Sometimes things don't go as planned. The short version is that I dropped out of my attempt at the Bear 100 at mile 51. I had been experiencing more than the normal amount of foot pain since mile 30, but I brushed it off. It got much worse. My friend Dan Boyer graciously showed up early to pace me, so I picked him up at mile 45. From mile 45 to mile 51 took a little over 3 hours. Every step sent involuntary grunts and gasps echoing into the forest. The pain was deep, sharp, and shooting with each step straight from the bones in the balls of both feet. I'm not new to ultras or training and pushing through pain. I thought my feet were broken, and I couldn't fathom a 49 mile death march to the finish. Dan kept me moving and kept me from laying down in the snow and giving up. I knew I was done before we got to the aid station. It was a tough choice.
It was a tough choice mostly due to the great people in my life who had taken time from their own busy lives to help me. I guess I've matured, because my deepest disappointment is that I was unable to make it a more satisfying experience for them. Tara, Dan B, Dan C, Murray, and Cherri. Thanks for caring about and supporting me.
I'm really not personally all that disappointed. I got to take a day off work and run through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery I've ever experienced. People went out beforehand and marked out a challenging scenic course, so all I had to do was look for orange ribbons. Every 10 miles or so I had selfless, hard working volunteers running aid stations in remote backcountry locations catering to my every need. At several of these stations I got to be taken care of (perfectly, as usual) by my wonderful, beautiful wife. All I had to do was run. I didn't have to think about money, death, schedules, wants, needs. All I had to do was run on single track trails and dirt roads, through rocks, mud, snow, mist, golden aspens, sunshine and total darkness. Breathing and putting one foot in front of the other. I listened to an audio version of A Farewell to Arms. I listened to Queens of the Stone Age, Leonard Cohen, Alt-J, Lana Del Rey, Damien Jurado, and Iggy and the Stooges. I met and talked with a few pretty interesting folks, most of them much older than me, and faster. I felt great. It's such a simple experience, it's incredible, it's sublime, and it's just running. That's all.
Training continues. My feet are already feeling better, and the pain is more localized in the joints at the base of my big toes. Other than that and just a little stiffness, I feel awesome. After the Devil's Backbone 50 back in July I was ruined for almost a week. Not this time. I'll chalk this up to a successful summer of training.
Winter is almost here, and it's time to switch training gears. Speed and power. I miss the barbell. There's also a couple 100's I'm looking at for next year. I failed at my one attempt this year, so I should sign up for two or three next year, right?
It was a tough choice mostly due to the great people in my life who had taken time from their own busy lives to help me. I guess I've matured, because my deepest disappointment is that I was unable to make it a more satisfying experience for them. Tara, Dan B, Dan C, Murray, and Cherri. Thanks for caring about and supporting me.
I'm really not personally all that disappointed. I got to take a day off work and run through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery I've ever experienced. People went out beforehand and marked out a challenging scenic course, so all I had to do was look for orange ribbons. Every 10 miles or so I had selfless, hard working volunteers running aid stations in remote backcountry locations catering to my every need. At several of these stations I got to be taken care of (perfectly, as usual) by my wonderful, beautiful wife. All I had to do was run. I didn't have to think about money, death, schedules, wants, needs. All I had to do was run on single track trails and dirt roads, through rocks, mud, snow, mist, golden aspens, sunshine and total darkness. Breathing and putting one foot in front of the other. I listened to an audio version of A Farewell to Arms. I listened to Queens of the Stone Age, Leonard Cohen, Alt-J, Lana Del Rey, Damien Jurado, and Iggy and the Stooges. I met and talked with a few pretty interesting folks, most of them much older than me, and faster. I felt great. It's such a simple experience, it's incredible, it's sublime, and it's just running. That's all.
Training continues. My feet are already feeling better, and the pain is more localized in the joints at the base of my big toes. Other than that and just a little stiffness, I feel awesome. After the Devil's Backbone 50 back in July I was ruined for almost a week. Not this time. I'll chalk this up to a successful summer of training.
Winter is almost here, and it's time to switch training gears. Speed and power. I miss the barbell. There's also a couple 100's I'm looking at for next year. I failed at my one attempt this year, so I should sign up for two or three next year, right?
