2011 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run Race Report: Part Five

Part One- Pre-Race Festivities

Part Two- The First 43 Miles

Part Three- The Dreaded Canyons

Part Four- The Frantic Race Against the Clock

In the last installment, Jeremiah and I safely arrived at the Highway 49 aid station.  When he began pacing me way back at Foresthill at mile 62, I was 45 minutes over the 24 hour cutoff.  We spent the last 31.5 miles hammering away at that time.  Read More...

2011 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run Race Report- Part Four

Part One- Pre-Race Festivities

Part Two- The First 43 Miles

Part Three- The Dreaded Canyons

The last installment ended as Jeremiah and I were leaving the Foresthill Aid Station.  For the first time in the race, I realized I was making MUCH better time than I thought.  I was 45 minutes over the 24 hour pace.  If I could manage to make up that 45 minutes over the last 38.2 miles, I Read More...

2011 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run Race Report- Part Three

Part One- Pre-Race Festivities

Part Two- The First 43 Miles

In the last chapter, I gave a rough outline of the time before hitting the Last Chance Aid Station.  Actually, I’m not even positive my memories before the Last Chance aid station are correct.  At that point in a 100 miler, I tend to focus inwardly and ignore the details like the sequence of events. I rely on my crew to remember important (i.e.- Read More...

2011 Western States 100 mile Endurance Run Race Report- Part Two

Read part one here: Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run  Race Report Part One

In the last chapter, my crew and I were hanging out in Squaw Valley having a good time while waiting for the start of the race.  I had just gone to bed the evening before the race.

I opened my eyes.  The room was dark except for the creepy shadows cast by the permanently-installed night light wired to the hotel wall.  Read More...

Run for Fun: A Running Plan for the Rest of Us

My post on my Western States training regimen received some interesting responses. Quick summary- I managed to finish the 100.2 mile race with a training regimen based entirely on the occasional long run mixed with some hill repeats. All my workouts were done for a specific reason- they were fun.

In some cases, those workouts may have been done with friends. Other times they were done in new and interesting locations. In every Read More...

Western States Training Update- Less Than a Week to Go!

Shelly and I just got back from our Boulder, Colorado trip (see some pics here.)  The trip gave me an excellent opportunity to run in some mountains to experiment with variables I’ll encounter at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run this upcoming weekend.

The major variable was elevation.  I have never run at an altitude above about 1000′.  Boulder itself is situated about 5,400 feet above sea level.  While there, I Read More...

Just Say No to Ibuprofen and Some Pain Management Alternatives… Including an “Adult” Solution

Yesterday I had the opportunity to volunteer at an aid station for the inaugural Yankee Springs Trail Run in Middleville, Michigan.  I was there all day, so I was able to observe a lot of behaviors.  The weather was hot and humid (approaching 90° midday.)  There were three distances- a half marathon, marathon, and double marathon.

I was shocked at the number of runners that were popping ibuprofen during the race, especially the marathon and double.  Many Read More...