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Day 7 – 7 Dirty Thirties – Report

             I started this challenge to try to see how far I could go. I wanted to experience moments of doubt and pain because I believe that those are the moments that cause growth. But the truth is, that during the last 7 days, I did not experience those moments. It wasn’t until this morning when I slept in (6:15am??) and woke up to think about my journey that I realized that the challenge itself was not just this past week. The challenge started the day I came up with the 7 Dirty Thirties and it continued throughout the training. The last week was just the test and the celebration of the end of the journey. I did experience moments of doubt, exhaustion, and pain, but those came during my hardest training weeks, when I was out running alone, vulnerable to negative thoughts.

            That being said, yesterday was Day 7 and I could not be happier with how it went. I woke up feeling the most sore I had felt all week, but as I had done 6 times before, I got up, got ready, and got out the door. The weather was colder than it had been all week and it was even raining a little. I was a little worried because I didn’t have any rain gear and I didn’t want to get cold out there, but the forecast said it would be a partly cloudy day and so I figured the rain would clear up soon. 

Day 6 – 7 Dirty Thirties – Report

             “Pull over to the side of your journey and look how far you’ve come.”

            This is a quote that a Racelab teammate sent me this morning, before I started my 6^th day. It was the perfect thing to send me because I did take a moment to look back at the last six days and consider what I’ve done. I am still having some trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that in 6 days, I have covered 180 miles on foot. That is a little less than the distance from Chandler to Yuma, Arizona or a little less than the distance between Ventura and San Diego, California. I still can’t believe that.

Day 5 – 7 Dirty Thirties – Report

             Ok, so today was, for lack of a better word, spectacular.

            I woke up this morning and felt stiff and sore, just like every day so far and as I got ready, I wondered if today was going to be the hardest day. I kind of expected it to be but I drove those thoughts out, got my stuff together and headed out the door.

The Loop 1 crew!! I can't thank you guys enough!

            First of all, I had an awesome crew, AGAIN. My friend, Lou was there the whole day and he ran the last couple loops with me. Another friend and runner that I coach, Dennis, showed up sometime during my second loop and crewed for me the rest of the day. I had a crowd with me during my first loop: Racelab teammates, Ryan, Danielle, and Tyson, as well as local ultra-running legend, Jamil Coury (JamilCoury.com). My friend, Justin, who I hadn’t seen in years, joined me for loop 2. The company really makes a difference because it keeps my mind off of my legs and distracted with conversations and laughs, so thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey so far! 

Day 4 – 7 Dirty Thirties – Report

             120 miles in 4 days. I really can’t begin to describe what it feels like to say that that is how much I have run this week, so far. It’s not something that I could have imagined possible 6 months ago, but here I am, getting ready to go to bed and wake up to do it again tomorrow. Officially, I am over the halfway point and have fewer miles ahead of me, than I have behind me.

Manny, at about the 15 mile mark today. Thanks for 

sticking with me for most of the day!

Day 3 – 7 Dirty Thirties – Report

            I woke up this morning with absolutely no idea of how I would feel and how it would go. I’ve done back-to-back long runs before, but never three in a row, and never this long. So I wasn’t sure how I would feel but I went after it, followed my morning routine and showed up at the trailhead, ready for a good day.

            First off, I need to thank my crew today. My Racelab teammate Cassie was there when I got there and she didn’t leave until I was done for the day. Another Racelabber, Bryan, showed up at about 8am and ran two out of my five loops with me and kept me distracted and upbeat during the most difficult part of the day. So I need to thank them profusely because I don’t think today would have gone the way it did without their help.

Cassie and I before I started! She was out there the whole day!

Day 2 – 7 Dirty Thirties – Report

            After 7 hours and 9 minutes, Day 2 is complete and I have 5 more to go. I wasn’t sure how today was going to go when I woke up this morning. I was stiff and sore but I felt ok. After stretching in bed for a couple minutes, I got up and got ready.

Rise and shine, good morning San Tan!

            I got to the trailhead and got all my stuff ready. It was a little colder than I anticipated but I knew it would get warm later on, so I enjoyed the good weather while I had it. The start of today’s run was odd because my heart rate didn’t seem to want to get up to where it usually is. Once I noticed this wasn’t a fluke, however, I took advantage of it and had a good first loop.

Day 1 – 7 Dirty Thirties – Report

            Day 1 is complete. This morning I woke up and ran the first of 7 consecutive 30 milers. I did it in three 10-mile out-and-backs and I took a 6-minute break between the first and second section and a 25-minute break between the second and third section. Including those breaks, it took me 6 hours, 49 minutes and 8 seconds.

            I knew today was going to feel good and it did. From the get-go, I felt fresh and strong and even though I had a few moments when my heart rate got a little high, I was able to keep it mostly under control. I hydrated really well, drinking almost a full two liters during each 10-mile section. I also ate reasonably well, but definitely concentrated most of my nutrition intake into the breaks between loops. 

4 Days to Go – The 7 Dirty Thirties

             It’s Wednesday, May 6, 2015, and I have 4 days away from starting the most intense athletic endeavor of my life. 7 Days, 30 miles per day, 210 total miles; South Mountain, San Tan Regional Park, Usery Mountain Regional Park, McDowell Mountain Regional Park, Cave Creek Regional Park, Dreamy Draw Park, and South Mountain again.

            This journey has been an interesting one. While I have been lucky enough to get through the training without substantial injuries and very little conflicts, the struggle has mainly been a mental one. This has been the case, especially during the last couple of months. The daily runs, sometimes two, three, or even four hours long, begin to weigh heavily and there were times where I just wanted to stay home. But I did it, and I’m here, days away from beginning the final push. 

Race Report – 2015 Scottsdale Challenge Half Marathon

             As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I’m a big fan of the running shoe store, Road Runner Sports. The main thing I like about them is how active each store gets in the running community surrounding it. They put on a lot of great, free events, are a great resource to look for local races, and occasionally they support a local runner/blogger who is looking for help to achieve his goals (cough… me… cough). I’ve been involved with the Scottsdale and Tempe locations for more than 3 years now and the experience has been great.

Race Report - Crown King Scramble 50K 2015

             I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but some of the best races I’ve ever participated in have been those that Aravaipa Running puts on. This local company in Phoenix, Arizona really focuses on providing a good experience to the runner and it’s obvious that the races are put on for runners, by runners.

            That being said, I have absolutely nothing but good things to say about their Crown King Scramble 50K and I was extremely excited to be able to participate in this race after years of hearing about it. Between the challenging course, the breathtaking views, and the incredible volunteers and race staff, this year’s Crown King Scramble will definitely go down as one of my favorite races of 2015.

Race Report - The Lost Dutchman Marathon

            I woke up even earlier than my typical 5:00 AM rising time on Sunday, February 15^th, to get dressed and ready for the 14^th Annual Lost Dutchman Marathon. While washing my eyes out and getting my brain going, I felt a little strange. Here I was, on the morning of a full, 26.2 mile marathon and I didn’t feel the pre-race jitters typical of race day. I didn’t have any gear laid out or prepared, except for the race number that I attached to my race belt the night before. I got dressed the same way I get dressed for a long run and I decided, last minute, to bring along a hand-held bottle. I stuffed some Honey Stinger Energy Chews into my belt, threw on my Road Runner Sports hat and headed out the door.

I’m Back! Sorry About The Break…

             It has been a pretty long while since I’ve posted anything and for that, I need to apologize to anyone who might read this blog. I went back to school to finish my degree in Exercise Science and between that, coaching for Racelab and getting all my running in, I haven’t had much of a moment to sit down and write. But since life is all about finding a balance, I have carved out some time to update you, my tiny audience, about my training and my journey.

            The training for the 7 Dirty Thirties is going really well. I am getting all my long runs in, recovering well, and feeling stronger and stronger every week. Currently, I am averaging between 60 and 70 miles a week, with easy weeks at around 40-50 miles. This will continue growing over the next few months, and I am very excited to see what I am capable of.

Honey Stinger - My First Sponsor!

I have really exciting news!! This morning I got an email confirming my first sponsorship! Honey Stinger has been kind enough to show their support of me and my journey to the 7 Dirty Thirties. 

Training for 7 Dirty Thirties - Part 1

Up the Ante - Finding My Next Challenge

“Endurance sports are about finding a challenge and conquering it. When the challenge has been conquered, you must raise the bar or get bored.”

            Until recently, I was training for a marathon in February. I know, full well, the challenge involved with running a marathon and I will never diminish or discount it. However, I did not feel the excitement or energy that I usually experience when I start to train for my next goal. I did not feel challenged or pushed with the concept of training for a road marathon. I hadn’t fully realized this until I attended an event recently, called the TrailRunning Film Festival, which showcases short films about trail running, trail runners, and trail running races. During this event, I came to the realization that I needed a bigger challenge and that the marathon I was planning on doing was not enough.

How Do You Start? How Bad Do You Want It?

            There are a lot of people out there that want to “get into shape” and that want to “start working out.” I often get asked, “How do I start?” or they tell me, “I’ve been wanting to start.” So I decided to answer this question as best as I can and hopefully someone will read this and will finally take the step.

From 5Ks to Ultras, You’re All Runners

What defines a “runner”? What makes someone identify him or herself as a “runner”? I am a firm believer that whether you exclusively run 5Ks or whether you are an ultra-running beast logging over 100 miles a week, you are a runner. On more than one occasion, I have found myself in a conversation where the other person says something like, “I only run 5Ks, I’m not a real runner.” I can’t help but smile and shake my head when they say this because they are saying, “I only RUN 5Ks, so I’m not a real RUNNER.”

Racing in Adverse Conditions

This past weekend, the Soma Triathlon hit the streets of Tempe, Arizona. This race has been popular in the ever-growing triathlon community in Arizona for many years and this year it included the half-Iron distance, and an Olympic-esque distance called the Quarterman. The biggest challenge of the day was the Arizona heat, blazing down on the athletes during the final stage of the race: the run. Year after year, people have a hard time getting through the run, despite it being an easy, flat course. People cramp, hit the wall, feel sluggish, and generally finish saying, “the bike felt good, but that run was hard.” Of course, when the conditions change so drastically from the beginning of the race to the end, it is hard to gauge effort effectively and pace yourself in a way that allows you to feel good, despite a harsh environment. Or is it?

Mount Taylor 50K - Reflections

            September 27^th, 2014, Katlyn, my running partner and love of my life, and I woke up as we had done countless times before, got dressed as if by autopilot, and began preparing ourselves for the challenge of the day. The weather was much colder than we were used to from the last 4 months of training in the Arizona summer desert. There was a chance it would rain, but the sky was pretty clear that morning so it was impossible to tell. Another challenge we were expecting was the elevation of this particular race. We had trained at 1400-2500 feet above sea-level in Phoenix, Arizona and ran a couple of times at Flagstaff’s 6000-ish feet, but the 31 miles ahead of us today were all above 9000 feet with a peak of 11,300 feet. The air would be thinner than we had ever experienced, the terrain would be unknown, and the weather was uncertain. This left for very little that was under our control, but these conditions weren’t new or uncharted for us. This was an ultra, not a catered road race, and these challenges were part of the game. Overall, we were ready.