CA, October 2011. I showed up as prepared as you’d expect, not ready for a hills (an overpass) and wearing the wrong stuff, but I was there. I managed a 27:24 5k and loved it.
Ran more 5K’s, got into a 10K or two, and by the next year I stretched out and aimed for a half, I did the whole “train to 10 miles and wing the rest” and failed, I bonked and missed my goal by 10 minutes, but I learned many things. I knew nothing of nutrition or hydration, I did carry a backpack & water for training, but didn’t know what I was doing. My time was 2:08 at the Davis Moonlight Race (July 2012), not bad, but I really wanted sub 2, I was a new runner, but my competitive side was showing already.
More shorter races happened, some Warrior Dash 5K mud runs, a few moves through a few states, some mountain time in the PNW, and life. We relocated to central Illinois, and increased the running again as we needed to get active again, and there wasn’t much else to do (and it was easier to run in the flat Midwest). I trained for the half again, same sub 2 goal, but by 2015 technology has picked up. We found Jeff Galloway and his walk/run/walk method, which we liked. I started to experiment with nutrition, and began to develop my abilities. I ran the Illinois half in April of 2015, and got my 1:57, and had a great time.
Around this time I met the local running group, and began to learn the social side, they were a great bunch, and I realized “normal” people could run a marathon, so it gave me hope.
The next year, same Jeff Galloway walk/run/walk method, I trained for a full with a goal of 4:20, and achieved it, in a rain storm and kilt, I ran 4:14 and felt good. (Illinois marathon, April 2016)
By now I had met the trail running sub community of the local runners and was fully hooked on that. I now knew plenty of normal people, students or teachers, lawyers, farmers, or office staff, stay at home parents or retirees, all who would meet up and go run 20-30 miles on Saturday just for fun, and quickly I wanted to be there too. So after my marathon, it was just a natural progression to push a few more miles, and in the fall of 2016 I drove up to Wisconsin to run the North Face Endurance Challenge 50K I had a group of running friends, so yes it was a challenge, but I laid out a 6:07 race and absolutely loved it!
After my first 50K, I was preparing for follow up race a few months later and while stepping off a curb for a short city run on a cold winter night, I ruptured the Soleus Tendon in my left calf. Several trips to sports medicine, a wrong diagnosis, and eventually a MRI found out what had happened, and I was out. No running for a minimum of 3-6 months, and as it was, I was restricted to no movement as we had a very short window of time to reduce the size of my hematoma before requiring surgical intervention. I was crushed, but I had hope. I followed Dr’s orders, heat, wraps, crutches, horizontal time on the couch, and it got better. I didn’t run for months, but eventually I get back.
My first race back was a mountain trail 25k in Colorado while training for work, in a blizzard (Cheyenne Mountain Trail Race, April 2017). It helped me go slow and was a fantastic experience on mountain trails!
I re-ran the North Face 50K later that year (2017), and it was hotter and harder, a good lesson that each day on the trail is unique, even if it’s the exact same course, it can all change. My training wasn’t as good and I felt it, but I finished, and had solidified in my mind that I could do this.
My job got crazy and demanded too much, and my running took a hit (as well as Wisconsin winter), but spring of 2018 I quit that job and refocused my priorities. I started tracking my calories and working to shed some more weight and run more. I was feeling better all summer, and with relatively short planning (5-6 weeks), signed up the Bigfoot 40 mile race out in Washington (August 2018). I love mountains, always have, and this was an opportunity for an epic and challenging race to push myself, I felt like 50K’s were not enough. I pushed and trained and planned and absolutely loved my time on the mountain, it was a hard day but I did it and learned a lot about my gear and myself, and finished in 12:25.
(this narrative fades here as the race reports begin to take on their own life)
Fresh off of that success, I jumped into the Natchez 50 Miler and my first 100k’s in 2019, it’s exciting still to travel on my own 2 feet through the wilderness, and I’m going to keep pushing to see what I can do until I’m no longer able, then maybe I’ll take up recumbent biking :)
For more frequent daily junk and random trail running photos and training progress, I dump a fair amount on the old instagram, and my garmin watch automatically links to strava, so here ya go:
Follow me on
Strava.com/athletes/trailrun1980
Instagram.com/trailrun1980
This is just intended to be an easy place for me to throw down some info about some races I've been able to participate in, I'm not an experienced blogger, but often during my race research I come up with limited info, so maybe my notes can help you. And to be honest, writing after a race helps me digest the event, to think about how things went, and remind myself later what worked or did not.
I've only been running since around 2011, and my first ultra 50k was fall of 2016, and larger was late 2018, so this is all new and I'm learning as I go, I make no promises of knowing what I'm doing! That being said, I am feeling great about how things are going so far :D
Here's a running list of the races I've ran, honestly this is more for me and my bad memory: Complete Race History
And more recently more has been tied to Ultrasignup.com as well.
The 5(ish) minute bio.
I grew up playing little league baseball for a few years, but besides that, I absolutely hated exercise. Running the mile in high school was painful, I found no enjoyment in it, that’s for sure.
Fast forward to 2009, I’m almost 30, I recently quit my 1-2 pack per day smoking habit, and am stacking on the weight by eating copious amounts of food and large volumes of craft beer. I was always restless and anxious after stopping smoking, but exercise was still hard. I met my now wife, and we decided a little health checkup wouldn’t be a bad idea, so I went to the doctor to be told how well I was doing, and left with a diagnosis that my cholesterol & triglycerides were sky high and off the charts, my blood pressure was high, and I was generally in bad shape (all 270+ pounds of me).
That was the final push I needed.
I changed all of my habits. Substantially less beer. No more fast food burgers. More fruit & veggies. Started packing my lunch for work. Drank a ton more water. And I started to run.
(side note: all of this story is a partnership, my wife also started running with me and changed her habits, we became each other’s motivators and coaches and participants, so while I will tell this as a personal story, know most of this is a joint story of us)
I downloaded a few apps to my new smart phone, at that time, I liked Endomondo, and then went for a run. I ran late at night so no one could see me. I managed a walk/run of a mile. Eventually 2. Eventually even 3 miles. Then I could run a whole mile without stopping. This was all new, I’d look back at my run on the computer and it was so cool that my own 2 feet took me through those paths and neighborhoods, I was exploring new areas, blocks from my own house. I slowly built up my distances, I was probably up to 4 or 5 miles in an hour, lots of walking mixed in, and I wanted to sign up for my first marathon (a 5K). By now I’d lost close to 50 pounds, and was enjoying this new found hobby, where I actually felt good.
Over training did hit while riding my new bike (cross training of sorts), and I inflamed my IT band (outside at right knee), so I ended up having to walk the 1 mile fun walk instead of the 5K, but I got to see the crowds and experience the excitement in the group, and knew I’d get back to it. (Kaleo K9 5K, Sacramento CA, July 2011)
Time and (painful) home therapy and the leg healed, and I geared up for another race. This one was now the Octobrewfest in Davis CA, October 2011. I showed up as prepared as you’d expect, not ready for a hills (an overpass) and wearing the wrong stuff, but I was there. I managed a 27:24 5k and loved it.
Ran more 5K’s, got into a 10K or two, and by the next year I stretched out and aimed for a half, I did the whole “train to 10 miles and wing the rest” and failed, I bonked and missed my goal by 10 minutes, but I learned many things. I knew nothing of nutrition or hydration, I did carry a backpack & water for training, but didn’t know what I was doing. My time was 2:08 at the Davis Moonlight Race (July 2012), not bad, but I really wanted sub 2, I was a new runner, but my competitive side was showing already.
More shorter races happened, some Warrior Dash 5K mud runs, a few moves through a few states, some mountain time in the PNW, and life. We relocated to central Illinois, and increased the running again as we needed to get active again, and there wasn’t much else to do (and it was easier to run in the flat Midwest). I trained for the half again, same sub 2 goal, but by 2015 technology has picked up. We found Jeff Galloway and his walk/run/walk method, which we liked. I started to experiment with nutrition, and began to develop my abilities. I ran the Illinois half in April of 2015, and got my 1:57, and had a great time.
Around this time I met the local running group, and began to learn the social side, they were a great bunch, and I realized “normal” people could run a marathon, so it gave me hope.
The next year, same Jeff Galloway walk/run/walk method, I trained for a full with a goal of 4:20, and achieved it, in a rain storm and kilt, I ran 4:14 and felt good. (Illinois marathon, April 2016)
By now I had met the trail running sub community of the local runners and was fully hooked on that. I now knew plenty of normal people, students or teachers, lawyers, farmers, or office staff, stay at home parents or retirees, all who would meet up and go run 20-30 miles on Saturday just for fun, and quickly I wanted to be there too. So after my marathon, it was just a natural progression to push a few more miles, and in the fall of 2016 I drove up to Wisconsin to run the North Face Endurance Challenge 50K I had a group of running friends, so yes it was a challenge, but I laid out a 6:07 race and absolutely loved it!
After my first 50K, I was preparing for follow up race a few months later and while stepping off a curb for a short city run on a cold winter night, I ruptured the Soleus Tendon in my left calf. Several trips to sports medicine, a wrong diagnosis, and eventually a MRI found out what had happened, and I was out. No running for a minimum of 3-6 months, and as it was, I was restricted to no movement as we had a very short window of time to reduce the size of my hematoma before requiring surgical intervention. I was crushed, but I had hope. I followed Dr’s orders, heat, wraps, crutches, horizontal time on the couch, and it got better. I didn’t run for months, but eventually I get back.
My first race back was a mountain trail 25k in Colorado while training for work, in a blizzard (Cheyenne Mountain Trail Race, April 2017). It helped me go slow and was a fantastic experience on mountain trails!
I re-ran the North Face 50K later that year (2017), and it was hotter and harder, a good lesson that each day on the trail is unique, even if it’s the exact same course, it can all change. My training wasn’t as good and I felt it, but I finished, and had solidified in my mind that I could do this.
My job got crazy and demanded too much, and my running took a hit (as well as Wisconsin winter), but spring of 2018 I quit that job and refocused my priorities. I started tracking my calories and working to shed some more weight and run more. I was feeling better all summer, and with relatively short planning (5-6 weeks), signed up the Bigfoot 40 mile race out in Washington (August 2018). I love mountains, always have, and this was an opportunity for an epic and challenging race to push myself, I felt like 50K’s were not enough. I pushed and trained and planned and absolutely loved my time on the mountain, it was a hard day but I did it and learned a lot about my gear and myself, and finished in 12:25.
(this narrative fades here as the race reports begin to take on their own life)
Fresh off of that success, I jumped into the Natchez 50 Miler and my first 100k’s in 2019, it’s exciting still to travel on my own 2 feet through the wilderness, and I’m going to keep pushing to see what I can do until I’m no longer able, then maybe I’ll take up recumbent biking :)
For more frequent daily junk and random trail running photos and training progress, I dump a fair amount on the old instagram, and my garmin watch automatically links to strava, so here ya go:
Follow me on
Strava.com/athletes/trailrun1980
Instagram.com/trailrun1980
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