ICE AGE TRAIL 50: No Longer A Virgin

Ok buckle your seat belts this may turnout to be a long and somewhat rambling race recap. So lets begin at the beginning. In 2004 shortly before my retirement from the military I got the idea that I needed to run a marathon. I had always ran, both because the Army made me and because somewhere along the way I started to enjoy it. But just short stuff like 5 and 10K or maybe a 10 mile race here and there. So in 2004 I trained for and completed the Fort Collin's Colorado Old Town Marathon. That was fun, so I did the Des Moines Iowa and Madison Wisconsin Marathon's in 2005. I set a PR of under 4 hours in Madison and I was really starting to drink the koolaid as far as distance running goes. Then in late 2005 I heard about this guy named Dean Karnazes. Dean had written a book called "Ultramarathon Man." I bought it and devoured it at one sitting. I have since found out that Dean is somewhat reviled in the Ultra community for his self promotion but the story he told of all night runs and running hundreds of miles at a time inspired me. This ultra running stuff sounded like just the epic accomplishments I had been missing since I retired from Special Forces. So I found an ultramarathon within a 4 hour drive of my house. The Ice Age Trail 50 Mile was described as one of the best Ultramarathons to cut your ultrarunning teeth on. I decided that is exactly what I was going to do. Life had other plans for me however. On New Years Day 2006 I completed a training run of about 10 miles without incident. The next day my left knee started to ache. Over the next few weeks I kept running and it kept aching and then it started to swell. Sometimes it hurt so bad it would wake me up from a sound sleep. Being a guy I ignored it for  a few more months until my knee started "catching' when I bent it and sometimes the pain would bring me to my knees, no pun intended.

Finally I went to the doctor, who sent me to a specialist, who told me he could guarantee from my description that I had torn the meniscus in my knee and that I would need surgery right away to correct it. Well there went my plans to run an ultra, so I postponed my race for what I thought was a year because according to the doctor these things would be good as new in 3-6 months. Well I must be a slow freaking healer because I wore a knee brace and dealt with continued pain for another 2 years post surgery. I started to run again however and completed another couple marathons and many other races. I also started gaining weight unfortunately because I don't think I was running fast enough to burn the calories I was eating. At one point in 2010 I was at a post military high of 215 pounds, at 5'7" that is a little chunky.

I was still set on doing an ultra however and in December 2010 I entered and completed the Hawkeye 50K Ultra. Even though that was a great accomplishment I just wasn't satisfied. 50K races are only a little over 5 miles farther than a regular marathon and to me that wasn't ultra enough. 50 miles in my mind is where you get bragging rights. I waited too long to register in 2011 for the Ice Age Trail 50 and by the time I attempted to register it was sold out.. crap. It had sold out in about 3 days or less. So I was already in the middle of training for the May race. I found another race, Dances with Dirt in July and registered for that, I was going to run my 50 miles one way or the other.

Well to put it mildly Dances with Dirt was a spectacular blowup. It was July, 100% humidity, 90 degrees, killer terrain, and I still weighed about 205. This all contributed to me developing debilitating leg cramps and being forced to withdraw from the 50 mile distance and complete another 50K. But I learned and the Ice Age race was still in the back of my mind. I analyzed my failure in 2011 and decided I had been the victim of poor training, too much weight and poor race nutrition. I started listening to ultrarunning podcasts and reading about trail running,nutrition and gear. 4 months after Dances with Dirt in November 2011 I started my 6 months train up for the 2012 Ice Age Trail 50. I watched my caloric intake and slowly ramped up my mileage week by week. I also made damn sure I was registered the first day registration opened. Long story short prior to the race I ran about 1000 training miles and lost 40 pounds getting down to a weight of 165. That is what I weighed back in the 1990's. I WAS READY.

The Friday prior to race day we drove up to Wisconsin, the race being held about 60 minutes east of Madison in the Kettle Moraine state park. We had decided to camp out over the weekend and by we I meant me. My wife was ok with it although she may have preferred a nice hotel room. But me and Jay had a great time Friday night setting up the tent and watching Ranger TV.

We alos went into Whitewater and grabbed my race packet and ate some pizza. On the way back we scoped out the start line and I timed the drive from there to our campsite so I knew what time to set our alarm for. After it started getting dark we hit the old hay for some rest although I didn't sleep well in nervous anticipation of the next day. We rolled off the air mattresses bright and early at 0330 and fumbled our way around in the dark. I had slept in my running clothes so all I did was slip on my shoes and wait for Jay and my wife to get things together. At 0430 we met my sister and her husband at a nearby road intersection. they had driven in from Madison to help crew me for the race. They followed me on the 30 minute drive to the race start and we arrived right at my scheduled time of 0500 for the 0600 start. Score one for the clipboard guy, so far so good, the plan was running smooth. For the next hour  we milled around talked about strategy as I tied and retied my shoes and adjusted my gear. I hadn't been so nervous about anything in a long time. Finally the race director gave some last minute instructions and we were about to begin.

I positioned myself towards the back telling myself I was going to start out slow then slow down. That is the strategy all the accomplished racers said you should follow. I would be able to check out the terrain as the first part of the race was a roughly 10 miles loop on the adjacent Nordic Trail that would bring us back to the start/finish prior to heading out for the next 40 miles on the Ice Age Trail. So the gun sounded and I hit the timer on my watch, a few seconds after that I crossed the timing mat and I was on my way. This race did not allow music or earphones which I run with all the time so I was a little off my game at first but I soon settled in and listened to the conversations around me. At this point everyone was pretty bunched up because the 50K racers were also starting with us and there were about 300 runners trying to squeeze on the trail. The trail at this point though wasn't very technical and fairly wide as it was made for Nordic skiing. The loop wasn't too bad with only a few steep hills and easy running. I employed my strategy of one S-Tab and one GU Gel every 30 minutes. This had served me well on the two 50K races I had run as training prior to this race. It was during this section that a Marine named Eric noticed my tattoo and my Army shorts and we struck up a conversation. He was still active duty and was an active duty liason to a reserve marine unit in Milwaukee. This conversation passed the time and soon I passed the start/finish after about 1 hour 45 minutes. I stopped to grab some more gels and some water and I lost track of Eric. I would run the next 30 miles solo.

After passing through this area we headed north for 2 miles to "Confusion Corner." I would pass this intersection 2 more times before the race was over. This particular time I took a left and headed out on the 18 mile section down to the turnaround point. From now on the race would be run on technical single track with a lot more elevation changes and many rocks, roots and trip hazards. We would run 9 miles to the turn around and 9 miles back to Confusion Corner. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Due to the wonders of technology and good cell phone coverage I called my crew and had them meet me at the aid stations. They already knew when I wanted to change socks or get more GU or whatever. They did a great job. I made it to the turnaround and crossed the bridge to the aid station. I saw Eric at this point and he was about a minute ahead of me. I was taking my time at the aid stations, grabbing plenty of trail mix, HEED and other nutrients. As I headed back out on the return trip I started feeling the slight twinge of a potential hamstring cramp. I had felt this before at Dances with Dirt but this time I was prepared I upped my S-Tab intake to 4 per hour and had no cramping problems the rest of the race. It helped that it was cloudy and about 68 degrees as well. I met my crew at Aid Station #9 and they informed me I was over 90 minutes ahead of the required cutoff time. At this point I had covered 31 miles in about 6 hours, which was a good pace.This was good news as I had been worried about running too slow. After leaving my crew I just kept it slow and steady, putting one foot in front of another. At this point I passed into new territory, I was running farther than I had ever run before. I also started struggling a bit as my body was breaking down and I was running with no one else in sight for what felt like hours. Eventually I hit Confusion Corner again and headed out on the third leg which was a 8 mile stretch to another turnaround.

I just kept on keeping on during this section to the last turnaround, run, eat, repeat, up the hill, down the hill. The terrain was rugged but the scenery was awesome . Finally I hit the last turnaround and headed out on the last 9.7 miles to the finish

So at this point my feet were swelling and the soles were tender. I was starting to feel sorry for myself but then something happened. A guy came up behind me on the trail, I turned over my shoulder and asked him if he wanted to pass. He said" No you are doing fine" We started talking as we ran, his name was Tim. He was from Wisconsin and he sold Harley's. This was his first 50 miler and he had 3 girls. As we ran we talked about our families,running and things in general. Sometimes I would lead and sometimes he would. We kept making relentless,forward progress and as we talked the miles fell behind us. We hit the last aid station with 2.5 miles to go at about 10 hours 35 minutes into the race. Then Tim said something that was totally crazy..totally. He said" You know if we finish under 11 hours we can qualify for the Western States." The Western States 100 mile race is like the Boston Marathon of Ultra running. It is held on the Western States trail in California and you have to qualify, and get chosen in the lottery to run in the race. Then you have actually finish 100 miles..crazy talk. We looked at each other and by unspoken agreement we picked up the pace. He pushed me and I pushed him. I was running faster than I had the entire race after already running almost 48 miles. We powered up the hills and were passing runners left and right. When we heard the music at the finish line we picked it up even more. Running side by side we entered the clearing and saw the finish line, the crowd was cheering us on and I had intended to cross together but in the last 10 feet Tim said "After you, Wisconsin hospitality." So I crossed the finish line in 10 hours 52 minutes 36 seconds by chip time and Tim crossed a second later. I turned and shook his hand thanking him for pacing me to the finish. He said the same and then he disappeared into the crowd. I also spied the Marine Eric who had finished about 15 minutes prior. I thanked him for his service and he did the same for me. Then I wrapped my arms around my family and headed to the parking lot. This race was everything I expected after waiting 6 years. Now I can truthfully say I AM AN ULTRAMARATHONER. One more thing, Dances with Dirt I am coming for you!!!!

Should EMS Be Armed?

I am a strong proponent of the individual rights the Second Amendment spells out for us. Notice I said spells out, the Second Amendment merely defines or explains the rights we already possess. Government does not have the power or the authority to take these away. This is not a new or original position, and I am not the first to express it. It is however what I believe. I am permitted to carry a concealed weapon in my home state and do so religiously where legal and appropriate ( almost everywhere). I do not take this responsibility lightly. And make no mistake and armed citizen takes on an awesome responsibility. They incur the responsibility to remain proficient with their designated firearm and to stay vigilant and aware so as to avoid confrontation. They must be acutely aware of the force continuum and when to use it appropriately .

I also am very passionate about emergency medicine. EMS providers also need to be acutely aware of protocol and when to proceed into a scene. Scene safety is something that is drilled into every EMS student. However in the ever changing world we live in a scene that may be deemed safe initially could evolve into something quite different during the course of a call. Also you have rural EMS services where law enforcement may be a good distance away during the initial scene size up.

 EMS providers must be afforded the same rights and opportunities that are afforded to private citizens.Arming EMS in situations where it may be appropriate is a discussion that must be pursued.

Here are some resources to continue the discussion

An excellent podcast on EMS STANDING ORDERS

http://emsstandingorders.com/2011/12/13/episode-8-surviving-the-next-shift/

Posts by nationally recognized EMS educator  and Second Amendment advocate Kelly Grayson

http://ambulancedriverfiles.com/2011/09/06/gun-rights-were-winning/

http://ambulancedriverfiles.com/2007/01/26/the-armed-emt/

Discuss amongst yourselves

In which our hero becomes "The Man"

I was promoted at work this week, I wasn't sure it was going to happen but I thought it might. I really wanted it to happen a year ago but it didn't so this time around I was a little less hopeful. With this promotion I took over the operation of a business unit with a budget of several million dollars and over 300 employees. I am not sure how I feel about that. I am responsible for all financial results good or bad and I have direct influence on the livelihood of not only myself and my family but hundreds of people and their families as well. I am very humbled and nervous. I know I can do a good job but only time will prove this. How did I, the guy who still listens to Rage Against the Machine and the Sex Pistols, become the establishment?

Honestly I always wanted to be a rebel but I am just not very good at it. The main problem is I hate being embarrassed, and I embarrass easily. So therefore not matter what I do I try to do the best job I can so as not to draw attention to myself. I also need to be constantly challenged or I get bored and dissatisfied. This desire to not be embarrassed and to banish boredom led me to every elite unit or school I could manage to attend during my 22 year Army career. Infantry,Paratrooper,Ranger, Green Beret,Sniper,Military Freefall, Tandem Master, Jumpmaster Static line and Freefall. 82nd Airborne Division,10th Mountain Division, 10th Special Forces Group and the Special Warfare Center. While attending these schools and doing my job in these units I eventually rose to the Senior Enlisted ranks and first found out what is was like to be "The man." It was a new experience for me to be the one everyone looked to for answers and at the same time they blamed for their unhappiness or any perceived faults of leadership. Being the man you are both leader and scapegoat. You are held accountable for a lot of stuff you have no control over. Looking back on that period I think I generally did a good job and I think I was a good leader. However I made some enemies, and that still bothers me because I have never been quite sure if it was me or them that was deficient.

Towards the end of my military career I decided I better get educated beyond the high school level or I wouldn't get a decent job. So I did, eventually obtaining a Masters degree after 7 years of part time study and full time employment. It was tough but satisfying. I am proud of the fact that I obtained an Associates, and Bachelors and a Masters degree while working a full time and a part time job and establishing myself in the civilian sector. During this period I also become qualified as an emergency medical technician. I started volunteering at a local ambulance service. Once again after a year or so I found myself as "the man." Even though I have not obtained the highest certification as of yet I am at an Intermediate level and experienced enough that I am often assigned to be the in charge on our various ambulance calls. Once again people are looking to me for answers and any screw ups are my responsibility. How does this keep happening?

So back to the original topic, I have reached the pinnacle at least at the local level. I can go no higher unless I am transferred to the corporate office and opportunities there are very limited. It took me 18 years in my military career to reach this point. The point where I was responsible for decision making that had far reaching consequences. The point where any further advancement would take me out of my unit.  This time the curve was much steeper.  I started out as a part time employee for this company 6 years ago and now I am in charge of the entire operation. America is truly the land of opportunity and no one will ever convince me otherwise. I have some big shoes to fill but I have been there before. I also know you are only as good as your last accomplishment so I will not be resting on my laurels. However while I am strategizing and business planning I will still be the guy who froze Curley Ward's hat in a milk jug. I will still be the guy who cranks up the Metallica.

Thanks for letting me ramble

TrailMix 50K 2012

This race was to be the last long training run before the Ice Age Trail 50 and it followed the Hawkeye 50K that I had run 3 weeks prior. The race is conducted in the Hyland Park Reserve in Bloomington Mn. Bloomington is a suburb of Minneapolis/St Paul which worked out well as my brother lives in Otsego Mn which is about 45 minutes outside of the Twin Cities. Myself and Jay headed out on our 5 hour drive to Minnesota on Friday afternoon, arriving about 7 pm. We hung out with my brother and ate pancakes and ice cream for dinner.

Bright and early Saturday morning we headed to the park for the 0530 packet pickup and 0700 start for the 50k. First we had to stop so I could grab some bottled water and something for breakfast. I ended up eating a pop tart and Gatorade for pre race fuel. After about a 40 minute drive we arrived at the park visitor's center and I got my number and timing chip. Shirts and other goodies would be handed out at race completion. We sat in the car for about 30 minutes until I started assembling my gear for the start. I moseyed over to the start line about 10 minutes before start time and waited with the rest of the crowd. My brother Matt and son Jay followed me a few minutes later and we made small talk until the count down and starting gun went off.

As this was supposed to be a training run I started off at a trot hoping to try out my race strategy for the upcoming 50 miler. The race was a total of four 12.5 Km or 7.75 mile loops around the park. My crew of two hung out at the start finish line with my drop bag. The course was run entirely on grass or wood chip covered trails and was not very technical. There were quite a few rolling and even some steep hills on the course. I just settled into my pace as the course went up the first hill through a meadow then up another hill. About that time my pace program informed me I had completed the first mile in 9:49. I knew this would be too fast for the entire race but I was feeling pretty good. I decided right then to just go with it. I also decided that I would not walk all the hills as I had done in previous ultras. I would run them if I could see the top and only walk them if they were steep or I couldn't see the crest.  We went down a hill and hit the first aid station at about mile 1.5

About mile 2 I had to stop and tighten my shoes but for the rest of the race the were fine. After the aid station the course headed into the woods and up and down several hills until we looped back to the same aid station at about mile 4. The course then headed east over hill and dale until we hit a section of paved bike trail for about a mile that headed up hill. I ran on the side of the trail and avoided the pavement. We then headed on and out an back route on a wood chipped trail that was very spongy and soft. By this time the lead runners were starting to pass me headed the other way towards the start/finish. I completed the loop and headed back myself starting to pass other 50K runners as they made their way to the turn around. This section winded along side a lake and once we hit the eastern edge it took a left turn and headed to the start/finish. Lap one was complete for me in 1:20. This was relatively fast and but me on pace for a personal record. I didn't want to get my hopes up and just wanted to stick to my hydration and refuel plan. I had been taking a gel and salt tablet every 30 minutes as well as grabbing trail mix and powerade at every aid station. I had been drinking enough water that I was staying well hydrated.

I headed out and laps 2 and 3 were pretty much carbon copies of Lap 1. My rough splits were 2:44 and 4:15 for those laps. Between laps 2 and 3 I stopped to refill my camelbak and grab some more gels from my awesome crew. At the end of lap 3 I was starting to get a little bit of soreness in my feet but I told them I would see them in 1:20.

I was definitely on pace for a PR and unless I walked the entire lap I would finish somewhere between 5:30 and 6:00 hrs. My pace had been consistently in the 10:30-10:40 range per mile and I was feeling like my plan was working. But then things change as they usually do in a ultra. The first thing was I started getting lazy and mentally losing my edge. When I hit that first hill on lap 4 I decided to walk it instead of run. I mean I was way ahead what was the worry? I think right there subconsciously my pace started to slow. Runners I had been hanging with started to pull away from me and I also started getting passed. By the time I hit the aid station I was running 10:50 miles and I felt like I was giving it all I had. The second thing was I was starting to get stomach cramps when I took in solid food like trailmix so I had to stick to the gels. I was starting to struggle and even though it wasn't the worst I had felt on an ultra it was the worst I had felt all day. Eventually I was running through the woods with no one in sight in front or behind me. I was feeling sorry for myself  as I hit the point were there was 4 miles left to go.

It was then and there I told my self to man up and pick up the pace. I decided that this was going to become a race. Surprisingly as I lengthened my stride and concentrated on my form and foot turnover I started feeling better. I started feeling stronger, then I caught sight of a runner ahead of me and I was determined to catch that runner. She started walking up the hill with the bike path and I kept my feet and arms moving. I concentrated on my breathing as I passed her on the uphill. I then saw another runner and I passed him too. With everyone I caught I felt stronger and stronger. I felt like Anton Kupicka racing the Western States 100 or Geoff Roes powering up the mountains of Alaska. I felt like I was an elite runner like I was flying down the trail (in reality I was probably doing 8-9 minute miles but whatever). I blew right through the last aid station with 2 miles to go. I smelt the barn and picked the pace up even more. I passed 6 runners in those last 4 miles beating the closest one by almost 2 minutes. I crossed the finish line in 5:24:56.8. I beat my previous Personal Best for the 50K by by almost 50 minutes. I had just set it 3 weeks previously. This race was the culmination of 6 months of training and with 3 weeks before my second 50 mile attempt it is time to taper. Ice Age Trail 50 I am coming for you.

FlashBack Friday: Inaugural Groton Road Race 1992

Most of you know I like to run. At my age it has become the only competitive athletic event I still do on a regular basis. Sure I like to shoot, mountain bike, play golf and swim but running is my sport. Running is the thing I consistently do day in and day out. I am always training for my next race, races that I obsessively plan out months in advance. This keeps me from becoming a has-been coach potato if only for 30 minutes a day. This is all somewhat strange as I was never a runner as a youngster. When I was young running was only a means to an end. I never ran track or cross country in high school although I wish I had. I ran to lose weight for wrestling, I was a wrestler and running was the unpleasant torture I put myself through to become a lighter one. After high school when I joined the military running was still a necessary evil. As a paratrooper we ran in boots in tight formation singing cadence at the top of our lungs. Later when I started attending a few elite schools like US Army Ranger School and the Special Forces Qualification Course running was used as punishment and to weed out the weak. As the saying goes you don't have to be the fastest just don't be the slowest.

Eventually I made my way to my first Special Forces assignment on ODA 085 Ft Devens Massachusetts. In Special Forces everyday was a competition. When we lined up for our morning run there was no easy day, we took off like bats out of hell trying our best to beat our teammates back to the team room after covering the predetermined route. Fortunately or unfortunately my team had some phenomenal  athletes. One in particular, Carl could run like no one I had ever met before. Everyday I would try to catch him and inevitably he would leave us all in the dust. However as time went by I started noticing that although I never caught Carl I was starting to beat my other teammates on a regular basis.

As time went by Carl made a permanent change of station move and my team deployed to Incirlik Turkey to provide Combat Search and Rescue coverage for the Iraqi no fly zone, that was in place after the Gulf War. By the power of circumstance I had now become the fastest guy on the team.We would run the 8 miles around the airfield for team PT and I would just fly, letting my legs take me where they wanted.  The rhythmic drumming of the Native American music my wife had sent me played through my head as I sucked air deep into my lungs and ran towards the rising sun. At the end of the run I would stop in front of our team GP large tent and patiently wait for the rest of my teammates to catch up. I think it was in Incirlik where I started to enjoy running just for the joy of running.

I was making our bed the other day and I noticed the design for the Groton Road race on the "quilt of awesomeness" my Mother made for me out of old race t shirts.

Reading the date I realized it was 20 years ago this month that I ran my first competitive race. We had returned to Ft Devens from Incirlik some months earlier. One day while we were hanging around the team room one of my teammates mentioned that there was a guy on another team that had paid to run in this 10 kilometer race in nearby Groton, Ma but he would not be able to run the race. He was giving away his entry and wanted to know if anyone wanted it. For some reason I thought that sounded like a good idea, so I was in.

I woke up the morning of the race and drove the few miles to Groton from where I lived in Pepperell. I parked in front of the school and went inside to check in. I had to tell a little white lie and make the people believe that I was the other fella but they gave me my number, tshirt and safety pins. I asked them what the pins were for? They told me it was to put my number on my shirt ( new guys, geeez). I kinda milled around with  the rest of the folks at the starting line until they announced the race was about to begin. I had no idea where to stand so I just stood in the middle of the group. Plus or minus a few minutes from race time a starter pistol went off and the pack started surging forward. Being in the middle wasn't the best plan as I got stuck behind a bunch of people walking or jogging across the start line. Eventually I worked my way to the outside and tried to make up some time by running off road on the people lawns that bordered the course. I jumped back on the road as we took a hard right and headed out of town. I had no idea how far 10K was compared to what I usually ran and I had no concept of pace. I was just running as hard as I could until someone told me to stop. The course wended its way on country roads through the beautiful New England countryside. After 21 years I don't remember a lot of race details I just remember we ran up and down hills and through neighborhoods and villages. It was exhilarating to be part of this inaugural road race.

We turned back towards Groton and finished where we had started. I crossed the finish line somewhere under 40 minutes and in the top third of the racers. I was tired but I was hooked. In the years since this first race I have run too many 5 and 10K races to keep track of. I have run a dozen half marathons (13.1 miles) and 7 actual marathons (26.2 miles). Currently I am on an ultra marathon/trail race kick and have finished three 50K races with some 50 milers planned for this summer. Although I am definitely not the fastest anymore or even in the top third, running has become my hobby and my passion. It all started on a whim 21 years ago.