Triple D Winter Endurance 50K

Even though it is early in the season on a whim I decided to run another ultramarathon. This is the first ultra since my attempt to finish the Ozark Trail 100. I picked the Triple D Endurance race because I had run the half marathon  the year prior and the terrain was very forgiving and flat for the most part. The Triple D stands for Dyersville-Durango-Dubuque, three towns that the course goes through. It consists of mountain bike race, a 50K, a marathon and a half marathon. All of these races are held on the Heritage trail between Dyersville Iowa and Dubuque Iowa. The race originally started as a bike race and kind of morphed into what it is today. Although not strictly a fatass (unsupported race) support is pretty minimal. The support consisted of a ride to and from the start/finish and a t-shirt/medal. Theoretically I could have not even run the race as the finishers medals are handed out at packet pickup. Runners and bikers are expected to carry all other support items on their persons.

I woke up the morning of the race and drove the 90 minutes to Dubuque, picked up my packet and hung out for about 45 minutes until the pre run briefing. I talked to a few people I knew like Jenn from Daily Mile. There was a moment of panic when I couldn't find my face mask but all was well as somehow it had snuck into the backseat of my car. This was a legitimate concern as the temperature was about 7-15 degrees and wind chills were forecasted to be brutal. After the pre race briefing to which I only half paid attention  (this would be important later)  we boarded the shuttle bus to the Ultra/Marathon start line in Dyersville. During the ride I talked to Tim Smith the Race Director for the Hawkeye 50K which I will be running again this year. I was well hydrated and I was starting to be a hurting unit towards the end of the ride if you know what I mean. I wasn't the only one as when the bus deposited us at the start I would say over 50% of the runners raced for the rear of some farm implements to relieve themselves.

A lady met us at the start and gave us a little speech about the wonders of Dyersville. I felt sorry for her because it was obviously a rehearsed sort of speech and no one was paying attention due to the race anticipation and bone chilling temperatures. After about 10 minutes the clock hit 10:00 and she let us go. We were supposed to have a shot gun start but apparently the Sheriff didn't get the memo.

So I took off down the trail which for the first mile or so was paved and then it turned into a cinder/gravel mix which we would follow for the next 22 miles. This was the third time I had run this trail. The first two times were at the Triple D Half Marathon and the Run4 Troops Marathon respectively. I was feeling good and found myself setting a pretty good pace for the first two miles. I figured I better back off however as I hadn't run anything longer than 17 miles in the last 2 months and wanted to make sure I finished. When I slowed slightly Tim Smith caught up to me and we ran together for the next 18-20 miles. We were setting a decent pace comfortable yet we were passing runners occasionally. It is always better to run with someone else. It takes your mind off the task at hand. Tim and I talked about a lot of subjects and the miles clicked on by. I discovered after about an hour my hydration pack had frozen and I had to take it off and put it under my jacket. I managed to do this without stopping and after another 30 minutes or so it thawed out and I was fine the rest of the race.

The terrain varied on the trail from the cinder/gravel to ruts to ice covered. The ice was treacherous in spots and I really had to alter my stride in an attempt not to fall in a few places. We were passed by the occasional bike racer but it was mostly runners during this section.

Just prior to the first check in/aid station at mile 22 Tim decided to slow his pace some and I forged ahead. All the check in points were at bars and you had to go inside to get checked of on a clipboard. I was setting a good pace, better than I thought I would be able to manage. I was on pace for about a 5 hour race which would have been a PR. It was not to be however. I grabbed a piece of pizza that they offered me and slapped Tim on the shoulder as I left the 22 mile check in point. The next check in would be at the 26.2 mile and marathon finish. This is the part of the race where the wheels didn't actually come off but they did wobble a little. About 1-1.5 miles after I headed back out we had to do an out and back segment of roughly 3 miles. We took a left off the trail and literally ran across the dagger sharp remnants of a cornfield interspersed with ice and snow. We ran a crossed a few more cornfields following what I imagined would have been a snowmobile trail if there had been more snow. Then we followed the snowmobile trail through some woods up and down a few hills across another cornfield and stopped at another bar. The fields and woods took a lot out of my legs and I slowed considerably on this section. Also this was probably the only section of the race you could call techy.

When I checked in I had hit the 26.2 mile mark in about 4:18. Pretty good marathon time for me especially in those footing conditions. I asked the ladies doing the check in if there was any water. They pointed to a few pitchers sitting on a table. The pitchers had ice and water in them but I didn't think much of it as I slammed three glasses in rapid succession. Wrong move!!!!I got the biggest ice cream headache ever, so bad I was gasping for air. Once that whole ordeal was over I headed out for the last 5 miles of the race. On my way across the first cornfield I past Tim as he made his way to the check in. I continued back along my previous path until I hit the Heritage trail again. I was still moving good but I had slowed down after the cornfield debacle. As I got towards the end of the race I started crossing some highways and paved roads. The course was not as clearly marked as I would have liked but I managed to get within about .5 miles of where my Garmin said the race should end. That is when I made a mistake that has bedeviled ultra runners forever. I took a wrong turn. There was a small white sign to my left that said Pitstop ( here is the pay attention part). If I had been paying attention during the briefing I would have recalled that this was the name of the bar we were to finish at,however my eyes were focused on the big orange arrows pointing to the right that seemed to follow the same trail I had been running on for the last 5 hours. So I turned right and kept on running. About the time I crossed a major highway and started running up a godawful hill in the middle of nowhere I realized that no one would put a bar here and expect to get any business. I stopped and probably stood full of indecision for 2-3 minutes. Should I go ahead or turn back? Well I decided to turn back and when I got back to where I had originally turned right I saw Tim Smith climbing the hill ahead of me. He had turned left towards Pitstop as I should have done. So I followed Tim up the hill and down the road until we came to the bar and the finish. As I entered the parking lot a lady asked me if I was finishing. I said yes and she gave me a mini clap, that was nice. Also when I entered the bar all the other runners that were already there gave me high fives and claps. I checked in with the clipboard lady and she asked me what my time was. So I gave her the time off my Garmin plus about 6 minutes. I figured had run about an extra mile before I got to the finish. I still finished in around 5 hours and 30 minutes give or take a few minutes. The bar gave us free food and drinks so I had a cheeseburger and a diet coke which was spot on. They had brought our drop bags to the bar so I changed into some drier clothes and about that time the shuttle arrived to take us back to the hotel we had checked in at so I could pick up my vehicle. I headed back, hopped into the car and drove home without further incident.

All in all this was a fun day and I will probably race it again next year.

The Soft American

In 1960 then President-Elect John F Kennedy bemoaned the fact that the youth of the United State's were getting soft.

"Beginning more than 2,500 years ago, from all quarters of the Greek world men thronged every four years to the sacred grove of Olympia, under the shadow of Mount Cronus, to compete in the most famous athletic contests of history—the Olympian games.

During the contest a sacred truce was observed among all the states of Greece as the best athletes of the Western world competed in boxing and foot races, wrestling and chariot races for the wreath of wild olive which was the prize of victory. When the winners returned to their home cities to lay the Olympian crowns in the chief temples they were greeted as heroes and received rich rewards. For the Greeks prized physical excellence and athletic skills among man's great goals and among the prime foundations of a vigorous state.

Thus the same civilizations which produced some of our highest achievements of philosophy and drama, government and art, also gave us a belief in the importance of physical soundness which has become a part of Western tradition; from the mens sana in corpore sano of the Romans to the British belief that the playing fields of Eton brought victory on the battlefields of Europe. This knowledge, the knowledge that the physical well-being of the citizen is an important foundation for the vigor and vitality of all the activities of the nation, is as old as Western civilization itself. But it is a knowledge which today, in America, we are in danger of forgetting.

The first indication of a decline in the physical strength and ability of young Americans became apparent amongUnited States soldiers in the early stages of the Korean War. The second came when figures were released showing that almost one out of every two young Americans was being rejected by Selective Service as mentally, morally or physically unfit. But the most startling demonstration of the general physical decline of American youth came when Dr. Hans Kraus and Dr. Sonja Weber revealed the results of 15 years of research centering in the Posture Clinic of New York's Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital—results of physical fitness tests given to 4,264 children in this country and 2,870 children in Austria, Italy and Switzerland.

The findings showed that despite our unparalleled standard of living, despite our good food and our many playgrounds, despite our emphasis on school athletics, American youth lagged far behind Europeans in physical fitness. Six tests for muscular strength and flexibility were given; 57.9% of the American children failed one or more of these tests, while only 8.7% of the European youngsters failed.

A CONSISTENT DECLINE

Especially disheartening were the results of the five strength tests: 35.7% of American children failed one or more of these, while only 1.1% of the Europeans failed, and among Austrian and Swiss youth the rate of failure was as low as .5%.

As a result of the alarming Kraus-Weber findings President Eisenhower created a Council on Youth Fitness at the Cabinet level and appointed a Citizens Advisory Committee on the Fitness of American Youth, composed of prominent citizens interested in fitness. Over the past five years the physical fitness of American youth has been discussed in forums, by committees and in leading publications. A 10-point program for physical fitness has been publicized and promoted. Our schools have been urged to give increased attention to the physical well-being of their students. Yet there has been no noticeable improvement. Physical fitness tests conducted last year in Britainand Japan showed that the youth of those countries were considerably more fit than our own children. And the annual physical fitness tests for freshmen at Yale University show a consistent decline in the prowess of young Americans; 51% of the class of 1951 passed these tests, 43% of the class of 1956 passed, and only 38%, a little more than a third, of the class of 1960 succeeded in passing the not overly rigorous examination.

Of course, physical tests are not infallible. They can distort the true health picture. There are undoubtedly many American youths and adults whose physical fitness matches and exceeds the best of other lands.

But the harsh fact of the matter is that there is also an increasingly large number of young Americans who are neglecting their bodies—whose physical fitness is not what it should be—who are getting soft. And such softness on the part of individual citizens can help to strip and destroy the vitality of a nation.For the physical vigor of our citizens is one of America's most precious resources. If we waste and neglect this resource, if we allow it to dwindle and grow soft then we will destroy much of our ability to meet the great and vital challenges which confront our people. We will be unable to realize our full potential as a nation.

Throughout our history we have been challenged to armed conflict by nations which sought to destroy our independence or threatened our freedom. The young men of America have risen to those occasions, giving themselves freely to the rigors and hardships of warfare. But the stamina and strength which the defense of liberty requires are not the product of a few weeks' basic training or a month's conditioning. These only come from bodies which have been conditioned by a lifetime of participation in sports and interest in physical activity. Our struggles against aggressors throughout our history have been won on the playgrounds and corner lots and fields ofAmerica.

Thus, in a very real and immediate sense, our growing softness, our increasing lack of physical fitness, is a menace to our security.

However, we do not, like the ancient Spartans, wish to train the bodies of our youths merely to make them more effective warriors. It is our profound hope and expectation that Americans will never again have to expend their strength in armed conflict.

But physical fitness is as vital to the activities of peace as to those of war, especially when our success in those activities may well determine the future of freedom in the years to come. We face in the Soviet Union a powerful and implacable adversary determined to show the world that only the Communist system possesses the vigor and determination necessary to satisfy awakening aspirations for progress and the elimination of poverty and want. To meet the challenge of this enemy will require determination and will and effort on the part of all Americans. Only if our citizens are physically fit will they be fully capable of such an effort.

For physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body; it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. The relationship between the soundness of the body and the activities of the mind is subtle and complex. Much is not yet understood. But we do know what the Greeks knew: that intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capacity when the body is healthy and strong; that hardy spirits and tough minds usually inhabit sound bodies.

In this sense, physical fitness is the basis of all the activities of our society. And if our bodies grow soft and inactive, if we fail to encourage physical development and prowess, we will undermine our capacity for thought, for work and for the use of those skills vital to an expanding and complex America.

Thus the physical fitness of our citizens is a vital prerequisite to America's realization of its full potential as a nation, and to the opportunity of each individual citizen to make full and fruitful use of his capacities.

It is ironic that at a time when the magnitude of our dangers makes the physical fitness of our citizens a matter of increasing importance, it takes greater effort and determination than ever before to build the strength of our bodies. The age of leisure and abundance can destroy vigor and muscle tone as effortlessly as it can gain time. Today human activity, the labor of the human body, is rapidly being engineered out of working life. By the 1970s, according to many economists, the man who works with his hands will be almost extinct.

Many of the routine physical activities which earlier Americans took for granted are no longer part of our daily life. A single look at the packed parking lot of the average high school will tell us what has happened to the traditional hike to school that helped to build young bodies. The television set, the movies and the myriad conveniences and distractions of modern life all lure our young people away from the strenuous physical activity that is the basis of fitness in youth and in later life. 

NOW IT IS TIME

Of course, modern advances and increasing leisure can add greatly to the comfort and enjoyment of life. But they must not be confused with indolence, with, in the words of Theodore Roosevelt, "slothful ease," with an increasing deterioration of our physical strength. For the strength of our youth and the fitness of our adults are among our most important assets, and this growing decline is a matter of urgent concern to thoughtful Americans.

This is a national problem, and requires national action. President Eisenhower helped show the way through his own interest and by calling national attention to our deteriorating standards of physical fitness. Now it is time for the United States to move forward with a national program to improve the fitness of all Americans.

FIRST: We must establish a White House Committee on Health and Fitness to formulate and carry out a program to improve the physical condition of the nation. This committee will include the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and the Secretary of the Interior. The executive order creating the committee will clearly state its purpose, and coordinate its activities with the many federal programs which bear a direct relation to the problem of physical fitness.

SECOND: The physical fitness of our youth should be made the direct responsibility of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. This department should conduct—through its Office of Education and the National Institutes of Health—research into the development of a physical fitness program for the nation's public schools. The results of this research shall be made freely available to all who are interested. In addition, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare should use all its existing facilities to attack the lack of youth fitness as a major health problem.

THIRD: The governor of each state will be invited to attend an annual National Youth Fitness Congress. This congress will examine the progress which has been made in physical fitness during the preceding year, exchange suggestions for improving existing programs and provide an opportunity to encourage the states to implement the physical fitness program drawn up by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Our states are anxious to participate in such programs, to make sure that their youth have the opportunity for full development of their bodies as well as their minds.

FOURTH: The President and all departments of government must make it clearly understood that the promotion of sports participation and physical fitness is a basic and continuing policy of the United States. By providing such leadership, by keeping physical fitness in the forefront of the nation's concerns, the federal government can make a substantial contribution toward improving the health and vigor of our citizens.

But no matter how vigorous the leadership of government, we can fully restore the physical soundness of our nation only if every American is willing to assume responsibility for his own fitness and the fitness of his children. We do not live in a regimented society where men are forced to live their lives in the interest of the state. We are, all of us, as free to direct the activities of our bodies as we are to pursue the objects of our thought. But if we are to retain this freedom, for ourselves and for generations yet to come, then we must also be willing to work for the physical toughness on which the courage and intelligence and skill of man so largely depend.

All of us must consider our own responsibilities for the physical vigor of our children and of the young men and women of our community. We do not want our children to become a generation of spectators. Rather, we want each of them to be a participant in the vigorous life."

His word's are still relevant 50 years later. Every generation thinks that the one that follows has lost it's way, that they were in the "last hard class." I however do not worry about the generation that follows but the one I belong to and the one that went before me. Not only are thousands of my peers and elders slack of body but the are slack of mind as well. They willingly allow others to chip away at the freedom that many fought and died for. They sacrifice these freedoms for an illusion of safety and free cell phones. I am disappointed beyond belief and somewhat despondent. The recent legislation passed in New York State and the events of the recent past cause me to not be very optimistic about the future of my country. Tyranny is coming. I will not go gentle into that good night.

The Road to Tashkent and Why I Carry a Gun

In the fall of 2001 I was part of a Special Forces detachment that was training Uzbekistan Spetsnaz in Counter terrorism. I wrote about it in this post http://www.mikemac356.blogspot.com/2010/04/baxmal.html  . We would train our counterparts during the week and on the weekends most of us would make the 200 kilometer trip to the capital of Tashkent. There we would have a little rest and relaxation. The trip from our remote base to the capital was through some very dangerous country, on one of the only paved highways in the country. Although Uzbekistan is purportedly a civilized country, outside the cities it is in middle ages. The chief mode of transportation is the horse or burro and the people in the countryside live in mud houses with stables attached to the house. Goats are prized possessions.

Just like the middle ages the countryside crawled with terrorists and bandits. These ruthless individuals would rob or kill any target of opportunity they encountered. No one traveled the countryside with out arming themselves. Personally we were armed to the teeth. Often we would pass iconic Uzbeki autobuses on our journey to Tashkent. If a autobus got a flat tire the passengers had to unload and wait for the driver to hitch a ride with the tire, get it repaired and return. The passengers would build a fire and then post guards around the bus to protect themselves from bandits. These guards came from the passengers themselves and they pulled their Kalashnikov rifles from off the bus. These passengers realized that no police or military would be able to come to their add should any bandits choose to pay them a visit. They needed to be responsible for their own safety.

That is a mindset I had to internalize over my years in Special Operations. This was necessary for survival. Often our missions would take us into remote areas where help was days even weeks away. I mean when your escape and evasion plan involved moving thousands of kilometers to link up with "friendly forces" you were pretty much on your own. No help was coming and you had to rely on yourself to protect yourself, your teammates and what belongs to you.

Fast forward to today. I live in a smallish city by some standards and a larger one by others. It is the second largest city in the state and has about 200,000 residents. Generally it would be considered "safe." However we do have a few murders yearly and violence seems to be on the rise. In the last 3 days there has been a shooting in an area close to where I work and a car jacking within running distance of my house. My own daughter experienced a car jacking attempt just a few weeks ago at a stop light. The police did not arrive until after all these incidents. So I carry a weapon. I have the training, the ability and I think the duty as a responsible armed citizen to protect myself and those I love.

The key word for me is responsibility. No one is going to protect me but me. I would be negligent if I stood by and let my family or anyone else come to harm. I know this is not for everyone and that is ok. But for someone with my background I feel it would be criminal to ignore my duty to act. The biggest component of this is I have the proper mindset. That is also something others may not have, that is also ok.

So I have laid out the reasons that I carry a weapon. You can choose to carry or not depending on your personality, experience and training. I think this is true for all citizens of this country. I also think it would be an injustice if those that have never been in harms way and have never experienced anything outside their insular world take away my choice to defend what is mine. De Oppresso Liber and Molon Labe

Former Action Guy By The Numbers:2012

I wasn't going to write this post but the public demand was overwhelming in favor of continuing the tradition. Ok Ok my Mom actually wanted to see it. So with out further ado the 3rd annual Former Action Guy by the numbers post:

Officiating by the numbers:

Football games officiated: 13
Baseball games umpired:30
Wrestling matches officiated: 150
Officiated best example of sportsmanship I have ever seen: 1( Check out my "High School Sports: The Way Things Ought To Be Post.")

Officiating numbers were way down this year due to other priorities and some small amount of burnout.

Running/Biking by the numbers:

Number of Mountain Bike races: 0
Number of Running Races: 16
Number of Marathons/UltraMarathons:8 ( Check out my "2012: Year of the Ultra Post.")
Miles Run in 2012- 2579

Running was one of my other priorities. I really dedicated the year to running ultra marathons and trail races. My mileage was almost 1.5 times greater than last year's mileage.

Emergency Medicine/Law Enforcement by the numbers

EMS agencies-2
LE Agencies-1
Hours worked at EMS/LE- approximately 1000
EMS Calls participated in- 140 (roughly)
Babies delivered-1
Old Naked People - too many
Traffic stops in which the driver didn't have a license and spoke no English, but the passenger did-1

Random Numbers

Years since Military retirement-8
Years since joining Army-30 ( boy am I getting old)
Years since Ranger School Graduation-24
Years since SF Graduation-22
Retired Special Forces Brothers and former teammates that that crashed at my house: 2 ( Carl and Bob was great seeing you)
Promotions-1

2012 was another great year. As I get further and further removed from my military days I continue to integrate myself into a new life. I will always be an operator but maybe just maybe I can be something else as well

2012: The Year of the Ultra

So I started out to make this post my third annual Former Action Guy by the numbers post. As I started writing I realized this year's numbers were dominated by my ultramarathon running. I decided this post was not going to be about the numbers but about the year of the ultra. This year really started for me in November 2011, that is the month I got serious about nutrition and training for my desire to complete a 50 mile ultramarathon. As many of you read on a previous blog post my first attempt at the 50 mile distance was disastrous in 2011.

Well as they say it is mind over matter. Once I truly committed to my goal, things started falling in place like dominoes. I lost 35 pounds and have maintained that weight for over a year. I am lighter now than when I left the military in 2004. Less weight equals more speed and I set personal records at almost every distance I ran this year. From the 5K distance all the way to the 50 Mile. Not bad for an old guy. I committed to training and ran just short of 2600 miles in 2012, I competed in and completed 3-5K, 2-10K, 1-15K, 3-13.1 mile(half marathon), 2- 26.2 mile (marathon), 3-50K ultramarathon, and 2-50 mile ultramarathons. I even attempted a 100 mile ultramarathon but had to drop out at mile 90. So that distance will have to wait for 2013. I have been training and scheming and racing for a little over a year now.

But it isn't just about the races. The focus on training and nutrition has made me more aware and alive than I have been in a few years. Running has allowed me to meet some awesome people this year and for the first time since I left the military I have some people I can call friends. Friends that will drive 5 hours just to hang out and run all night or friends that will show up at your house at 3AM to accompany you on a training run or friends that will offer their hospitality and support time and again. Ultrarunning has allowed me to become part of something bigger than myself again. It has also allowed me to give back as I raised money for several charities this year. Charities like the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and Team Red, White, and Blue.

2012 was a great year and I am rolling into 2013 with some lofty goals. I have already scheduled 6 races for the upcoming year to include another 100 mile attempt. I also plan on taking some trips into the wilderness to climb and run. Things my friend Wilderness Bob would call the "adventure life." I am looking forward to it.

Is It Just me?

I didn't want to write this post but is it just me or is the incessant debate over gun control this week getting on your nerves? In the wake of last weeks massacre of small children at an elementary school in CT both sides of the debate are on the offensive, On one side we have the gun control crowd screaming that something needs to be done, and by done they mean varying levels of ban on forearms and accessories. The gun rights supporters on the other hand are voicing concerns over losing their rights and they are buying up weapons and accessories at an astronomical rate. Try getting an AR15 magazine anywhere I dare you.

I didn't grow up as a shooter or even a big gun guy. My Dad used to take me hunting  once or twice a year between the ages of 6-12 . I got a 20 gauge shotgun when I was 10 which I still own. I used to shoot some clays and some rabbits but that was about it. My Dad started traveling a lot in my teenage years so with the exception of a .22 rifle I used to shoot the ground squirrels in my yard I didn't have much to do with guns. I think growing up I developed a normal relationship with firearms. I learned to view them as a tool much like a hammer or a car. I went to hunter safety class and was instructed in the proper handling of a firearm. But firearms were not the end all be all of things. Some days I would shoot my .22 and some days I would ride my bike. They had equal importance. Guns were not a scary thing anymore than Dad's power tools were, but I knew you treated both with respect and that there were safety rules that needed to be followed.

Then I joined the military and over the next 22 years I was taught to use a weapon for self defense. I shot a lot of rounds and became very proficient with a handgun and a rifle among other weapons. I shot bolt action, semi automatic, and automatic weapons. I became a weapons specialist in the US Army Special Forces. Weapons of all types were my job from a pistol to anti aircraft missiles and everything in between. They were still tools, tools I could use to accomplish my mission. It was my job to advise the commander on what tool to use and to train my team and our allies on the use of these tools. I am comfortable with things that shoot pointy bullets. They are not a mystery because I am properly trained in their use and confident in my proficiency.

OK so here we get to the meat of the issue. I fail to understand and no one can explain to me why it is a good idea to take the tools I need to accomplish my mission away from me. The mission I speak of is my human right of self protection and the protection of my family. All the arguments I have heard on gun control usually involve controlling me. Why must I be controlled? I have previously been deemed a responsible armed citizen both by training, proficiency and aptitude. Why do the gun grabbers need to penalize me to secure our society? I would think the more prudent and economical approach would be to utilize individuals like me to help solve the problem. We are being treated as if we are the problem. Gun grabbers get hissy fit mad because I don't see weapons as an issue, but I really don't see that they are any more an issue than an automobile. Both have the ability to injure or kill. I don't see anyone seriously looking to ban cars that drive faster that 65 mph. Why, because it is ridiculous just like this debate on "assault" weapons is.

Those who want to eliminate or severely restrict the ability of citizens to obtain and utilize firearms are deluding themselves. Just like Al Pacino said in "Scent of a Women" " I have been around ya know." I have seen evil, I have seen things outside the insular little world that I currently live in. Trust me sunshine, the United States is not normal, we are not like the rest of the world. We are the exception. American exceptionalism is a real thing. But it works both ways, we must be vigilant so the attitudes and habits of the evil that is in this world do not destroy that exceptionalism. That is where weapons and specifically guns are needed. Based on my personality, experience and training I cannot ignore this evil, because I know it is out there. And we will not know when it will manifest. I am not speaking only of terrorism although that is part of it, I am speaking about criminals and other evil as well. we need the tools to combat this evil.

Folks I have a strong libertarian streak. I truly believe that no one should be able to impose their will on another without consent. So to me this gun control cacophony is nothing more than a power grab. Those that are scared of weapons or do not understand them want to take them from those that are not scared and do understand them so as to weaken them and make them more vulnerable. Because hey this is modern society anyone that wants to defend themselves is a nut. they must have a screw loose right? Isn't that what the police are for? I am a reserve peace officer, I also have my own ideas on what police should and shouldn't do. One thing I do know for a fact though is their are not enough police to guard every citizen and they are purely reactionary. By nature they have to be, there just aren't enough of them. To me taking away my right to defend myself is very serious business, I do not fall into the trap where I let someone else be ultimately responsibility  for my safety. I will use their help but the responsibility belongs to me and its is a responsibility that can not be abrogated to others.

Debate this issue all you want, this is America and healthy debate is good. However lets elevate the discourse above the tawdry journalism and name calling that I am seeing. Lets not shout down others when they are trying to make a point and lets get together on this issue. Just so you know however I will never give up my weapons..never

Molon Labe

Man They Got Screwed

I was listening to a podcast on my run today. That is not unusual, I do that alot. What was unusual was the podcast I was listening to. Most often I listen to running podcasts or maybe one about guns. The one I listened to today had caught my eye because it was about Native Americans.

My Wife is Native American, 100% Arikara from North Dakota. I have always encouraged her to pass her culture along to our children. This has been met with varying success based on her willingness to tell them and their willingness to receive the information. Bottom line alot will be lost to my children when they no longer have their Mother to tell them the stories of her time growing up on the reservation. When she can no longer make them fry bread or cuss at the "sahNIŝtaaká", the white man every time a John Wayne movie comes on the TV.

I understand her frustration, she has told me how she was treated growing up by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. How she was sent to a boarding school at a young age where they would not let her speak her native tongue and they cut off her braids. Mind you this was not ancient history this happened in the 20th century. And that wasn't all of it. I have also read quite a bit about Native history in this country in an attempt to learn more about my wife and how she looks at the world. So I thought I knew how Natives had been treated.

The I heard this story about how the Dakota people where removed from Minnesota and Northern Iowa less than 150 years ago. This story is riveting.

Man those 38 guys and the entire Dakota population got screwed

Naval gazing

I don't write a lot of posts about sentimental things but this week has been one of those weeks. It is a week that has caused me to be introspective and think about things I don't normally worry about. Things like my mark on the world and imminent death. Contemplating my own naval as I call it. Why am I even worrying about this things? This past week 2 individuals that I knew and worked with passed away. We were not best friends or anything but I did talk to them quite a bit during different times. Their deaths made me think about my own and I can only hope that my death causes someone to think as well.

Ron was an employee of mine who passed away in his easy chair on a Sunday afternoon. He apparently went in his sleep so it was presumably painless. Ron was a steady, punctual and dependable man who seemed to love his job. Ron would stop by my office everyday and greet me as he left for the day. Occasionally we would talk about baseball as I umpire it and he was a huge fan. We definitely had the employer-employee relationship but he was a genuinely nice guy and his death has affected me in a strange way. It seems like a cliche but it is my thought that he went way too young and somehow he didn't deserve to. His death made me think about what I am doing with my life and if I died in the next minute would I be proud of what I have done?

Dick was friend of mine from church, he was an older gentleman that was a pillar of our congregation. He always included my children or tried to get them to participate in activities at church.Even though they pretended not to like it I knew they appreciated his attention. If it was captaining a fish fry or helping set up for an outdoor service Dick was their to lend a helping hand. Such a kind and decent man should surely have a place at the right hand of God. I hope when I shuffle off this mortal coil I will have affected as many people's lives as he did.

Just sitting here typing this is making my mind wander to places I shouldn't let it go. I will close by saying thank you gentleman for letting me be part of your life and for influencing mine.

Rest in Peace

Chilly Chili Extreme 5K

I heard about this race from a friend of mine Ross just a few days before it was held. I hadn't planned on racing anything this weekend but how can you resist a race that has extreme in the name? I looked at the website and decided to play it by ear and race day register. This might be the first time I have ever raced day registered. It is definitely the first time in as far as I can remember. I asked Ross what made this race extreme and he told me all about the stream crossings and the obstacles. Not like one of the tough mudder type events but a run through the woods with benefits. Sounded like my kind of event.

I was a little hesitant because 2 days before the race I slightly re injured my ankle. But I ran some trail miles with a brace on it and it held up fine. So I figured I would do the same for the race. So I left the house early, drank some expresso and ate a PBJ pita on the way down. I arrived in plenty of time and was able to register and then run about 1 1/2 miles of warmup with some friends. Ross was there and I asked him what to expect. He advised that I should get in the front or I would get stuck behind the slower people once we hit the woods. So that would be my strategy and it worked fine.

This was a really low key event. The starter actually said Ready, Set, Go!!! So the bunch of us took off. The first 1/2 mile was on a gravel access road and I was able to work my way to the front. I saw Ross S and another friend Ross K up in the front. I would not see them again until the end. Those guys are fast. We took a right off the gravel and ran across a cornfield. You ever run across a harvested cornfield against the rows? Not the easiest on the stride and those stalks like to stick places they shouldn't. So after the cornfield I entered the woods in 4th place.

We were literally running through the woods following the orange marking ribbons. There was no trail, so we bounded over logs, climbed over rocks, and weaved between trees. I kept trying to catch the guy in front of me but I was putting out max effort and not making any headway. I was breathing hard and decided just to not let the person behind me pass me. And so it went over hill and dale. We crossed some more cornfields, waded a creek about 5 times. Used ropes to climb up the banks, leapt over logs, ran through a junkyard and some culverts. Crawled through some pipes and generally had a great time.

The course was somewhat confusing and I made a few wrong turns but I entered the last 1/2 mile still in 4th place and that is the way I crossed the finish line. Unfortunately 4th place in the race was also 4th place in my age group ( the age group was 22-49). I had a great time though and between myself and my friends we took 1st, 2nd and 4th men and 1st and 2nd women. I will definitely do this race next year

Character Building

Like many middle aged former athletes and guys in general I am a huge football fan. And by virtue of birth and the grace of God I am a huge University of Iowa Hawkeye fan. Growing up in this part of the country I did not have the priviledge of having a major league sports team to root for. The Hawkeyes was my major league team,College football is our major sport. I grew up 20 miles from the University and have watched, cheered and fretted over the Hawkeyes and their seasons for 40 years.

One of my best memories is sitting in my room at the age of 14 listening to Iowa play Nebraska on the local am radio station. Iowa whooped their ass. What made it especially exciting was Iowa was a huge underdog and at the time Nebraska was one of the country's elites. Iowa was supposed to be the pre conference cream puff for the Huskers but it didn't quite turn out that way.

So fast forward to today..this game between Nebraska and Iowa should be character building for me. Iowa has had a very bad year, they will not be going to a bowl game and Nebraska is probably going to contend for the Big Ten championship. Iowa will probably lose but hope springs eternal. I will watch the game and complain and think about next year.

So GO HAWKS and F..k Nebraska!!!!!

Sidelined

So it has been about 10 days since my 100 mile attempt and I have only run once since the race was over. I took a week off directly after the race and was feeling pretty good. So last Sunday, seven days after the race I went for a 4 mile run at a moderate pace. I was running with my normal Sunday running group and talking to my friend Brian. No big deal. Brian said "How is the ankle feeling?" I said "Pretty good." Right after that my ankle started hurting and by the time we got back I was in enough pain that it was altering my stride.

I had originally injured my ankle during my ultra. Not sure when or how but bottom line by the end of the race it was pretty swollen and tender. I thought a week of rest would be enough. No way Jose, as my little jog showed me.

So I am sidelined for awhile. This is the longest period without running since some plantar faciatis sidelined me back in August of 2011. That time I went a whole month without running. I am really torn right now between the desire to run and the desire not to reinjure my ankle. I have been wearing a cheap brace and icing it regularly. All the things you are supposed to do. I feel like I am missing something. I imagine all my running friends out having a great time on the trails while I sit at home and wish I was there. I am afraid I will get back out on the trails and all my hard work and training will be totally gone and I will be struggling to keep up.

This ankle better heal fast..now a moment of zen

Veteran's Day 2012

We few we happy few.....
Thanks to my Father Jack, My Uncle Jerry and my son Michael.

Thanks to all my platoon mates from the 82nd Airborne and 10th Mountain Divisions. "I am the Infantry, Follow Me."

Thanks to all my teammates and friends in Special Forces, The 1st Special Warfare Training Group and the 10th Special Forces Group. "De Oppresso Liber"

Freedom is not free

Ozark Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run:DNF

First I want to thank everyone that helped and supported me during my train up and during the race itself. My family for letting me spend long hours training on my days off when they could have made a fuss about me being gone. All my friends and family for the support,messages,suggestions, equipment etc.. The support I received was overwhelming and I don't think I will ever forget.

That which does not kill you makes you stronger. I always have thought this was true and I definitely believe it now. I experienced a DNF or did not finish at my first attempt at the 100 mile distance this past weekend. I was pulled from the race at the 90 mile mark for failing to make the time cutoff at the aid station. While DNF's are not uncommon in ultra racing, even the elite athletes experience them, it is a hard pill to swallow after preparing for an event for the better part of a year. I have a whole t shirt of excuses to explain why I didn't make it, everything from wet blistered feet, a extremely rocky and hilly course to a twisted ankle. Bottom line it doesn't matter the goal was not accomplished.

Some things were learned however so actually I feel very good about this race.

1. I need to bring extra shoes so that I can switch to dry shoes. I did have extra shoes but they were backups and I defiantly need two pairs of the exact same shoes.

2. Real food is the shit.. I felt absolutely awesome after leaving every aid station. After 30 gels I was starting to get nauseous just thinking about them. Although the honey stinger waffles have now become my favorite.

3. Need to take better care of feet. This is a lesson I needed to relearn from my days in the military. I got some large blisters that really slowed me down. Taking a few minutes to doctor them up may have saved me time in the long run.

4. I also confirmed the fact that I love making myself suffer and being outdoors. I have been doing it my whole life and I just enjoy the whole scenario. Weird I know.

5. Number one thing I learned about the 100 mile distance, is that it is in my wheelhouse, With the exception of my feet I felt totally fine for the most part. I did experience some fatigue due to sleep deprivation during the latter stages but I think that was more because my tender feet were forcing me to move so slow. I was hydrated the whole time and had plenty of energy towards the end.

I usually post a blow by blow account after every race but there was so much that happened during the 30 hours I was on the course I will just give the highlights.

1. The course was hilly almost mountainous
2. Frickin rocks, I hate you!!!
3. It is cold and lonely in the deep dark night
4. Kid Rock is the best ultra music ever, and not the Sheryl Crow, country music Kid Rock but the Joe C, early morning stone pimp Kid Rock
5. Ultra people are cool
6. I am going to try again at the Kettle Moraine 100 in June

Enjoy some pictures