Dances With Dirt 50 miler

the race started off just like any.  i wasn't even going to do the Dances With Dirt 50 miler this year b/c it was only a week away from Ironman Racine.  i knew i'd be focusing hard on triathlon at this point in the year.  but i couldn't let an ultra that's so close to home go w/out having a crack at it.  besides, 50 miles is doable at this point.  i don't really give it much thought.  i've gone further.  i've never DNF'd (knock on wood).  the less i think about it and the less i worry about it, the easier it becomes. 

i got to meet Nick M. at the start of the race.  he's one of my longtime DM buddies.  i started out in the middle of the pack.  got stuck in the trafic jams of people as we all went uphill right off the bat.  i didn't talk to many people.  i just saved my energy and tried to find a comfortable pace.  took a header at about mile three.  the people behind me gasped.  two people passed me w/out thinking about it.  i got up.  the scrape that was on my hand from wiping out a few weeks ago was now open and gushing again.  nice.  dirty and bloody by mile three.  perfect start to the day...

i had a hard time getting comfortable and finding a decent pace for the first 18 miles or so.  but when i finally did, everything made sense.  we were going to be circling Devil's Lake twice, going up and down both bluffs two times each.  there's a large portion of the course where there's no trail at all.  you just have to bushwhack your way through.  and of course at the very end of the race, they send you up and down a bunch of ski slopes to see exactly what you're made of.

i passed a couple of strong runners at mile 20 that i've seen at other ultras.  they were struggling w/ the heat a bit.  i didn't know at that point that i was taking the lead of the race.  i didn't realize i was in the front until i made it to the aid station at mile 23 or so.  they told me i was the first 50 miler to come through.  i didn't believe her--i was convinced that there must be some kind of mistake.  i refused to believe it and refused to let it go to my head.  but at the next check point, they told me the same thing.  i was leading this race.  the next few miles was a little out and back on a gravel road so i knew i'd be able to see how far ahead i was.  right after the turn around i saw 2nd, 3rd and 4th place all w/in a mile or so behind me.  i didn't have near enough of a lead to be comfortable.  the next 20 miles or so was going to be hell and they would be hunting me down.  i took off hard and spent entirely too much time thinking about leading the race.  i'd never led a race b/f.  it stressed me out.  by mile 38, i was so stressed out i wondered how i was going to finish at all.  my legs were jacked and my heart rate was not coming down at all.  it was simply too hot and i was pushing it too hard.  there was no ice anywhere on the course so all day i'm drinking warm liquids.  no ice to put in my hat or shirt.  no ice for the camelbak.  brutal, brutal day...


i finally calmed down a bit by mile 41.  i accepted the fact that i was in the lead and i may or may not win.  i just needed to keep moving.  i was walking a lot of uphills by this point.  there were a lot of people walking the trails around Devil's Lake and they were all in my way.  but i'm sure they didn't know there was a race going on.  i think i sounded pretty rude and urgent as i let people know i was coming up behind them and i needed them to move out of my way.  i felt a lot of dirty looks.  i thanked them all after they had moved for me though.  at this point, i'm walking the uphills and sprinting the downhills to make up lost time.  every aid station i come to i slam down two drinks of Mt. Dew or Gatorade and take two gels for the road.  i fill up my camelbak every other check point.  i was suddenly on a mission and i became focused on getting to the finish line as quickly and efficiently as possible.  i was constantly looking over my shoulder, yet i was fine and relaxed w/ however the day turned out.  after all, i don't come to these races to win.  i just come to have a nice, long relaxing day where i'm completely leveled out afterwards.  my quads felt like they were going to blow up from all the downhill.  then at mile 45, they bring you right by the finish line.  right by where your truck is parked.  right where the spectators are lounging around and cheering and drinking beer and eating food in the shade.  they let you get a good smell of the food that's cooking...and then they send you up the ski slopes.  now my legs were gone by this point, so this was torture.  it was a death march to the top.  no protection from the sun and uphill slopes that never ever end.  it was awful.  i learned a lot about myself in those five miles.  i charged the downhills, still convinced that someone was going to come up behind me, looking more fresh than i felt.  somehow, i made it to the finish line.  i survived the fastest, as Dean Karnazes likes to say.  i took my ear phones out and the crowd was cheering.  they gave me an armload of prizes even though i could barely stand up.  i asked them if i'd won and they assured me that i did.  everyone wanted to know my name and everyone wanted to get me a beer.  i used the little makeshift shower they had outside to clean off 8 hours and 41 minutes worth of grime.  a guy named Mike crossed the finish line 20 minutes after me, taking 2nd place.  he's from Thailand where he works as a teacher and gets summers off.  i had run about four miles w/ him earlier in the day.  my sis and bro in law came to see me finish but were about 20 minutes late.  they nor i had any idea i'd be winning the race.  but i'm glad they came up nonetheless.  they helped me celebrate the hardest day of my life.  it was perfect...

active water

Ironman Wisconsin training has officially begun.  i have been spending more time in the pool and was able to get out for a 100 mile bike ride today and a 4 mile brick run afterwards.  i was extremely tired during the run.  HR was a little high.  but everything is right on target. 
i am now running to raise money for an important non profit organization called Active Water.  the money goes directly to Nambia, Africa and helps out a community that has no access to sanitary water.  the women in the village have to walk six miles a day for unsanitary water.  it's very disconcerting to think about.  just living in the US, we are in the top 90% of the world, financially.  this is something most of us have never had to deal w/.  if you are reading this, please donate to this very important organization.  only $25 provides one African w/ water for life!  any little amount helps.  here is my page. 

http://www.active.com/donate/activewaterupick/adammcroberts

please help my important cause.  i will be doing at least 3 more races b/f the end of the year for Active Water: 

Dances With Dirt 50 mile run.  July 9th
Racine Ironman 70.3.  July 17th (one week after my 50 mile run)
Wisconsin Ford Ironman  September 11th.

please support!  anything helps.  thanks for reading.

active water

the new cause that i am running for!  help support my important mission!!

http://www.active.com/donate/activewaterupick/adammcroberts

Kettle Moraine 100k race report

it was something i knew was going to be hard.  really hard.  but i signed up for it.  i did the training.  i prepared mentally.  i did the hills, the speed work, the miles.  and then the diet and the taper.  and b/f i knew it, it was Saturday morning, 6-4-11 at 3am and i've only managed four hours of sleep and it's almost time to run.

i got there early enough to get my race packet and take a half hour power nap in the truck b/f the start of the race.  i warmed up and sauntered into the middle of the pack.  some of the folks looked pretty strong and confident.  i wondered if they'd finish.  i wondered if I'D finish.  it was hot.  seventy-eight degrees at 6 am is not a good sign.  the gun went off and w/in a mile, i was sweating.  i was running w/ runners who just want to finish.  they walked all of the uphills right from the start.  i walked a couple w/ them.  i wondered how much energy should i conserve?  but this didn't feel like much of a race so i took off and tried to just settle into a comfortable pace.  MY pace.

the course is tough but i've run it many times b/f.  it helps to know there's nothing out there that i can't handle.  now the distance and the heat, i worried a little bit about.  but it's not like i'd be climbing mountains out here.  two-thirds of it would be in the woods.  lots of hills, switchbacks, roots and rocks.  the other third would be through meadows and fields where i'd have no protection from the sun and heat.  i wore my trusty camelbak that would hold enough water and supplements to get me from aid station to aid station.  i wore a hat to shade my eyes from the sun but my shades had broken on me a couple of weeks b/f and i hadn't found the time to pick up any new ones. 

i purposely left my Garmin at home, so when i settled into a comfortable pace i was going strictly on how my body was feeling.  not too fast, not too slow.  run about three-quarters of the hills.  keep taking little sips of water.  no matter how much you don't want to--you have to keep drinking.  salt tablets and gel supplements every 45-50 minutes.  no matter what.  don't kill yourself.  easy pace.  enjoy the day.  thank the aid volunteers.  thank the good Lord for giving you the strength to do something like this.  and just enjoy the moment.  there's really not much else i'd rather be doing than running through the woods on some killer trails. 

once i found my rhythm, i started to lighten up and chat w/ folks.  there was a runner ahead of me that looked exactly like my friend Henry.  so i just called him Henry.  i noticed he was wearing the New Balance Minimus and so i asked him how he liked them and then we talked shoes for about the next eight miles.  now that i'm spending my weekends selling running shoes, i happen to know a bit about the subject.  a couple of others joined in the conversation.  Henry started getting cramps, so he had to fall back.  then i met Dave who had never run a 50 miler but here he was, running a 100 kilometer race.  he said / it's gonna be tough either way, right? / and i agreed.  then i met Travis.  he was shirtless and had a large tattoo of a bonsai tree on his back.  he carried two water bottles and his pace was strong and relentless.  he said this was his third 100 miler and two years ago, did the Leadville 100.  i told him that was my goal for next year.  so we talked about Leadville and he gave me lots of tips and advice.  his pace was just a little bit out of my comfort zone, so i decided to stay w/ him for the next ten miles or so.  it would be just enough to push me up a bit and make some miles go by.  after a while, we were both tired and ceased talking.  just running along at the same pace, passing people and offering encouragement.  Travis was strong and on a mission.  when i made it to the halfway point, he didn't spend nearly as much time at the aid station as i did.  i was still fumbling through my drop bag when he took off.  go Travis! / i yelled and he didn't even look back.  i used the restroom, put on sunscreen, refilled my camelbak for the third time w/ ice and water, washed my face and neck w/ cold water, grabbed a couple of gels and hobbled off into the woods.  my legs were hurting but i knew they wouldn't feel TOO much worse at the end of the day.  i was half done.  i tried not to think about it.  i tried not to think about anything in terms of distance or miles.  it's just aid station to aid station.  i put in the earphones and listened to a two hour podcast while going back through the hot meadows where the sun beat down on my skin.  i put ice in my hat whenever i could.  i was still moving.  not only moving, but i was still running.  i wasn't walking yet.  eventually, i caught up w/ Travis.  he was battling the heat and at a low point.  i told him if he was okay to run, i could pace him.  he said okay but was struggling.  you have to listen to your body and you have to go at your own pace.  and Travis was doing thirty-eight more miles than me.  i told him to be strong and he said / i will / and somehow that sounded tough and meant a lot and resonated. 

by mile 30 i was drinking Mt. Dew at the aid stations.  i'd purposely cut caffeine out of my Life for days like today.  slam down a couple of Mt. Dews and that caffeine is going to make you run fast for the next eight miles or so.  at mile 47, i was struggling.  just wanted to be done.  switched to music.  this was my running mix, so this was going to help keep me company until the end.  it lifted my spirits and my pace picked up.  i never felt weak and i never felt like i wasn't going to finish.  i stayed strong most of the day and remained relentless in my pursuit.  if i saw a straggler on the trail, i attacked and then put some distance btwn him and me.  and then i'd rest.  if i saw anyone behind me, i'd take off and push two or three miles b/f slowing down.  i was barely hanging on but i was still attacking.  the last ten miles, i could barely stomach water or gels.  i was operating on will alone.  i had no idea how many runners were ahead of me.  i didn't even know what a good time is for 100k.  i was just going for it.  i knew my family was at the finish and i couldn't wait to see them.  the last nine miles is about the hilliest of the course.  i was power walking the uphills by this point but still moving.  the last five miles have mile markers up, so that's all your looking for.  marker to marker is torture when you just want to be done.  each mile seems like ten.  each hill seems like a mountain.  my heart rate was through the roof, mainly d/t the heat.  and then...there it was.  the glorious finish line.  i couldn't believe it when they told me i was 4th overall, 3rd for my age.  they awarded me.  i awarded myself w/ a garden hose of cold water over my head for about five minutes.  my family was amazing and brought me cold beer and a chair.  i took my shoes off for the first time and my feet were mangled.  but it felt so good!  that solid runners high along w/ the sense of accomplishment.  it was the farthest i'd ever run.  my pace wasn't bad either.  11 hours and 40 minutes.  for sure one of the hardest things i've had to push through.  but it seems pushing through the hard stuff is one of my specialties. 

i received lots of encouragement from friends and family via text, FB etc., and it was all GREATLY appreciated.  it inspires me to keep going and keep pushing on.  this is the stuff i live for.  this is how i do...

                                                   afterwards.  a chair and a beer is all i need!

Unbreakable: The Western States 100 - Journeyfilm Official Trailer

things that have helped me as a runner...

a few things that have helped me as a runner:

1.  shoes
first of all, you've got to be fitted and put into the right shoes if you're going to be serious about running.  i used to go to the mall and pick out whatever looked the coolest and i'd run in them for a few years until they were falling off my feet.  i was suffering running injuries all along but oblivious to the fact that my shoes were the culprit.  i thought that runners got injured sometimes and you can either rest or power through.  i usually did the latter.  but having decent shoes will make running easier and more enjoyable w/ a lot less injuries.  buy new shoes every 500 miles.

2.  GPS watch
i know there's a few different ones out there.  i use the Garmin 405.  it's probably not the best one out there but i love it.  it tells me everything i need to know to be able to successfully track my workouts and progression.  i will state that i DON'T like the way the battery only lasts about eight hours when using the GPS device b/f having to be recharged.  the day after my Garmin came via UPS, i went out for a bike ride that went much longer than eight hours.  i was only able to track about 110 miles.  but having the watch alone helps to motivate me and go longer on the trails b/c i'm able to track miles, elevation change, heart rate and everything else i need.

3.podcasts
i am relatively new to the podcasting world and most of it bores me to tears.  but there are a few out there that i've explored that have been interesting.  it's nice to hear the training plans and routines of normal runners.  i normally scour the internet for my hero's like Tony Krupicka and Dave Goggins.  i read about these guys who are running 100-150 miles a week and wondering why i'm such a wuss.  why can't i do that?  Goggins does it all w/ a full time job!  so Dirtdawg and Run Tri Chat have recently helped to put things in perspective for me.  i wish i could up w/ Geoff Roes for a month or two of mountain running or run 20 miles a day, lift weights and sleep three hours a night like Goggins, but i'm a real person that gets injured if i push it too hard.  it's nice to hear from the real people of the world.

4.  local running community
i've always been stubbornly against this one.  unlike many other people, i enjoy running alone.  i also enjoy running at night.  a lot.  when running (or biking) it's a different experience each time but most of the time for me it's meditation.  meditation in motion.  i feel very calm and very human afterwards.  i enjoy the experience of going out on a long journey by myself.  don't get me wrong, i enjoy experiencing them w/ other people too.  talking w/ friends help the miles to fly by quickly.  but ever since i was a kid, i went further than most and usually was by myself.  when i was 23 i was signing up for century rides but didn't know a single person who was into anything like that.  i also rode my bike down Wisconsin and camped along the way, that summer.  it took me seven days.  more recently, i climbed almost all of the 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado, most of which were by myself.  and that's how i prefer my adventure.  however, recently, i picked up a part time job at All Season Runner and have participated in a couple of the group runs.  now everyone's pace and skill vary widely and everyone has different goals.  but everyone enjoys running and triathlons.  so regardless--these are my kinda people!  everyone is encouraging and supportive.  they want to hear about your races and we all feed off of each others energy.  everyone has races they're working towards and everyone speaks my language!

5.  Dailymile
again, i like to run alone.  i don't feel i need support from others.  i don't need encouragement.  i like to run by myself, struggle by myself and cross the finish line by myself.  that's just how i prefer it.  everyone's different.  but Dailymile taught me how freaking positive people can be.  i've made tons of "friends" who encourage me and keep close tabs on my progress and / or slow times.  i've made some real friends there too, some of which i've even ran w/ a few times.  i can log my miles, monitor my progress and compare it to others.  naturally, i compare myself to all the top mileage dogs of Dailymile and wonder how the hell they are doing it--and it gives me something to shoot for.  and most days, i'm shooting for the skies. 

running and endurance sports are important to me and i don't just want to be okay at them.  i want to get better.  i want to run a hundred mile mountain race sometime next year.  that is the goal at this point.  these are a few of the tools i've used to get me to the point i'm at...