tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74949812846033935202024-03-20T08:02:58.272-04:00JSRainmanRuns"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491521923267804174noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494981284603393520.post-8543562043824113102018-03-01T15:58:00.000-05:002018-03-01T16:06:57.917-05:00Ultras, Setbacks and Moving Forward<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Since I started
running 8 ½ years ago, my training has been pretty consistent, with an increase
in mileage each consecutive year. The biggest increases started in the
second half of 2014 when I decided it was time to stop thinking about getting
faster and start going further. I put together a training plan to get me
to my first 50k in January of 2015 and stuck to it like glue. The race
went well and I finished in 6 ½ hours. Not the best time, but certainly
not terrible. Like I said earlier, fast is not my forte in long
races. Since that time, I have not looked back and have become a part of
an <a href="https://ultrarunning.com/" target="_blank">ultra-running</a> community that I consider my second family or Tribe as we like
to call it. The people I have met and the friendships I have made have
been incredible. Whether I am running, volunteering or just spectating, I
know at least half of the people at every local ultra that I go to, and I
always come away knowing a handful more, and become closer to the ones I
already know. This common bond of craziness that we all share can only be
understood by us ultra-runners. There is a funny quote I recently read
that says, “With all due respect, if you’re not an ultra-runner, I discredit
your definition of tired”. This could not be more true. When you
are running an ultra that starts at night, you’ve been up since 6am, it takes
you 34 hours to complete and by the time you get to your hotel you’ve been up
52 hours with no sleep, THAT’s the true definition of tired. Trust me,
I’ve been there. LOL!! And then what do we do? We start
looking for the next one to register for. What is instilled in us that
makes us want to run these distances is beyond me. I guess it’s a variety
of things for different people, but for me, it’s the challenge. I love
preparing a training schedule for my next big ultra. For me, that’s what
puts things in perspective and keeps me focused on what I have to do. I’m
not out to prove anything to anybody but myself. And when race day comes
and I toe the line with all the other crazies, my only thoughts are, run my
race, thank all the volunteers who set aside their time to help out and do the
best I can. Since that first 50k, I’ve run numerous others, a few <a href="https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=53594" target="_blank">8HOH</a> runs, 12Hr runs, a few 50 milers, the <a href="http://www.ironhorse100kmclub.com/" target="_blank">Iron Horse 100k</a> and three 100 milers; <a href="https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=50344" target="_blank">Wildcat 100</a> in September 2016, <a href="https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=53330" target="_blank">Daytona 100</a> in December of 2016 and <a href="https://www.upstateultra.com/knock-on-wood.html" target="_blank">Knock On Wood 100</a> in May of
2017. I had planned to run my fourth in August of 2017, but life decided
to get in the way and that did not happen. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Since that last 100 in May of 2017 I’ve had a number
of setbacks that have kept me off the roads and trails for quite some
time, and when I was able to run, it was very slow, painful,
inconsistent and sporadic. From starting to feel some discomfort while
running in June, discovering that the discomfort was a hernia in July and then
being told that it was a double when going to get it checked, surgery to repair
them in September, recovering from the surgery but gaining weight in the
process from weeks of no running, and then painful runs after starting back, to
a personal event that left me unfocused and unmotivated, testing positive for
the flu and then getting sick again 3 weeks later. In total, the past
seven months have not been that much fun as far as my running and health are
concerned. Many athletes can go through periods of time where their running
and training can become a bit inconsistent since it’s bound to happen at some
point, but I just never thought that, for myself, I’d ever go through a period
of seven months of it being this way. It has been very hard and
frustrating, but such is life, and it can get in the way every now and then.
I’m a believer that sometimes things happen for a reason, and whatever that
reason may have been, I’m ok with it. I have a great life and am very
thankful for all that is a part of it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I am finally just about to start
running again this coming weekend and hopefully the setbacks are over with so I
can concentrate on moving forward and getting my running back to where I want it to be. As long as things go as planned and I can
get my body into the best shape it has even been in, I plan to toe the line at
the <a href="https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=52809" target="_blank">30Hr Southern Discomfort</a> in Albany, GA on Saturday July 28<sup>th</sup>,
where I will not only look to complete my 4<sup>th</sup> 100 miler, but run
even a bit farther than I ever have by the time my 30 hours are up. It
will be hard to believe that by then, I would have only completed one race in a
year’s time and it wasn’t even an ultra. Then, just over 3 months later, I will be running <a href="https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=35562" target="_blank">Justin Radley's Save the Daylight 48Hr in Englewood, FL</a> and attempting to reach 150 miles for the first time. This one I am really excited for! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I will leave you with three quotes that pretty much sum up the craziness of the ultra community. The first is by<a href="https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/t_s_eliot" target="_blank"> T.S.Eliot </a>and it is, by far, my absolute favorite. It goes, "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." The second is by <a href="https://quotefancy.com/quote/96824/William-Shakespeare-Bid-me-run-and-I-will-strive-with-things-impossible" target="_blank">William Shakespeare</a> and it goes, "Bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible." I love these two quotes so much that they are both a part of my calf sleeve tattoo. You need to challenge yourself and push your limits. You will never find out the answers to those questions unless you try. The last quote is by<a href="https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/michelangelo_108779" target="_blank"> Michelangelo</a>, "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." Believe in your abilities and shoot for the moon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hope to see you all out on the roads and trails real soon!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Run Hard, Run Strong, Run Smart and #stayvertical my friends<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Joe<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">March 1, 2018</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491521923267804174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494981284603393520.post-76899485322481919642017-06-09T21:38:00.000-04:002017-06-09T21:38:24.886-04:00Knock on Wood 100mi Race Recap<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.upstateultra.com/" target="_blank">Upstate Ultras</a> Race Director, Matthew Hammersmith recently hosted the 4<sup>th</sup> annual Knock on Wood race series the weekend of May 12<sup>th</sup> through the 14<sup>th, </sup>in Greenville, SC. Distances included an 8k, a 50k, a 24 hour and a 100 mile endurance run. All races were starting on Saturday May 13<sup>th</sup> except for the 100 miler, which was starting at 8pm on Friday May 12<sup>th</sup>. Since I was taking part in the 100 mile endurance run, I made the 8 hour drive up to South Carolina on Thursday May 11<sup>th</sup> and spent the night at a nearby hotel. Since the race would not be starting <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://4" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="4" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">until 8pm</a> the next day, I was able to get up when I wanted, have a nice breakfast and take my time doing some things before heading on out. Just <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://5" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">before noon on Friday</a>, I made my way over to the venue which was at the <a href="http://lakeconesteenaturepark.com/" target="_blank">Lake Conestee Nature Park</a> at the main pavilion near the baseball fields. As soon as I got there I met Matt and a few other people who were already setting up their tents and canopies since it would be our home for the next 2 days. The first person that I actually met was George Rainey. George noticed my Florida license plate as I was backing into my parking spot and asked me right away where in Florida I was from. George let me know he was from Pensacola and was part of FUR, like myself, which stands for Florida Ultra Runners (if you didn’t know). George, an older guy with a funny sense of humor, is quite the character. I saw him setting up his tent when I got out of the car and offered to help him set it up if he would help me set up mine, which he did. Since we were just going to spend the rest of the day relaxing by our tents, we took a ride to Publix to get some lunch, ice for my cooler and a few other things for the race. For the remainder of the day we relaxed and helped other people set up their tents, shelters and canopies before taking a late nap before it would be time to get ready for the run.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">After getting up from my nap, I took a walk over to where the Fleet Feet Sports of South Carolina had their tents set up. My friend Heather Hart, a fellow </span><a href="http://www.inknburn.com/" style="font-size: 11pt;" target="_blank">InkNBurn</a><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Ambassador, was there with her husband Geoff and a bunch of friends that they run with in the Myrtle Beach area. I had reached out to Heather earlier in the year to ask her if the venue and course was worth me driving the 8 hours to get there. She replied to me pretty quickly to say that it definitely was and so that is when I decided to register and let her know I’d see her there. When she saw me walking up, she recognized me right away since we had actually never met in person. The power of social media, right? Anyway, she introduced me to Geoff and all of her friends and they instantly treated me like one of their own. I got the feeling that they liked me since every time I saw them on the course or passed by their tents, they would shout my name, cheer for me and even shout, “We love you Joe!” This made me laugh and smile each time I heard them say it. Halfway through the run I started shouting back “I love you guys too!” They got a kick out of that. The tight knit ultra community is so cool to be a part of and I love being a part of it. Some friends once told me at my first 100 that you should be able to leave each race with 1 new friend, but this one I left with more than a handful. How cool is that! After talking for a bit, it was time to head back to my tent to get ready for the run.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">After getting ready for the run </span><a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://7" style="font-size: 11pt;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="7" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">around 7pm</a><span style="font-size: 11pt;">, I mentally prepared myself for the task that would be at hand, making 20 loops of this 5 mile technical trail course to complete my 3</span><sup>rd</sup><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> 100 mile endurance run. Since trail runs always end up being slower than road runs, I figured 30 to 32 hours would be a good target to complete the race in. That would mean that I would finish </span><a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://8" style="font-size: 11pt;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="8" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">between 2am and 4am Sunday morning</a><span style="font-size: 11pt;">, allowing myself to sleep in my tent or car for a while before making the trip home to Florida.</span></div>
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After a quick pre-race briefing by Matt and watching the drone take some video of the area, the Star Spangled Banner was played and a few minutes later we were off on our journey.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">At this race I was going to stick to my plan from the very beginning and not let anyone else dictate what I was doing. It’s hard when you first start a run and everybody busts out like there’s no tomorrow and you want to try to keep up, but you need to ignore that. A 100 mile endurance run is no joke and like I always say, slow and steady wins the race. Well, maybe not wins the race, but completes the distance. This time around I planned to do a FB live video after every 10 miles (2 loops) to let everyone know where I was and how I was doing.</span></div>
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Shortly into the first loop, the rain that had been holding off for the entire day finally made its appearance and continued for almost the entire time it took me to complete the first two loops. It wasn’t a torrential downpour like they had been calling for, but at times it was a steady rain and even though we had canopy from the trees, we still got wet. Being that it was nighttime and we were already wearing our headlamps, you really had to watch your footing on the technical parts since the course got a bit slippery, which slowed everybody down. I finished the first 10 miles in about 2 hours and 20 minutes. <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind Nutrition</a>, which was the official fuel for the runs this weekend, was being consumed at a steady rate, approximately every 7 to 8 minutes, totaling about 20 to 24 ounces every hour. This early on in the race I don’t concern myself with taking in any other type of calories other than my <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind</a>. I did fill my first two bottles with their Tropical Buzz flavor, which is caffeinated, to jump start the run. I also took an S-Cap after each loop. These things saved my run at Daytona in December and now never run an ultra without them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before heading on out for loops 3 and 4, I decided it would be a good idea to change out of my wet shirt and into a dry one, including a pullover and a new hat, since the rain had made the air a bit cool and damp. After refilling my 2 handhelds with <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind</a>, I was off. Once again, with the rain from earlier making the course wet and muddy, I had to take my time and watch my step, especially on the first part of the course where you are maneuvering around rocks and roots while going up and down inclines and making your way through switchbacks. Every now and then I had to steady myself by slowing down or grabbing a tree. Slowly but surely I made my way around the course 2 more times and by the time I hit 20 miles it was just after <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://10" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="10" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1am</a> putting me at a pace of about 4 miles per hour. <o:p></o:p></div>
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When I was finally done with 6 loops and 30 miles in, it was <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://11" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="11" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">around 4am</a>. That meant I had been running for about 8 hours already and I was a little tired, but feeling good. I was making my <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind</a> a bit stronger to get the extra calories and eating some pretzels. It was still dark at this time and so I was still being cautious on the trail. It takes a toll on your legs, but nothing I knew I couldn’t do. I was really looking forward to the next 2 loops since it would mean daylight!<o:p></o:p></div>
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When 8 loops were finally complete and I was 40 miles in, it was light out again and I was able to see what I was running on. It was now about <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://12" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="12" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">7:40am</a> and I had been out on the course for almost 12 hours. I was getting a bit tired from being in the dark for such a long time, but the daybreak gave me a second wind and I was ready to continue. A funny moment that I have to share is that during my 7<sup>th</sup> loop, I closed my eyes while taking a walk break and missed the turn onto the trail. I knew pretty much right away though since the surroundings didn’t look familiar and I backtracked about 25 yards. I thought that was pretty funny. It was also great to finally get the headlamp off my head.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Before I knew it, 10 loops were complete, I was 50 miles in and I was halfway to finishing this run. It was shortly before </span><a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://13" style="font-size: 11pt;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="13" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">11am</a><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> at this time and I was feeling great! Before heading on out for loops 9 and 10, I changed out of my wet shirt, put on another (InkNBurn of course), threw on a pullover and this time added my </span><a href="http://www.headsweats.com/" style="font-size: 11pt;" target="_blank">Headsweats </a><span style="font-size: 11pt;">KONA visor since it was still a bit overcast and the sun wouldn’t bother my head too much. I was eating and drinking like I was supposed to. I did have a banana, pretzels and even a few potatoes after finishing loop 10. I also started taking a few sips of Coke after each loop to get some extra carbs in me. It’s just something that has stuck with me for each of my 100’s.</span></div>
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It was <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://14" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="14" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">around 2:15pm</a> when I finally finished my 12<sup>th</sup>loop and 60 miles. I was only 2 miles away from the 100k mark and was still keeping up with my Facebook live video posts to let everyone know how I was doing. I was getting a bit tired but really enjoying myself. The course is beautiful. Shortly before finishing up my 12<sup>th</sup>loop, we had to be rerouted due to someone having a heart attack on the course and the emergency vehicles being there. It was a scary moment and I took a few minutes to stop and say a prayer that he would be ok. Moments like this put life in perspective and it really hits home. Luckily, Matthew, the RD, was prepared and did everything he had to before the EMT’s arrived and took over. I’m not going to mention his name, but I did reach out to him personally after finding out who it was and just let him know that we were all thinking of him and are so happy he is ok. He is now a friend of mine on Facebook and I look forward to hopefully seeing him again one day at another race.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Shortly before <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://15" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="15" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">6pm</a> I completed mile 70, 14 loops and was truckin’ on. Obviously I was getting tired at this point, but there was no stopping me. I was feeling good and continuing to do everything I was supposed to to get me through these next 30 miles. At some point it had gotten a bit sunny again and so I changed into my I Love Ultra Running hat.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Before heading on out for loop 15, I knew it would be getting dark again soon and had to put my headlamp back on. I was hoping I would get at least one more loop in the light before needing to turn it on but I couldn’t take the chance and not bring it. By the time I was finished with my 16<sup>th</sup> loop and 80 miles were complete, it was about <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://16" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="16" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">9:30pm</a> and I was getting tired. At that point, even though I had only been on the course for about 25.5 hours, I had been up for about 37 hours since the race had started at night and I had been up since <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://17" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="17" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">6am Friday morning</a>. This is definitely something to keep in mind when running a 100 mile endurance run that <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://18" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="18" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">starts in the evening</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next 2 loops that got me to 90 miles were just all mental at that point. I was tired and ready to get this done. The only thing was that I was now maneuvering over the roots and rocks again in the dark and more tired than the night before. I found myself holding onto trees to keep my balance even more so than previously in the run. There was even one point where I hit a small stump with the toe of my shoe and literally thought I was going to face plant. It was one of those moments where my arms were swinging to try to keep me upright but my body was falling forward at such a pace that all I could think was, “Oh crap, I hope I don’t hit anything hard.” Luckily for me my legs caught up to my body and I was able to get control and keep from falling. Talk about a scary moment! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Loop 19, miles 90 to 95, had to be the weirdest loop of the entire run. I was very tired at that point and by myself, like I had been for most of the run. My headlamp was making everything seem as if I was looking through a haze. This is where I really hallucinated for the first time ever. I was walking a part of the road when something to the left of me caught my eye. When I turned to look at what it was, I saw the trees just floating and bouncing up and down. It startled me to such a degree that I yanked the charging cable off of my Garmin that I was charging on the go at that time. It was at that point that I really thought about lying down on the road and closing my eyes, but I knew I couldn’t do that. I got my bearings under control and trudged on. A short while later, while on another section of road, I started seeing these 2 red lights just bouncing in the air way up in front of me that looked like alien eyes. Not that I would know what alien eyes look like, but this is what I instantly thought of. Because I never wear my glasses on a run and am near sighted, the 2 lights turned into 4 and it looked like 2 aliens were just bouncing up and down in midair. I had to keep telling myself that I was seeing things, but I could tell that I was getting closer and they didn’t disappear. Sure enough, when I got even closer, I realized it was my friend George and his friend and I was seeing the light from their headlamps as they were walking. This was a big relief for me to catch up to people since there were only a few of us still on the course at that time. I finished loop 19 with them and was happy to be back at the tent with only 1 loop to go.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At this time, I had only one lap left and I was going to run it with George just to have some company even though they had about 8 loops to go at that point. Before heading on out though, I decided that it was finally time to eat my <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://19" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="19" x-apple-data-detectors-type="misc" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Chick Fil A</a> sandwich that was in my cooler. The local <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://20" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="20" x-apple-data-detectors-type="misc" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Chick Fil A</a> gave away chicken sandwiches in the morning, but at that time I was not ready to eat it. Luckily, I had my cooler with me filled with ice and so I stored it for a later time when I really needed it and now was that time. I needed some brain food to get me back on track for the last loop. Talk about getting a bolt of energy. After finishing the sandwich, I felt like it was hours earlier and I had all of this energy to burn. Even though I was supposed to be running this last loop with George and his friend, they were still not ready when I was, so I decided to just take off on my own, especially since I was ready to run again. I ran for 75% of that final loop and when I crossed the timing mat for the 20<sup>th</sup>time, I had just completed my 3<sup>rd</sup> 100 mile endurance run with a time of 33 hours, 59 minutes and 20 seconds and I was so happy. <o:p></o:p><br />
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This 100 was definitely the toughest of the 3 that I’ve done so far and was so happy that it was finally complete.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDrFLUeOjtGWAhqtsmsIhItkmp509VrxcHfQm2kX0sWUnUoMrLy9lPU37xKAe670wFqj23jrY-xRlO5mDqZmllsQCAgSuqJOke2_60w_xnNLJ1_lpjFOgvLn6xRY4Rp0J_D_xo2yFikxy/s1600/PUR+and+Garmin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDrFLUeOjtGWAhqtsmsIhItkmp509VrxcHfQm2kX0sWUnUoMrLy9lPU37xKAe670wFqj23jrY-xRlO5mDqZmllsQCAgSuqJOke2_60w_xnNLJ1_lpjFOgvLn6xRY4Rp0J_D_xo2yFikxy/s320/PUR+and+Garmin.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Like always, I want to thank <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind Nutrition</a> for being the best fuel that works for me. I used it more than I ever have in any of my 100’s so far. I used the caffeinated Tropical Buzz for the first 2 loops to jumpstart my run, switched to my Naked Unflavored for the next 75 miles, modifying it as necessary to add more calories in the later miles and then even switched back to Tropical Buzz for the last 15 miles to give me that jolt from being up for so long and being so tired. I am proud to be a Tailwind Trailblazer for them and hope that I can remain one for a long time. If you are looking for a fuel that works, please try Tailwind Nutrition, you will not be disappointed. I also want to thank <a href="http://www.inknburn.com/" target="_blank">INKnBURN </a>for being the only tech shirts I wear. The shirt might have been covered up at certain times by a jacket or pullover, but the base layer was always <a href="http://www.inknburn.com/" target="_blank">INB</a>. At the times that the shirt was not covered up, I was constantly being complimented for the awesome shirt I was wearing and I did wear 3 different styles. <a href="http://www.inknburn.com/" target="_blank">INB</a>’s Dry Ice technology makes their shirts, in my opinion, one of the best on the market. <a href="http://www.headsweats.com/" target="_blank">Headsweats</a> trucker hats always makes its presence known while I am running and this time was no exception. I even sported a visor for the very first time in any run, the KONA, and I loved it. My <a href="http://www.iloveultrarunning.com/" target="_blank">I Love Ultra Running</a> trucker hats even made appearances in this run including the new Keys reflective hat. I love representing my <a href="http://www.iloveultrarunning.com/" target="_blank">PUR / I Love Ultra Running </a>family any time that I can and I sure did that up in SC that weekend. A number of people asked where I had gotten these awesome hats and so of course I let them know. I also let it be known that I was a part of the <a href="http://www.irun4ultra.com/" target="_blank">iRun4Ultra</a> family that I also love being a part of. Even though I am not an ambassador for them, I always like to thank <a href="http://www.altrarunning.com/" target="_blank">AltraRunning</a> for their awesome running shoes and <a href="http://www.balega.com/" target="_blank">Balega International</a> for the incredible socks they produce. I wear nothing but these two brands when I run and coupled together at this run, they kept my feet dry and blister free. For this run I chose my <a href="http://www.altrarunning.com/" target="_blank">Altra</a> Lone Peaks and my <a href="http://www.balega.com/" target="_blank">Balega</a> Blister Resist. My <a href="http://www.c3fit.com/" target="_blank">C3Fit</a> calf compression sleeves also made an appearance for a short while and like everything else, worked out perfect for that weekend. My run would also not be what it was without all of the support from all of my friends near and far on all social media outlets. The likes and loves and comments I received while doing my live posts meant so much to me. Each time they gave me that drive to get the next 2 loops completed. And last, but certainly not least, I would not be the man and runner I am today if it were not for my wife Kasi, who said to me seven and a half years ago, when I said to her that I wanted to train for and run a marathon, that I should because she knew I could do it. I haven’t stopped running since that day and have taken my running to distances I never would have believed I could do. She knows and understands the passion I have for this sport of ultra running and she is my biggest supporter and fan. Thanks for being who you are honey. I love you!<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you are looking to run an awesome 100 in the South Carolina area in May, Knock on Wood is the perfect venue for all the right reasons.<o:p></o:p><br />
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For me, it’s now on to the next adventure!!<o:p></o:p><br />
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Run Hard, Run Strong and #stayvertical my friends<o:p></o:p><br />
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Joe Rainone<o:p></o:p></div>
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June 9, 2017</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491521923267804174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494981284603393520.post-44230310258064527332017-03-22T11:20:00.000-04:002017-03-22T11:20:16.217-04:00C3Fit Compression Gear Review - Performanec Compression Sleeves and Arch Support Short Socks<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Recently I was contacted by the US
affiliate of the Japanese based company, <a href="http://www.c3fit.com/" target="_blank">C3Fit</a> compression, to test out and
review some of their products. The basis of the <a href="http://www.c3fit.com/" target="_blank">C3Fit</a> brand is to incorporate
graduated compression, body conditioning and comfort to the wearers that improves body function and enhances fitness quality. C3Fit carries a variety of compression gear for men and women including a variety of support socks, tights (long and short), calf sleeves and even a long sleeve top. The
first 2 items that they sent me were their performance calf sleeves and arch support short socks. I
decided to test them out over the weekend, on different days, so that I could
really focus on each product individually, to give it the best review that I
could. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhhONpMv6OFmV1JKopYfUn4VtJDazyVxtC8sdU84wADclWjmEnc0Dyf-_vK_0cTj2yA2D8J98vQu4m1qopekl9eDd50_gSdvZNoOXOAvISnGv1x9jAJidSaLsZ90IMP2Il4OGiie6X-6s/s1600/C3FitSleeve3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhhONpMv6OFmV1JKopYfUn4VtJDazyVxtC8sdU84wADclWjmEnc0Dyf-_vK_0cTj2yA2D8J98vQu4m1qopekl9eDd50_gSdvZNoOXOAvISnGv1x9jAJidSaLsZ90IMP2Il4OGiie6X-6s/s320/C3FitSleeve3.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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For my long run on Saturday I
wore the compression sleeves. Right from the moment I removed the sleeves
from the box, I was already liking what I was feeling. The
nylon/polyurethane material was so silky to the touch that I knew would feel
right on my calves. The thin material was perfect for the warmer
conditions of Florida and the elasticity of them would allow for a wider
range of ankle and calf sizes. The sizing of the sleeves were
great. They started just above my ankles and went all the way up to just
above the top of my calves. Coverage of the entire calf area is important as
some sleeves don’t cover enough or are too long and can cause issues with the
Achilles if it goes down too far or the back of the knee if it goes up too high. The compression itself was
excellent. I had no issues during my run with muscle vibration since the
compression was not so tight to cause discomfort but not loose to where
it didn’t help. I actually kept the sleeves on after my run for a bit of
a recovery since the run was long. I definitely felt the difference after
taking them off too. These sleeves were different from what I have worn
before. Others that I have tested were either too tight where I could just barely get them on or off, too thick to where they caused heat issues or too loose to where they did not help me at all. These were definitely the best of the bunch. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DbN3b_CMfyajFi5gqMEYV-TLQvK7nJmgixDXagPCzG75W6AmZXUwL58dNiABCtvUHKPoQ29o77fOuuu4loQYgJy6jV5wO7px90A2FwWbcv3QklKTCt2EsucqWF1F808BIjMLCH2jyvjk/s1600/C3FitSleeve2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DbN3b_CMfyajFi5gqMEYV-TLQvK7nJmgixDXagPCzG75W6AmZXUwL58dNiABCtvUHKPoQ29o77fOuuu4loQYgJy6jV5wO7px90A2FwWbcv3QklKTCt2EsucqWF1F808BIjMLCH2jyvjk/s320/C3FitSleeve2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvfP2XJEo6RouKo-wiPt8zZKydbpxgF3-u96d6rc1Zjl3nmxVJaS5aocm8wwOqwGBmkCEqAD1naCExtALqw0Uy2mb1sXfWsHUdMpHZwUbbGrVHoXTalpeNfwpp9lMoOz4qToUynXXUZKq/s1600/C3FitSleeve.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvfP2XJEo6RouKo-wiPt8zZKydbpxgF3-u96d6rc1Zjl3nmxVJaS5aocm8wwOqwGBmkCEqAD1naCExtALqw0Uy2mb1sXfWsHUdMpHZwUbbGrVHoXTalpeNfwpp9lMoOz4qToUynXXUZKq/s320/C3FitSleeve.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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For my shorter run of 12 miles on
Sunday I wore the arch support short socks. These socks are different
than regular socks in that they promote arch support through their taping
effect that reduces burden to the soles of your feet, absorbing impact and
enabling movement. They are made from polyester, nylon, cotton, acryl and
polyurethane and are very soft and comfortable to wear. I must say that
as soon as I had these on, I could feel the support on the soles of my feet
and arches, almost like I was wearing arch support shoes. It had this
snug feeling that once I put my running shoes on, I had to get out on the
road. My run felt much smoother than it normally does and I had no issues
at all with tired feet after I was finished. The socks even have this
cushiony tag in the back so there is no contact to your skin from the back of
the shoe. This is the first arch support sock I have worn, but I am definitely
looking forward to wearing these socks again on my next long run because of how
they made my feet feel and I will definitely be getting more.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VJjOdjyaxoSnnjZPsZFz46RjwVycD9ppYEMllN26uRNarM1aayfqxfbR6XbDY-4p1Sl5-HlHvaKw2g6G7qaYOupMR9EQSHzZBk5JxoejeuoNXDrTiG-GFqYU-EraEKoaMyilz4Bk7DTc/s1600/C3FitSocks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VJjOdjyaxoSnnjZPsZFz46RjwVycD9ppYEMllN26uRNarM1aayfqxfbR6XbDY-4p1Sl5-HlHvaKw2g6G7qaYOupMR9EQSHzZBk5JxoejeuoNXDrTiG-GFqYU-EraEKoaMyilz4Bk7DTc/s320/C3FitSocks.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkzBjPEB0Q72ROXwmwjCASt5lP-42fK_O1cKzPWZKO9DLh7kOWiVhmyUtJ8cUQw_7ralqB1dglm15icsaa5rSZHhZF1RxRFp6WMR_XgygqvYCS_E4p02ebEsadcDKC3NRHVyyawxPKXRW/s1600/C3FitSocks2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkzBjPEB0Q72ROXwmwjCASt5lP-42fK_O1cKzPWZKO9DLh7kOWiVhmyUtJ8cUQw_7ralqB1dglm15icsaa5rSZHhZF1RxRFp6WMR_XgygqvYCS_E4p02ebEsadcDKC3NRHVyyawxPKXRW/s320/C3FitSocks2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJVJvPJqNzmLE7uC4bAv4zRyRJYQOeYbafg-S3z7yvlUdCtolqSjyPquOAts3JLY4_-on25KUbEJuDZsgYf-_S9jIVSejZ0JvbEsz70LHZh1XQxkoseADa1O8IQpp8yjaNguongiLfL7q/s1600/C3FitSocks3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJVJvPJqNzmLE7uC4bAv4zRyRJYQOeYbafg-S3z7yvlUdCtolqSjyPquOAts3JLY4_-on25KUbEJuDZsgYf-_S9jIVSejZ0JvbEsz70LHZh1XQxkoseADa1O8IQpp8yjaNguongiLfL7q/s320/C3FitSocks3.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYMc6te9daDnSw4yl5FGLNdaYeGHVRTS84fbxF2-zzrsN-TJzvy_5TidB9ujxa1fz44JU7-VWORMwwkvbCHmuLMfyg4UKA7ULEQMVmT9LWjEAhtB2weWoJqYs6uwLJkTOcfndMhTwxveN/s1600/C3FitSocks4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYMc6te9daDnSw4yl5FGLNdaYeGHVRTS84fbxF2-zzrsN-TJzvy_5TidB9ujxa1fz44JU7-VWORMwwkvbCHmuLMfyg4UKA7ULEQMVmT9LWjEAhtB2weWoJqYs6uwLJkTOcfndMhTwxveN/s320/C3FitSocks4.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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If you are looking for great calf sleeves or arch support socks that to do what they are supposed to do, you should try <a href="http://www.c3fit.com/" target="_blank">C3Fit</a>. It's no wonder that some of their products are certified as General Medical Devices in Japan. You will not be disappointed.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491521923267804174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494981284603393520.post-10271691300115935612017-03-22T10:18:00.001-04:002017-03-22T10:18:38.698-04:00Whispering Pines 12 Hour / 6 Hour Ultra Recap<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
If you live in Florida, or even
outside of Florida for that matter, love running on trails with like-minded
individuals in an organized, competitive and fun setting, with a low cost,
you should look no further than the <a href="http://www.ultrasontrails.com/wpines.html" target="_blank">Whispering Pines 12 Hour / 6 HourRace</a>. This well organized run takes place at Whispering Pines Park in
Inverness, Florida on a Sunday in the middle of February each year. This year it just happened to be during President's Day weekend. Race Director Terri Hayes, a long time ultra runner herself, likes to give back
to the ultra running community, that she has been a part of for so long, by putting on
low key, laid back, runner friendly events for people of all ages and
abilities. The cost to enter the races she puts on is, well, there is no
cost. Terri organizes these races as a way of paying it forward.
All that she asks for is a donation of any amount you are comfortable giving to
help cover the costs of food, supplies and other general necessities that are
associated with organizing an event as such. Terri even has finishers
awards made for all participants and after covering her costs for food
and amenities, gives the rest that she has collected to the park as a way of saying
thank you for allowing her to put on this event.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This year’s running was in its 4<sup>th</sup> year and the second time I have
taken part in the fun. I originally ran this race back in 2015 when it
was in its second year. Terri had moved it to April that year, but has since moved it back to February. At that time I had only
run one 50k a few months prior since I was just getting involved in ultras and
the trail and ultra community. I didn’t know what to expect when I
started, but I did know that I was going to run as many loops as I could with
the hopes of lasting all 12 hours. Suffice it to say, I ran 9 loops in
just over 12 hours for a total of 43.2 miles. I was so excited that I had
done it. This year, being that I have now been running ultras for just
over 2 years, I knew I could run at least 10 loops or more. My plan was
to not take long once back at the pavilion after each 4.8 mile loop. I
was going to refill my handheld with my <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind Nutrition</a> and get back out
there for the next loop. With my <a href="http://www.headsweats.com/" target="_blank">Headsweats</a> trucker hat on and my handhelds all set to go, I did stick to the plan for most of the run, but
there were 2 times that I took longer than I had planned to get back out
there. Being a part of the trail and ultra community, you get to know a
lot of people and it was at these two specific times that I stopped to talk to
some of my friends. It’s always good to see familiar faces at events like
this and so I always like to chat for a bit. I knew that because of the
extra time I took that I could complete only 10 loops this year. As I was
finishing loop 9, Donna Laparo, was just starting her 10<sup>th</sup> loop as
well. Donna and me ended up running the first few loops together, before going off on our own, after stopping on the first loop due to getting a bit confused with the trail markings. Since it was already dark at that time and headlamps were already on, she was
bringing her husband with her to keep her company. When she saw I was
finishing loop 9, she waited for me while her husband went back to the
pavilion. I don’t know why this is, but for some reason, no matter how
many times you run the loop during the day, when it gets dark, the trail looks
completely different, so it’s always good to be able to run with someone.
Since this was going to be our final loop of the day, we decided to just walk
it out. Even though 10 loops would officially be 48 miles, when we
finally got back to the pavilion, my Garmin was showing that we had actually
run 49.5 miles because of that mix up on the first loop and going the wrong way. Terri let us get in the extra .50 miles by running around the baseball field to finish the day
with 50 miles. <o:p></o:p></div>
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By the time we were done, there were only a handful of people still hanging
around, including the guy who just set the course record by running 13 loops
for a total of 62.2 miles. He had run by us a few times while on the
course and he was flying. He was a really cool guy though and he made it
a point to come over and tell us that we did great. I just love the trail
and ultra community. It was such a great day!! </div>
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So, in February of 2018, if you are going to be in the area or live close
by, come on out to Whispering Pines Park and run the Whispering Pines 12 Hour /
6 Hour ultra, meet Terri Hayes and become a part of a community that I think is
pretty awesome. I will definitely be there and you should be too.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491521923267804174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494981284603393520.post-3113265689798520832016-12-14T18:14:00.000-05:002016-12-14T18:14:54.191-05:00<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">The Daytona 100 – Race Recap</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Did you ever wish you could run a 100 mile race on a course
that catered to your style in perfect weather conditions? Well, that’s exactly what we got this past
Saturday, December 10<sup>th</sup>, 2016 in Jacksonville Beach, Florida for the
second annual running of the Daytona 100 that is directed by ultra running
legend Dave Krupski and his wife Alex. The
<a href="http://www.daytona100ultra.com/" target="_blank">Daytona 100</a>, only in its second year, is a newer 100 mile ultra here in the
state of Florida that starts at the One Ocean Resort and Spa in Jacksonville
Beach and travels 100 miles south, ending at Daytona Beach’s North Turn. It starts at 6am on Saturday morning and ends
at 12pm on Sunday, giving you 30 hours to complete the distance. The course is flat, fast roads with a few
beach sections thrown in for good measure.
As luck would have it, a small cold front moved in the day before, so
the temperature at start time was in the upper 40’s, daytime temps were only in
the low 60’s and nighttime in the upper 50’s.
To make it even more perfect, throw in a 10mph tailwind to push you
along. To say that we were anxious to
get going was an understatement.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jennifer Van Vlack, my ultra running partner in crime and
co-member of Team Truckin’ On, and I, started planning this race back in
mid-September, shortly after completing our first 100 mile race at Aaron
Thompson’s and Ben Pangie’s Wildcat Ultra.
This one would cater to us though since, as much as we love the trails,
we are more used to running on the roads.
Being that a cold front was moving in and the weather forecast was
calling for temperatures that would be ideal , (highs in the low 60’s and lows
in the high 50’s) we couldn’t wait to get started. We both believed that we could sub 24 this
race if everything worked the way we wanted it to. Our plan was to run 5/1
intervals from the very beginning, for as long as we could, before making any
kind of adjustments. A perfect scenario
would be to hit 50 miles in 10 hours so that we could set ourselves up for a
nice back half.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After waking up just before 4am, I got ready for the
race. I had prepared what I was going to
wear the night before so there would not have to be any thinking in the
morning. I decided to wear my newest
<a href="http://www.headsweats.com/" target="_blank">Headsweats</a> hat, Ugly Christmas sweater, since it was that time of year. I also chose to wear my 26.2 <a href="http://www.inknburn.com/" target="_blank">INKnBURN</a> shirt
over a long sleeved compression shirt to start with plans to change into my 50
after I passed the 26.2 mile distance and change into my 100 after passing 50
miles. I also wore a little bit thicker
<a href="http://www.balega.com/" target="_blank">Balega</a> pair of socks since it is the only brand I run in. My shoe brand of choice to run in is always
<a href="http://www.altrarunning.com/" target="_blank">Altra</a>. I went with my Paradigms, the
most cushioned road running shoe that Altra makes. I felt it was the most appropriate choice for
the terrain we were going to be running on.
I also brought two handhelds with
me filled with <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind Nutrition</a>, my fuel of choice, because it really works. My crew had the rest of the Tailwind that I
had brought with me in the car and would continually replenish my bottles each
time I saw them. Fortunately for me,
Tailwind Nutrition was the official fuel/electrolyte replacement drink on the
course and so it would also be available at every aid station. Our crew dropped us off at the hotel/starting
line at about 5:20am since we were required to be there by 5:30am to check
in. After heading into the hotel lobby,
where all the runners were gathering, we said hello to a number of people that
we recognized or knew from other races.
At about 5:45am, Jen and I headed back outside to get a few pictures by
the start. Being that it was still a bit
chilly at that time, everyone was bundled up with layers. I even took out my gloves to start the race
with, only to find out I had grabbed my Injinji toe socks instead, mistaking
the toes for fingers. We really laughed
at this. Talk about a funny moment to
take the edge off. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A few minutes later a prerecorded National Anthem was
playing, and as always, I removed my hat out of respect for my country. Less than 2 minutes after that, the timing
clock was counting down from 10 and before we knew it, we were off on our quest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Because of the location of the race, crews were only allowed
to crew in 5 designated areas for the first 31 miles, the first being between
miles 3 and 4. Jen and I knew that we
didn’t need our crew that early, so we told them to meet us at the second
location, the Mickler’s Landing parking lot, which is right around mile 13. During these first 13 miles, the run was
going great and we were sticking to our plan.
We weren’t pushing ourselves and the scenery of all the homes was
keeping us from even thinking about the run.
It was here that our most awesome Team Truckin’ On Pit Crew got to
work. Jen’s friends, Chris, Lindsay and
Sara, all flew in with Jen to crew the both of us since we were running this
race together. I had already met Chis
and Lindsay back in September when they crewed us for Wildcat. Even though Sara
was the newbie, she fit right in. We met them in the parking lot, took a couple
of layers off, refilled our handhelds, and then were on our way. It was
at this point that we were originally supposed to enter the first beach
section, but because of Hurricane Matthew and the damage it caused, we had to
run along the shoulder of A1A to mile 16.5, where the first aid station/check
in was located. We told our crew to meet us there as well since they were able
to.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We reached AS1 a short while later by continuing to stick to
our plan. We let the aid station know
our bib numbers, refilled our handhelds again at our crew vehicle, ate some
food and then continued on our way. We
would be seeing our crew again at mile 22, where AS2 was located and the first
beach section would start. Jen and me
continued with our 5/1 intervals and were keeping each other preoccupied by telling
stories and keeping up the conversation.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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By the time we got to mile 22 and saw our crew again, Jen
and I had been running for about 4.5 hours by now. We were just over our pace to hit 50 in 10
hours, but were close enough to feel good about where we were. Again, we shed any layers that we wanted off,
refilled, ate and then hit the beach.<br />
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To
be perfectly honest with you, I’m not a fan of running on the beach, even
though the surface was pretty solid. Beach
running can really sap the energy out of you very quickly. Maybe this is what got into my head at this
point because this section was taking me down the wrong mental road. Not even a mile into this section, Jen knew
that something was wrong with me when I just got really quiet. She was trying to make me talk about things
to distract me from thinking about what we were doing, but my answers were
short and it was not working. As
runners, we know there are times that this can happen and it’s nothing against
anyone you might be running with. It was
at this point that we cut our intervals down to 4/1 to see if that would work. Just under 2 hours later we were finally at
mile 28 and leaving the beach section. The
Team Truckin’ On Pit Crew met us here where once again we refilled our
fuel/hydration, ate some food and changed some clothes. I changed out of my 26.2 INKnBURN shirt and changed
into my 50 INKnBURN shirt like I had planned.
Right before leaving I heard my name called and turned to see Claire and
John Kelly, new friends of mine I had met at Justin Radley’s 8 Hours of Hell
race series. Claire was the only one
running though as John was crewing her.
This was her first 100 miler and I was rooting for her. I gave them each a big hug and john got a
picture of the two of us before Jen was pulling me along to get going. I was so glad I got to see them!</div>
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At this point Jen and I were back out on the road and on our
way to AS3 which was at mile 32, the start of St Augustine. Crew restrictions would now be lifted after
going over the small Vilano Bridge at mile 31.
Right after starting on this next 4 mile section though, I was in a bad
spot. We decreased the intervals again
right away to 3/1, but for me, everything was just going south. As much as I would have loved to run this
whole ultra with Jen, I also didn’t want to hold her back. She’s only 31, 16 years younger than me and I’m
just the old guy trying to keep up. I
knew she would sub 24 this race if she went off on her own, so a short while
later I told her to go on without me. She
asked if I was sure because that’s just who Jen is. We planned to do this together and she would
have stayed with me if I wanted her to, but I didn’t want to hold her
back. I said to go and sub 24 this
ultra! I was going to walk a bit more,
make my way to the next aid station slowly and go from there. She reset her watch back to her intervals and
went on ahead. She would tell the crew
to wait at the aid station for me. By
then I had about 3 miles to go. During
these 3 miles I thought of so many things, one of them being that I had nothing
to prove to anybody since I had already run 100 miles and I was going to pull
myself from the race. Every now and then
I would think otherwise, but with about 2 miles to go I tried to start running
again and my calves started cramping and I had to stop and walk the rest of the
way. I texted my wife Kasi to let her
know what was going on and she called me.
She told me that I knew how to listen to what my body was telling me and
to listen closely. She supported any decision
that I made. Kasi always knows what to
say to me. By the time I finally got to AS3, I had been
running for just over 7 hours and I was still having a moment. I decided to take some S Caps at this point
if the aid station had any, which they did.
I swallowed two, had some food and rested a bit. I then actually did tell my crew, as well as
the AS, that I was dropping out. Well, neither
my crew nor the aid station people would let me. The AS guys said that I had to run through
St. Augustine and over the Bridge of Lions first and after doing that, if I still
wanted to drop, my crew would get me. I
moved around a bit and realized that the cramping in my calves was completely
gone, so I said I would continue. There
was even one runner, an older guy that my crew nicknamed The Mayor because of
how he acted. Before leaving the aid
station, he asked me to give him a thumbs up to let him know I was ok. Everyone was overjoyed and was so happy for
me. The S Caps that I had taken helped
me so much that I would continue to take them every hour for the rest of the
race. I must say, I held it together
pretty good, but shortly after getting to mile 33 I had a pretty emotional
moment all to myself. I knew that 90% of
what I had just gone through was all in my head and I would have been pretty
bummed if I had dropped. Sometimes you
just hit a really low moment in a race like this and for me, this was
mine. Luckily it was the only one I had.</div>
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So now here I was, back out on my quest to complete my
second 100 mile ultra in 30 hours or less.
Since Jen and I made such great time early in the run though, I was
still at a great place time wise. My A
goal of sub 24 would really be a push at this point, but B goal of 27:00 to
27:30 was definitely in reach. I locked
in to the adjusted intervals and made my way through St. Augustine and over the
Bridge of Lions. I really enjoyed seeing
the town. I definitely plan to come back
with Kasi to stay for a weekend and enjoy the history. The breeze off of the water lifted my spirits
and really cleared my head. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After leaving AS3, my crew went on ahead to meet Jen at her
next spot and then doubled back to meet me somewhere around mile 36 or 37. They noticed right away how much better I looked
and were really happy for me. I asked
them how Jen was doing and where she was mileage wise. I did this each time I saw them. I found out later on that she asked about me
as well each time she saw them too.
Since AS4 was going to be at mile 40, I told them to meet me somewhere
around mile 44 or 45. I refilled my handhelds,
drank some coke, took a turkey wrap to go and was on my way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next 8 or 9 miles went by in no time. There was some cloud coverage now, so I was
happy I had on my heavier pullover. I
stopped at AS4 at mile 40, replenished my needs and was off in no time. By the time I met the crew again just after
44 miles, I had been on the road almost 11 hours. Since it was closing in on 5:00pm, I
proceeded to put my headlamp, safety vest and front and back blinking lights on
for the nighttime hours. I ate some more
food, refilled my handhelds with my Tailwind Nutrition, made sure all was a go
and was off. I would be seeing them
again at mile 52 where AS5 was located.
This would probably be the longest stretch of the whole run before
getting more aid. Because of this I brought
some quick eats in my pockets.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I continued to trudge along A1A, running, walking, running,
walking…over and over, not thinking of anything but getting to AS5. All I kept saying in my head was, “get to 50
and you could start counting down”. When
I finally got there around 7:00pm, I was feeling pretty good. Crew
members Lindsay and Sara were there like we had planned and once again got what
I needed, made sure I ate and had fresh Tailwind and made me get going. They would be meeting me around mile 57.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This was the start of running through Flagler County all the
way to Marineland. I got to mile 57
without a hitch, got what I needed and planned to meet them again somewhere
around mile 65 or 66 since I was going to be getting to AS6 at mile 61.8
first. When I finally got there around
10pm (16 hours in) I was really happy because my friend Jamie Woyton was
captaining that aid stations with his sons and some other people. When Jamie saw me, he shouted my name, gave
me a big hug, sat me down and fed me some warm food. Anyone who knows Jamie knows that he is just
an awesome person and someone you want in your life as a friend. He’s so positive. I was feeling good when I got there, but I
felt even better when he kicked me out a few minutes later telling me that he
can’t miss me if I don’t leave. He did
give me another big hug before I left and told me he was proud of me and that
buckle was mine. Talk about an emotional
boost, especially since I had 38 miles to go.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9unrR41XqNIyTpwdv_NPW327spAXc1UXFOIAeW4pnuH1NFkA4B7B_NHzmJcFfMRDerr4G2tSDmfpFitE8NGYRBfxxFWrdL4dPdKRpyR0yzjHri56Z2UZeWosu9hd3lKVuakfdKp7bSzS/s1600/43+miles+to+go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9unrR41XqNIyTpwdv_NPW327spAXc1UXFOIAeW4pnuH1NFkA4B7B_NHzmJcFfMRDerr4G2tSDmfpFitE8NGYRBfxxFWrdL4dPdKRpyR0yzjHri56Z2UZeWosu9hd3lKVuakfdKp7bSzS/s640/43+miles+to+go.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Once again I met up with my crew just past mile 66 in a
Publix parking lot along the route. I
ended up getting there a minute before they did. While I was standing there, a woman came up
to me and asked me what this walk we were doing was for. I just smiled and told her it was the Daytona
100. She told me she saw all of these
people walking and was wondering what was going on. I don’t think she really knew what it was we
were doing, but she made me smile when she said good luck. My crew pulled up at that point and this time
it was Chris and Lindsay. Sara was out
pacing Jen at that point. The Team
Truckin’ On Pit Crew was working like a well- oiled machine at this point,
going to meet Jen, then backtracking to meet me, over and over, putting more
miles in the car than we had planned, but never complaining once. After once again getting what I needed from
them I headed on out making that push for AS7 at mile 70.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I ended up getting to mile 70/AS7 just before 12:15am. When I arrived I saw the older guy I had seen
at AS3 back in St. Augustine who told me to give him a thumbs up to let him know
I was ok. As soon as I saw him and said
hello, he took one look at me and said, “Hey, it’s the thumbs up guy! You made
it”. That made me smile. I sat down, had some coke, refilled my
bottles with water in one and Tailwind in the other and had some food. One of the aid station workers said that she
had brought mini pre made toothbrushes, if anybody wanted one. My eyes lit up! How refreshing that was to brush my teeth at
that point in the run. These are the
little things that keep you going when taking on an ultra like this. Again, not spending too much time there, I
got up and headed on out since I was going to be meeting my crew again around
mile 75, which went without a hitch since I was still running the same
intervals that I started back at mile 32.
Lindsay told me she had a shot of Fireball at AS8 that I was heading to
next. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I got to AS8, mile 81, at around 3:15am. It was set up in the TGIFridays parking
lot. I sat down for a sec and again went
through my routine of refilling my bottles, eating some food and drinking some
coke. It was at this time that we were
to cross the road and run on the beach side of A1A since we were going to be
heading back out onto the beach fairly soon.
One person at AS8 was telling everybody that the turn off was 7 miles
up, which would make it mile 88. I
decided to meet with my crew again shortly before this around mile 86, which I
did. I got what I needed pretty quickly
this time since I knew they wanted to get to the finish line to see Jen finish
since she was around 10 to 12 miles ahead of me. Lindsay did mention that Jen’s Garmin got
screwed up around this point right before the beach and to be careful. Being that I was 86 miles in, I could not
think too clearly, but said ok. I wish I
had paid attention a little bit more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since the person at AS8 was telling everyone that the turn
off onto the beach was 7 miles up the road, which would mean 88 miles based on
my Garmin, when I got to 88, then 88.5, then 88.8, I started panicking and was
texting Lindsay to find out if I had passed it.
She told me I hadn’t, not to worry and just keep going. Long story short, the mileage was more like
8.5 to 9 miles to the turn off. When I
finally saw the signs for the turnoff onto the beach, I was so happy. It did throw off my intervals a bit though,
but I was not worried. I had only about
10 miles to go.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I finally got onto the beach and made the right turn, I
had a little less than 4 miles before getting off the beach and hitting AS9 and
meeting my crew for the last time before seeing them at the finish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Slowly but surely I made my way on the beach. By the time I was getting to the exit,
Lindsay said she was going to come onto the beach so I could see how far I had
to go. It was now getting light out even
though the sun wasn’t up yet and I was finally at AS9. For the final time, I got what I needed from
the car, refilled my bottles, ate some food and headed on out for the final 7
miles. Lindsay was going to come with me
to talk me through the final stretch. We
set on out and didn’t run much of this last stretch. We talked, told some stories and even ran
into a guy who at first made a funny comment after overhearing a story Lindsay
was telling, but then went on and on, bragging about how great he was. After about 10 minutes of this one sided
conversation, I couldn’t take it any longer, and said we were going to run for
a bit again. We laughed about it after
leaving him behind.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Finally, we were back on the beach for the final 2 miles and
I kept looking to see if I could see the finishers arch that I would be
crossing. My walking pace at this time was
somewhere around 19 or 20 min/mile. When
I was about ½ mile out, I was able to see the finish. Jen and the crew were there waiting for
me. I crossed over with an official time
of 27:17:05, a PR from my first 100 by just shy of 8 hours.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This 100 miler was so much different than the first but was
just as rewarding. Even though I ran
most of the race on my own after Jen and I had split up, it never felt that
way. This was a journey of EPIC
proportions and I am so thankful for being given the ability to do things like
this. These are the challenges in my
life that I thrive off of and motivate me.
This ultra would not have been possible without the best possible Pit
Crew a runner could have. They not only
crewed 2 runners, but did so by going back and forth along the route over and
over again since Jen and I were at different places. They didn’t complain once and handled it
flawlessly. Thank You Lindsay, Chris and
Sara, from the bottom of my heart, for volunteering your time to come and help
Jen and me accomplish 100 #2. It meant
everything to me and I know it meant everything to Jen as well. I also want to thank my brands I am an
Ambassador for, Tailwind Nutrition for fueling all 100 miles and keeping me
going the whole way, Headsweats for the awesome trucker hats that I never run
without and INKnBURN for the incredible tech shirts that I always wear when
running and even when I’m not running because they look and feel so good. I’d also like to thank Altra Running for making
shoes for running that work for me better than any I have ever worn, and Balega
International for making the most comfortable running socks, again in my opinion
that a person can run in. I also want to
thank all of my friends for all of the words of encouragement and support
during the entire run. It’s always very
humbling. I tried to garnish every ounce
of energy from wherever I could to keep me going. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Last, but far from least, I want to thank my wife Kasi for
being so supportive of this quest and believing in me that I could get it done….again! Love you honey!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "droid serif" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Run
Hard, Run Strong and #stayvertical my friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "droid serif" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Truck On!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "droid serif" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Peace!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "droid serif" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Joe Rainone,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "droid serif" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">December 14, 2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491521923267804174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494981284603393520.post-85720209768908415962016-09-13T00:43:00.000-04:002016-09-13T00:43:06.006-04:00<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">The Wildcat Ultra - My First 100 Mile Race!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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When I would tell people at other races that I was running
my first hundred at the Wildcat Ultra on September 3-4 in Pensacola, Florida,
they would cringe. Actually, the words
of one person were, “Ew, you are running that as your first 100?” This reaction had nothing to do with the race
itself. You see, temperatures in
Pensacola at this time of year can climb into the 100’s with heat indexes of
105 to 115. Can you say recipe for
disaster? Suffice it to say, I didn’t
give it a second thought when I signed up back in February after finishing my
first 100k at Iron Horse.</div>
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The Wildcat Ultra is held at the Escambia County Equestrian
Center in Pensacola, Florida and is a flat,2.5 mile loop course with one main
aid station near the start/finish area. Personal
aid stations can be set up as well.
Three distances are offered, a 50k, 100k and 100 mile. All three distances have a 40 hour time limit
to finish. I figured that this race
would be a great test of my physical and mental strength being that I live in
Florida and can train in temps that are almost as hot. </div>
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When Jennifer Van Vlack and I found out back in January that
we were both going to be running this as our first 100, we decided to keep in
touch throughout our training to keep each other accountable for what we were
setting out to do. We would touch base every
1 to 2 weeks to see how things were going.
We were both crushing the miles and pushing our limits. During one weekend I even ran for 12 hours
through the night for a total of 50 miles and Jennifer ran back to back to back
marathons in three straight days, with all 3 times around 4:30. Crazy stuff was happening and before we knew
it, the race was only 6 weeks away. We
even started using an app called countdown to show us exactly how many days,
hours, minutes and seconds were left until it was go time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXlnNBezRM1_jjns2irp4I6A4KNCM2K2FwvbMQPcrNhfMNwg8ttf2KHZ37iWwXK_lUNRUue0SdTs1QYQD8LZwX7bGDRxmrqUe6-KzkYuBjut34TANrjqp-GxMKaZLVF1T6fow0XBnZAWa/s1600/1+Day+to+Go.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXlnNBezRM1_jjns2irp4I6A4KNCM2K2FwvbMQPcrNhfMNwg8ttf2KHZ37iWwXK_lUNRUue0SdTs1QYQD8LZwX7bGDRxmrqUe6-KzkYuBjut34TANrjqp-GxMKaZLVF1T6fow0XBnZAWa/s320/1+Day+to+Go.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The date was now August 27<sup>th</sup> and the race was
only a week away. We were getting so
excited. I had been tracking the weather
for a couple of weeks now and things looked normal, but a week before the race,
there were now signs that a tropical depression was coming in off the west
coast of Florida near the panhandle, right where I would be driving. The initial plans were for me to drive up on
Friday morning, the day before the race, but that was not looking too good at
this time. After watching the tracker
for a few more days, I decided to head on up on Wednesday to stay ahead of all
the rain. Talk about a smart move. I did hit some rain heading on up, but as
soon as I passed Tallahassee, the rain disappeared and the blue skies came
out. I got to the hotel around 7pm on
Wednesday night and now had 2 full days of being able to rest before the
run. When I look back on this now, it
probably helped me more than I know.</div>
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It was now Friday, September 2 and there was a packet pickup
at 12pm for about an hour if you were able to get to the venue. Since I was already in town, I went over to
the equestrian center and picked up my bib as well as Jennifer’s, since she was
on her way to the venue with her husband Brian, 3 year old daughter Andie and
her friend Lindsay who would be helping crew and pace during the race, but they
would not be there in time. Jennifer
decided to rent an RV for a few days so that they wouldn’t have to camp out in
tents and had invited me to stay with them a couple of weeks back since there was going to be room for one more
adult to sleep. Since I was at the venue
already I made sure that everything was in order for the RV spot that Jen had
rented. The four of them arrived at the
equestrian center a short while later and we finally got to meet. Jennifer and I had been talking for such a long
time now though that it felt like we had already met. I gave her, her race packet, the tag for the
RV and then they went to pick up the camper as I went to get some lunch and
refill my coolers with fresh ice that was keeping all of my gallon containers
of <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind</a> cold since I had made them the day before.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnX36s0Ivj0lWImDOkgoT2_DTeiua9T46Mie-GT1f4OKWws2m5RoWhceGYvRZLsX0O7A2NMB0tChtedbgL1TpRgrk_6bXab0EBh9Uy71_tAWs7RfbmH653ZshzKL0d8TjLBH078NbMKYF/s1600/Welcome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnX36s0Ivj0lWImDOkgoT2_DTeiua9T46Mie-GT1f4OKWws2m5RoWhceGYvRZLsX0O7A2NMB0tChtedbgL1TpRgrk_6bXab0EBh9Uy71_tAWs7RfbmH653ZshzKL0d8TjLBH078NbMKYF/s320/Welcome.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We all then made our way back to the equestrian center where
they parked and set up the RV. It was at
this time that I finally met Dale Cougot.
Dale had been coaching Jen for this race and so she signed him up to run
it with us. Dale is a very experienced
runner with many 100’s under his belt.
He even recently finished his second Badwater135 where Jennifer crewed for
him. He was friendly right off the bat
and was real easy to get along with. We
all hung out in the RV for a while before Jennifer, Dale and Lindsay went
grocery shopping and I stayed back to get my stuff organized for the race that
would be starting the next morning. A
short time later they were back and got everything situated.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37BqNcozlAmzOqNe8iLdONSN-2jx8udBd7wEhZ1zAHl1uBYGihTZvqA22AGQB1ytLeCzkGGOW2AtolZQoaQAJh8cakz9KKrk2PeBXvcI6XdjIaVin2S3FSpfUSAXNfSFDUWYR7CLt-ro9/s1600/Camper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37BqNcozlAmzOqNe8iLdONSN-2jx8udBd7wEhZ1zAHl1uBYGihTZvqA22AGQB1ytLeCzkGGOW2AtolZQoaQAJh8cakz9KKrk2PeBXvcI6XdjIaVin2S3FSpfUSAXNfSFDUWYR7CLt-ro9/s320/Camper.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was now time to head to dinner. We all headed on over to Tamiya Thompson’s
house to have some chicken and pasta.
Tamiya is Aaron’s (the Race Director) brother, and I had met him and his
mom Julie back at one of the 8 Hours of Hell races back in July. We became fast friends and saw each other
again a couple of weeks back at another of the 8 Hours of Hell races. At this one, all talk was of Wildcat and the
excitement that was building. A few days
later Julie reached out to me to ask if I’d like to come to dinner. When I told her that I would be with a group
of people, without a moment’s hesitation, she invited all of them as well. Me, Jennifer and Lindsay all jumped in Dale’s
truck since mine was full of my stuff and Brian and Andie went to pick up
Jennifer’s other friend Chris from the airport, who was coming to crew and pace
as well. Dinner was real casual and very
comfortable. We were treated as if we
were family and it was a great feeling.
We didn’t make it a late night though since it was now time to head on
back to the RV and get some sleep. The
pre-race meeting was going down at 7:45am with the race starting 15 minutes
later. After having a few more laughs at
the RV after getting back, we finally shut it down and got to bed.</div>
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I was up at about 5:15am.
I never sleep great the night before a race and since I’m so used to
getting up early and had two great night’s sleep on Wednesday and Thursday
nights, I was already well rested and ready to go. I was able to take my time getting
ready. I decided to start off with a classic <a href="http://www.inknburn.com/" target="_blank">InkNBurn</a> shirt, the Out N Back since it was white, my white compression under my black shorts that I would probably wear the entire way, a favorite pair of <a href="http://www.balega.com/" target="_blank">Balega</a> socks, my original <a href="http://www.altrarunning.com/" target="_blank">Altra</a> Olympus and my white and red <a href="http://www.headsweats.com/" target="_blank">Headsweats</a> trucker hat. Dale and I even took a ride to
the store for him to pick up some ice for his cooler and some coffee. Just after 7am, Jennifer was ready to go and
after getting some last minute things taken care of, the 3 of us headed on over
to the race start for the briefing.
Aaron basically went over the course with us, which was pretty straight
forward, and then a local priest said a prayer and blessed all of the
runners. Shortly thereafter Aaron
started the countdown and all of a sudden we were off on our EPIC journey.</div>
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The day was looking beautiful and clear as we started on our
first loop. My plan was to do my
intervals from the very beginning. I’ve
learned that on long races, you need to preserve the energy and do what feels
comfortable for you. So many people get
caught up in the moment and go out too fast or start doing things differently
than how they trained. I’ve gotten
caught up in this in past races as well and I was not going to let that happen
today. I knew that Jennifer and Dale
would get out ahead of me, but I also knew that there was going to be quite a
bit of walking involved and Jen and I would do a lot of the race together in
the later miles.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The first 5 miles (2 loops), I was keeping just a tad over a
12 minute per mile pace since I completed it in 1 hour and 32 seconds, which is
exactly like I had thought it would be.
I had passed the main aid station twice already, but not really eating
much this early. I did refill my
<a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind</a> bottle and water bottle at our own personal aid station near the RV at
this point and I was feeling good. The
next 2 loops were just a bit slower and by the time I finished 10 miles, I was
at 2:03:46. It was now that I decided I
needed to up the calories and the hydration a bit. It was only 10am and it was already getting
very hot. I slowed my pace down after
mile 10 and started walking a bit more.
At 15 I was at 3:27:27 and by the time I hit 20 I was at 4:54:54 and
this is where the wheels almost came off for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was standing at the main aid station and I started to get
a bit emotional. I really don’t know
why, I just was. I was not crying or
anything like that, but it was weird. Julie
came over to me and asked what the matter was.
I remember saying that nothing was wrong, but she noticed I was not
myself and figured the heat was probably getting to me. They sat me in a chair right away and she and
Grace just kept putting ice cold washcloths on my arms, back, legs, calves and
head. Julie even put some ice in a
couple of zip lock baggies and put one under each arm. Then they made me eat some real food, a
turkey and cheese wrap, and drink some pickle juice. I never once thought that I was done during
this ordeal, but I was definitely having a moment. After a short time and getting some of those extra
calories in me besides the <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind</a>, I felt completely better. They all noticed how much better I looked at
that point and knew I was ready to head back on out. One more shot of some pickle juice and I was
off again and starting loop #9.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzScAp1QhMkugxbIh9TReZdLvcuKtBJks-4JGued5-BSc7TZNzj4KqVg_KUtNGOtcU4i20iPSn1M84CRDrcAEKCRb8xPw8rqFBdQGoSHEX-UyB4fO5a7tUtsYdreU8hKU7jEz2R5MDGn3/s1600/Julie+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzScAp1QhMkugxbIh9TReZdLvcuKtBJks-4JGued5-BSc7TZNzj4KqVg_KUtNGOtcU4i20iPSn1M84CRDrcAEKCRb8xPw8rqFBdQGoSHEX-UyB4fO5a7tUtsYdreU8hKU7jEz2R5MDGn3/s320/Julie+and+me.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next 10 miles went very smooth. I took my time after my little ordeal and
just kept trucking on. I did not feel
tired at all but it had been a very hot day with temps very high and heat
indexes even higher going over 100 degrees.
I’m not exactly sure what loop or mile I was on when what happened
next. All I know was that it was a few
hours before it was to get dark, so most likely between miles 30 to 35. I was just getting to the grass island area
where we would run down the middle. Our
table and my cooler were off to the side towards the RV. I looked on over to see Lindsay and Chris
standing there, but with 3 other people.
At first I thought it was Brian and Andie, but when I looked again I saw
who was really standing there. My wife
Kasi had driven the 6 ½ hours that morning with my daughter Zoe and her friend
to surprise me. I ran over to them and
hugged them so hard. The emotions were
too overwhelming to contain. I was so
happy to see them and genuinely surprised.
Talk about an emotional boost!
Kasi had gotten to the RV earlier and met everyone, so they couldn’t
wait for me to get to our spot along the course and see them. Suffice it to say, I was ready to take on
these next 65 miles or so and there was no stopping me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just after hitting the 38 mile mark, it started to get dark,
so I made my way on the course and veered off to the car to get my headlamp on
and my small flashlight in my pocket as backup. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRF57tVTlimMhYJ60SByv3Db2qKAPhtXw_7by9bLvlCMpqriu12MmOz2QYlPZdXKPwNum9Ldugn_RSnjN6slH9kpfrb_icjf8vM0IXbRRtTyJuhZw_eZFxDXFXMixXdM7_aU9I-FXxippC/s1600/First+change.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRF57tVTlimMhYJ60SByv3Db2qKAPhtXw_7by9bLvlCMpqriu12MmOz2QYlPZdXKPwNum9Ldugn_RSnjN6slH9kpfrb_icjf8vM0IXbRRtTyJuhZw_eZFxDXFXMixXdM7_aU9I-FXxippC/s320/First+change.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a 100 mile race where the temps are very hot during the day, the
nighttime becomes your friend. It’s a
great time to get a lot of miles in a steady rate. It was at this time that I met up with Jen
and Dale on the course and we walked together for a bit again. As the time started to get later the storm
that had been brewing was rolling in and before we knew it the rains came. Before it started getting bad, Jennifer and
Dale decided to stop at the RV for a bit and wait for the storm to pass. For me, I decided that I wasn’t going to stop. I was powering forward at a nice pace at this
point and wanted to get in as many miles as I could before the sun came
up. At one point I did stop at the car
to change my shoes, socks, hat and shirt and put my poncho on. I seriously considered stopping myself for a
short while until the rains slowed when I was in the dry car, but I told myself
not to get caught up in the moment. I
got out of the car and continued on.
That’s when the heavens opened up and it came down in buckets. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhku_yuSUZWe6X5bINN-VbNRK3cproaOPvaTLDwGrFIhtsSu2L8sQGbKlqeWmvynGjwch7b5gVs7Os144xJGrAR9mhUaMRt0B5pOvlYDPkv3q9Hrxb1547gSbrqZnXwf5ArXZEPl5joKssE/s1600/2nd+Change+in+Rain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhku_yuSUZWe6X5bINN-VbNRK3cproaOPvaTLDwGrFIhtsSu2L8sQGbKlqeWmvynGjwch7b5gVs7Os144xJGrAR9mhUaMRt0B5pOvlYDPkv3q9Hrxb1547gSbrqZnXwf5ArXZEPl5joKssE/s320/2nd+Change+in+Rain.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I made my way around the course doing
intervals at a pretty quick clip. By the
time that the rains finally let up and the storm was moving past I had made up
a couple of loops on Jennifer when she and Dale were heading back out onto the
course. I decided to change my shoes for
a second time at this point and it was now that we started to do the rest of
the race together as much as we could</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the loops were ticked off on the lists in our heads, the
miles added up, the hours passed on by and we got closer and closer to our
goal. By the time that the sky started
getting lighter and we were able to get rid of our headlamps, we were over the
60 mile mark and figured out that Jennifer had 14 loops to go and I had 16. It was at this point that we both felt that
we had to check our feet. I knew
something was going on for a while and so when we stopped at the RV and I
looked, I saw I had some blisters that needed taking care of. Without any hesitation, Jennifer said she
would tape them up for me. She said she
was used to it after crewing for Dale at Badwater. This really saved me and I am very thankful
to her for it. I again changed my shoes and socks and shortly thereafter getting
back at it, Jennifer was hitting mile 70 when I was hitting mile 65 and we were
trucking on. At 24 hours on the course, I was at mile 71 and Jen was at 76. I
did have to stop one other time to redress my foot at some point.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was crazy to think of what started out as a 40 loop run
was now down to 10 for me and 8 for Jen.
It was easier to look at what we had left to do in this way at this
point rather than in miles or time since mentally it seemed easier. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One by one the loops got ticked off, we continued to
hydrate, continued to consume calories by eating real food each time we passed
the main aid station, told stories to not think about what we were doing and
saw less and less people on the course. Many
people, who had signed up for the 100 mile race, either dropped to a lower
distance or dropped out completely. In
the end, out of the 50 people who started the 100 miler, only 17 people
finished.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before we knew it, Jennifer was down to her final loop and I
had 3 to go. Dale, who had a couple of down moments, had even come back with a
vengeance and had one loop to go as well.
Jen’s husband Brian and her 3 year old daughter Andie, decided to come
with us on her final loop. When we got
about 100 yards away, Chris and I went ahead so that we could see her
finish. Jen came across the line in
33:32:34 and was the second woman to finish and 9<sup>th</sup> person overall and
Dale was right behind her in 33:35:43, 10<sup>th</sup> overall.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was now my turn to head on out for my final 2 loops. I already couldn’t believe that I had
finished 95 miles, but that was not the goal.
Kasi and Chris paced me for that loop.
We told Kasi about the course and everything we talked about. She enjoyed herself and kept me distracted
and before I knew it we were finishing that loop and now I had 1 to go. Chris came with me again and I could tell
that it was going to be dark in about 50 minutes, so I kind of picked up the
pace and power walked the whole way.
Even Chris noticed that I had gotten a second wind and mentioned
it. I told him that I wanted to finish
just before it got dark, and that is exactly what I did. I crossed that finish line in exactly
35:09:21 and 12<sup>th</sup> overall.
After receiving my buckle from Ben and getting my picture taken and was
congratulated, I immediately went to Kasi and gave her a big hug and kiss. It meant so much to me for her to be there on
the finish of my first 100 mile run. Jen
came back to the finish to see me cross and gave me a hug as well. She looked how I felt, exhausted! I
hugged Julie as well who was a huge supporter of mine from the get go and I
even promised I’d give Pops a hug and kiss on the cheek when I finished and I
am a man of my word.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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I finally sat down to savor the moment and have that beer I
was looking forward to, but that was just not going to happen. Halfway to the bathroom, my body knew that it
was over. On the way back I started
shivering and had to remove my shirt and wrap myself in a blanket. Kasi walked me back to where the RV and cars
were, got some clothes out of my car to change in to and then went back to the
hotel where Kasi had gotten a room. I
took a shower, which felt soooo good, took care of some aches and pains
including my feet that experienced a first by getting blisters on both and then
got into bed. I was probably asleep 1
second after my head hit the pillow, but that is expected after being up for
over 40 hours straight. I don’t know how
my body did it, but when you are in the moment, you don’t even think about
it. We knew we were tired but our bodies
knew that we were doing something special and it wasn’t time to rest. Celebrating came the next day at Olive Garden.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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This EPIC journey would definitely not have been the same if
I did it by myself. First of all, having
Kasi surprise me and be there meant everything to me. She is my rock, my shoulder to lean on, my
best friend and my biggest supporter.
She has put up with so much when I was training and she is the reason I
am who I am. She has taught me to fight
for what you want and challenge yourself.
She is always saying, “If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change
you.” She is so right. This incredible journey sure has changed
me. Secondly, I now have a friend for
life. Jennifer and I have been Facebook
friends for quite some time now and we have been keeping tabs on each other’s
training, but when you run and complete a 100 mile race with that person, that
friendship is solidified. You learn so
much about each other over those 33 to 35 hours. We laughed, told stories and just had a great
time from beginning to end. We look
forward to running other 100’s together and supporting each other in many
others. Kasi and I look forward to
heading to TX as some point to spend some time with Jennifer, Brian and Andie
and just having a great time. Team
Trucking On has been established!! Third,
I’d like to thank Dale Cougot for all of the race know-how he provided, the
wisdom of being in this situation before and the inspiration he showed while
running himself. He is truly a great guy
and a total badass and I am lucky to call him my friend. Fourth, even though they came for Jen, Lindsay and Chris were the best crew/pacer duo you could ask for. Without any prompting they were there for me as well and they were a big part as to why I finished. I couldn't have asked for anything more. The friendships I have gained also mean so
much to me and made a world of difference.
The whole Thompson family was so welcoming and treated me like I was one
of the family. They took care of me
every step of the way and made sure that I kept putting one foot in front of
the other. They even bought me beer to
have when I finished, but it just wasn’t happening when it was finally
complete. Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my brands I am an Ambassador
for, <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind Nutrition</a> for fueling all 100 miles and keeping me going the
whole way, <a href="http://www.headsweats.com/" target="_blank">Headsweats</a> for the awesome trucker hats that I never run without and
<a href="http://www.inknburn.com/" target="_blank">InkNBurn</a> for the incredible dry ice tech shirts that do everything a tech shirt
is supposed to do including looking good.
I also want to thank <a href="http://www.altrarunning.com/" target="_blank">Altra Running</a> for the most awesome running shoes on
the market in my opinion and <a href="http://www.balega.com/" target="_blank">Balega International</a> for the most comfortable
running socks I have ever worn. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYXz2ULWGWoo9Toinl_Q9NqO0s30pfCXBYA9RmS5cNTfPm_pav-_U093UPKcAi1WzXdbv4PLaS5FZE5qzR0KJci9N8pI1r8_o0xbUFPq64c1C1YzGX2MBryJAvCAJrmVb0OXXQJmfuzvT/s1600/Me%252C+Lindsay%252C+Jen+and+Chris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYXz2ULWGWoo9Toinl_Q9NqO0s30pfCXBYA9RmS5cNTfPm_pav-_U093UPKcAi1WzXdbv4PLaS5FZE5qzR0KJci9N8pI1r8_o0xbUFPq64c1C1YzGX2MBryJAvCAJrmVb0OXXQJmfuzvT/s320/Me%252C+Lindsay%252C+Jen+and+Chris.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lastly, I want to thank all of my friends for the words of
encouragement and support during the entire run. I am floored by how many were following my
journey into the unknown and humbled beyond belief. I grabbed every ounce of energy from wherever
I could get it and took it to the end. I
look forward to going on many more adventures with all of you behind me and
taking it as far as I can go.</div>
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Run Hard, Run Strong and #stayvertical my friends.</div>
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Truck On!!</div>
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Peace!</div>
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Joe Rainone, </div>
<br />
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September 9, 2016</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491521923267804174noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494981284603393520.post-12677309071996483742016-03-10T14:52:00.002-05:002016-03-10T14:58:27.140-05:00Tailwind Nutrition…It really is all you need.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Have you ever been in the middle of
a race, or even at the later stages of one, and the fuel that you were taking,that
tasted so great early on, started to not taste too good and even start giving
you gut bombs and gi issues? I have,
that’s for sure. There have even been a
handful of races that I have run where I have changed up my fueling plan
because of the fact that I was becoming nauseated by what I had been using and
ended up having major cramps because of it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
In 2015, all of that changed
because of a recommendation from Erin Churchill, a fellow Tailwind Trailblazer,
<a href="http://www.inknburn.com/" target="_blank">INKnBURN</a> Ambassador and Ultra Runner. I
reached out to Erin at the end of January because I had just finished my first
50k, The Clearwater Ultra, where the last 11 miles were brutal due to fueling
issues. I wanted to know how she went
about fueling in ultras, from 50k’s to 100 milers to 24 Hour and multi day
events. This is when she told me about
<a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind Nutrition</a>, a company that was created by endurance athlete Jeff
Vierling.</div>
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<br /></div>
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That night I went online, went to
their website and read all about the company, the people and the product
itself. With each bit of information I
read I became more and more excited about the product. I decided that I had to test the product out
for myselfsince I was transitioning into the ultra distances. On February 12<sup>th</sup> I ordered the 5
flavor stick pack so that I could try each of their flavors, Lemon, Mandarin
Orange, Berry, Raspberry Buzz (the caffeinated flavor) and Naked (the
unflavored flavor). Two days later the package was already at my doorstep and I
couldn’t wait to try them out.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
It has been just over a year since the
day that first package arrived and all of the gels, bars and chews I used to take
are gone and <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind Nutrition</a> has become my only fueling source, period. All of
the flavors are very light without any after taste and no residue. They have even come out with two more
caffeinated flavors since then, Green Tea Buzz and Tropical Buzz, which are
awesome! I really love all of the
flavors Tailwind offers, but my favorite is the Naked Unflavored since it
basically has no taste, which is exactly what I like<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>. The product itself, a very light powder, mixes
very easily with water with just a few
swishes and gives me all the calories I need (200 to 300) on a per hour basis
as well as all the energy, electrolytes and hydration that my body requires to
just keep going and going without any GI issues or gut bombs. I have run many races and ultra-distances
since I started using <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind Nutrition</a> and I have had no issues at all, zero. I even just completed my first 100k, The Iron
Horse Endurance Run, this past February with Tailwind in my handheld and it
really was all I needed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NPuxXim8dKKENmUrX0i4U5Q-hXM-AsMnqb9i9mDlqIjce5NEMSn9l5CT2V20OnpyuG1Ot3gwPIZZBhEDGQhY_Aipp1OrLmkKDWt0E4iC3ubw6FmGtRHx7nvJet0heuvrK-m7uEr71G_s/s1600/stick-packs-group2.1280__07426.1454388120.1280.1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NPuxXim8dKKENmUrX0i4U5Q-hXM-AsMnqb9i9mDlqIjce5NEMSn9l5CT2V20OnpyuG1Ot3gwPIZZBhEDGQhY_Aipp1OrLmkKDWt0E4iC3ubw6FmGtRHx7nvJet0heuvrK-m7uEr71G_s/s320/stick-packs-group2.1280__07426.1454388120.1280.1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSfOrdrC1ZXnOPllvJdHDWP7n8uJfKQ4vd6D0KAQ0To5WQDrFA2_yCql2cvTjohkXwkrOe6IAFzHtfFaRvVVjzR_A7PuPJK9MlEkbPNdl-U-X4iH8r1ikxDKOjVK7c0MsvMu-Iupv7t_J/s1600/tailwind4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSfOrdrC1ZXnOPllvJdHDWP7n8uJfKQ4vd6D0KAQ0To5WQDrFA2_yCql2cvTjohkXwkrOe6IAFzHtfFaRvVVjzR_A7PuPJK9MlEkbPNdl-U-X4iH8r1ikxDKOjVK7c0MsvMu-Iupv7t_J/s320/tailwind4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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If you are looking for a product
that will give you everything you need without the issues that other products
might give you, look no further than <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind Nutrition</a>. It is gluten free, vegan and contains no soy
or dairy. It really is all you need, all
day. Really!</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRxaiZS44PvKxa8yN_fpNzWxACpclVBgw-k03kn2lLoI_xDq9e6323Fm9yjAMG6u8qBe1iGOUwwvsDPRc0f0elJUXaMTLLsIntAjXyo0wSLMvJTXuT7ebrBjKzyO1dNGsmg6l5ZmTo-4i/s1600/125X125logo.jpg" /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491521923267804174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494981284603393520.post-47978876912626666992016-02-14T15:25:00.000-05:002016-02-14T15:25:26.956-05:00IRON HORSE 100K Recap<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In
April of 2015 I had decided that it was my time to step up my game and take my
running to the next level. For me, that was to look for and register for
my first 100k. For the non-runners out there, that’s 62 miles and yes, to
answer your unasked question, all in one day. I had a good idea as to how
long it would take me to complete this distance, but I also wanted a little
head room just in case I didn’t have a good day. After emailing race
directors of three different runs and comparing the pros and cons of each, I
settled on the Iron Horse 100k Endurance Run that is organized by Chris Rodatz and
was held on February 6 up in Florahome, Florida, only about 2 hours north from
where we live. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Normally
I would drive up the morning of a run that was this close to home, but since it
was an ultra-distance I had never run before, I decided to head on up the day
before and stay at the host hotel that was only about 10 minutes down the road
from the start. I must say that this was a smart move on my part. I
was able to check in earlier than normal and relax for a bit before heading on
to the race briefing that was taking place at the start at 5:30pm. I
picked up my bib, #63, talked for a bit with a few other runners before Chris
explained the course to us. It was a 25 mile loop course that had 3 main
aid stations, the second you would pass 3 separate times. Because of
this, the longest you would have to go between aid was a 6 mile mini loop when
you first entered the forest where aid station 2 was being set up. After
the briefing, the local church, that was at the start as well, was having a
spaghetti dinner for the runners for a $5 donation. When was the last
time you had a full course meal for $5 with dessert and a good one at
that?? After dinner, I made my way back to the hotel to get my things
ready for the morning and relax a bit before hitting the sack early. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">As I
was lying in bed I decided that I would turn the TV on for a bit since it was
still pretty early. Well, do you believe in signs? As the TV clicked on,
I noticed that the movie Forrest Gump was on, right at the point where he
starts running!! For those of you that know me, some of my wife’s cousins
compare me to him and I even dressed up as Forrest Gump this past
Halloween. I texted Kasi to tell her and she couldn’t believe it. I
fell asleep shortly after that with those thoughts in my head.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I woke
up that next morning earlier than I had to, so I just decided to get ready and
head to the start. Since I was going to be able to park my car right
where the run started, I figured I would just relax in the car for a little
while. The weather called for temps in the low 50’s for the day, but at
this time before the sun came up, it was still in the low 40’s. I decided
to start the run wearing a long sleeve compression shirt under my 100<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.inknburn.com/" target="_blank">INKnBURN</a>shirt and my running pullover over that.
I also had on gloves to keep my hands warm and my favorite<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.headsweats.com/" target="_blank">Headsweats</a> trucker hat. I did use my camelback
as well, but without the bladder, to carry some essentials since I prefer
running with handhelds filled with<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind Nutrition</a> Since
this was mostly a trail run but some pavement at the beginning and end of each
lap, I chose to wear my<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.altrarunning.com/" target="_blank">Altra</a> Olympus
1.5's since it's a hybrid shoe.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">At
precisely 7am, the gun sounded and we were off. The first section was an
out and back on a paved trail that brought us back to the start 3.5 miles later.
I stuck to my plan, consistently drank my tailwind and now headed off in the
other direction to tackle the next 21.5 miles of the first loop. I ran
for another 2 miles on the paved trail before veering off onto the main trails
where 2 miles later, 7.5 miles in, I was at aid station 2. I didn’t stay
here for more than the few minutes it took to refill my handhelds and adjust my
pack before heading on off on the 6 mile mini loop. Before I knew it I
was back at aid station two, 13.64 miles in and feeling great. At this
point it was time to head off on another road in the woods for another 3.75
miles before turning around and heading back to aid station two for the 3<sup>rd</sup> time.
Like before, I didn’t stay for long. It was here that I did most of my
eating even though it wasn’t much. I pretty much rely solely on my<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind Nutrition</a> to
take me the whole way in my ultras, but since It was my first 100k, I did
eat. I stuck to the pretzels, pb&j’s, salted potatoes and even a few
sips of coke, but they had so many other things, I felt like I was at a
buffet. I was now ready to head back to the start to complete the first
25 mile loop. I grabbed a handful of pretzels and took off. The
next 4 miles went pretty much the same as all the miles I had run already and
before I knew it I was passing the 25 mile mark in a time of 5:09. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2JQ4uE9dOBH7wLMfH9xKXfRqKk_LDEGc6r1epaRvZ5suwHM8k7fjfLOshmtKSDjLVbFY0BHMetCx845mG6RAC48A6lknMutTfS9PyXDiNvtsuNnGJPKAPYk6Fh0Ru0CTNtB7NmgIbmaz/s1600/top-twlogo-2X.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2JQ4uE9dOBH7wLMfH9xKXfRqKk_LDEGc6r1epaRvZ5suwHM8k7fjfLOshmtKSDjLVbFY0BHMetCx845mG6RAC48A6lknMutTfS9PyXDiNvtsuNnGJPKAPYk6Fh0Ru0CTNtB7NmgIbmaz/s640/top-twlogo-2X.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Instead
of taking a break at this time, I decided to run the 3.5 mile out and back
first before doing so. It was at this time that I decided to take off my
compression shirt and just run in my<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.inknburn.com/" target="_blank">INKnBURN</a> that I was
wearing over it. The weather was great and I needed to feel the coolness
a bit more. I threw the compression shirt in the car, but did stick the
jacket in my pack just in case I needed it later on. Again, after
refueling and eating a few things, I headed on off to continue loop 2 where I
was 28.87 miles in and still feeling strong. By the time I hit aid station
2 again, I was 7 hours and 21 minutes in and had completed 33.13 miles.
It was at this time though that the skies were getting really overcast and it
looked like it was going to rain, so to be better safe than sorry, I pulled out
the poncho I had brought for this very reason. I didn’t realize how such
a large poncho can be folded into such a small package. All the people at
the aid station agreed that I should put it on, which I did, but not before
putting my pullover back on since it was getting a bit chilly again. Sure
enough, 2 miles into the 6 mile mini loop, it started to mist and then
rain. Luckily it was not a downpour, but it was consistent. That
poncho was my lifesaver!! It kept my pack and clothes from getting wet, so
I didn’t end up getting really cold like I saw some people were. I still
felt strong and by the time I had completed the next 7.5 mile out and back, I
was 46.83 miles in in a time of 11:05 and again after some refueling was onto
my final 4 of lap 2. Just over an hour later I finished loop 2 and had
now completed 50 miles in a time of 12:19.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">At this
time the rain was still coming down and it was dark and cold. The
temperatures were in the upper 30’s and you could see the plumes of your breath
in the light of my headlamp that I was now wearing. Again, like I did at
each aid station, I refueled and was just about to start on my final 12 miles
when I realized I was really cold. I decided to detour to my car and
change all the clothes on my upper body. I put on a dry<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.inknburn.com/" target="_blank">INKnBURN</a> shirt, another running jacket I hadn’t used
yet over that and then my Olive Garden rain jacket I had brought as well over
that. That jacket even had a great hood that I put on and then a dry<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.headsweats.com/" target="_blank">Headsweats</a> hat on over that. I put my gloves
back on that I had taken off earlier in the day and headed on out. That
decision to change was the right move because since I was now warm, my running
pace increased, I hit aid station 2 for the last time and was heading on back
to finish my first 100k in a time of 16:06 and be handed my first buckle.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
It’s my plan to continue to push my limits, see how far I can go and keep on
collecting those buckles, but for the next week I think I’m just going to
reflect on what I did by holding that buckle in my hands every day and
smile. Next week it’s back to training since Boston is in 7 weeks and
then onto a 20 week ultra-training plan that will culminate in my first 100
miler at the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=34527" target="_blank">Wildcat
Ultra</a> 100 mile in Pensacola, Florida on September 3. Wish me
luck! Run hard, run strong and #stayvertical my friends.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491521923267804174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494981284603393520.post-26811357503314923732015-08-29T15:51:00.001-04:002015-08-29T15:51:55.702-04:00<h2>
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: x-large;">My TransRockies Challenge Test</span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white;">A few weeks ago, </span>I was looking to challenge myself
with something running related and that is when I decided that it would be
really cool to take on the mileage of the 6 stages of the TransRockies Run since I will be running this epic race in 2017. Even though I live in Florida and would not
have the altitude and elevation gain that I will have when I take it on in the
mountains of Colorado, I would still be pushed to my limits by the miles itself
since I have never run this much in such a short period of time. I planned to start on the morning of August 20<sup>th</sup>
and finish on August 25<sup>th</sup>.</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">Day 1: 20.8 miles</span></h2>
<br /></div>
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This day started off with me getting up at 4am, taking my
wife to the airport since she was going away for a work conference and then
getting home and starting my run. It was
just like a Saturday for me since that is my day for my long runs. It was just before 6am when I finally headed
on out. I ran like I normally do with
regular intervals and didn’t push the
pace at all since my training is all about endurance, not time. Plus, I figured there was a lot of miles
ahead of me these next 6 days and it was just about completing them. I carried my handheld that was full of my
fuel of choice, Tailwind Nutrition and refilled after the first hour, about 6
miles in. From that point on I topped
off my fuel every 3 to 4 miles. At about
mile 12 I ate a quarter of my pb&j that I had made. For me, taking in some real food at some
point makes me feel that much better in the later miles. I know I didn’t really need it for today’s
run since it was only day 1, but I did anyway.
The pace stayed steady, the fuel was consumed and 4:07 minutes after
starting, I was done for the day. I felt
great and was ready to take on Day 2.</div>
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<h2>
Day 2: 13.4 miles</h2>
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I knew today was going to be a bit of a challenge but for
other reasons other than the running. Today
my oldest son was off to college and I had to be on the road by 7am to get to
his mother’s to pick him up and bring him to his dorm. With the everyday things that need to be done
at the house before leaving, I was going to have to start my run by 3am. Fortunately I got to bed the night before at
a good time and was able to get up and get out by 3am just like I had
planned. I took it even slower today
knowing that tomorrow was probably going to be a hard one. I cut my intervals down and again fueled like
I normally do on a day that I run this distance. Even though I start with a bottle of Tailwind
Nutrition, it is not as strong and the hydration for the remaining miles is
only water. I also do not take in any
real food on runs of around this distance.
Again, the pace remained steady and after 2:53 minutes I was done with
day 2. I still felt really good with
where I was at physically and now had to prepare for day 3.<br />
<br />
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<h2>
Day 3: 24.2 miles</h2>
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I knew that today was going to be hard, but I never imagined
it was going to be as hard as it was.
Like we all know, there are good and bad days of running and today
ranked up there with one of the worst I ever had. Before I even started this challenge, I was
reading about another fuel that many people praised. Why I even started thinking about possibly
trying it is beyond me. As luck would
have it, it was sold at a place that I passed on my way home from work and so I
purchased some. I don’t know what
possessed me to test this fuel during the biggest running challenge of my life,
especially on the day that I knew would probably be the hardest. I was out the door and off on day 3 by
4am. Not only did my legs already feel heavy
from all the moving and running around I did with my son from the previous day,
but I also didn’t get a good night’s sleep.
To add insult to injury, the fuel I was testing was awful. It tasted like yeast and when it warmed to
room temperature, it was even worse. By
mile 6, I could not wait to get some colder fuel into my handheld. I wasn’t forcing it down, but I was not
liking it at all. Fortunately, it was
not causing any gastric or nausea issues and so I just kept on taking it in
like it said to do. By mile 12, when I
was taking in my first quarter of my pb&j, I did have to start watering it
down and by mile 16, I had to transition back to my Tailwind Nutrition. The damage to this day had already been done
though by this fuel. I was going very
slow and walking quite a bit. I was even
cramping at some points and I haven’t cramped since I started with my Tailwind. As it so happens, I ended up walking the last
8 miles of today’s distance. As tired as
I was, I knew I could just walk and finish the 24.2 miles that I needed to and
that is what I did. 6:37 after starting,
I was done for the day. I was very tired
at this point and knew I needed a restful day and a good night’s sleep to take
on the mileage of day 4 and so that is what I set out to do. <br />
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<h2>
Day 4: 14.2 miles</h2>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today was definitely going to be a better day than
yesterday. I filled my handheld with my
Tailwind Nutrition, had ice cold water ready for the refills and was out the
door and on the road by 5:38am. I
decided that I would get a little bit more sleep this morning and start a bit
later after the disastrous day I had yesterday and it was the right move on my part. I took the run really slow, adjusted the
intervals to make more sense for me later in the run and the result was a good
one. Nothing fancy about today. I fueled like I was supposed to, kept a
steady but slow pace and took it throughout the entire run. 3:15 after starting today, I was done with
day 4. I was also feeling pretty
good. I didn’t know what to expect for
the next 2 days since each would be over 20 miles and I had already completed
the first 72 of the challenge, but I was going to do this without any question.<br />
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<h2>
Day 5: 23.6 miles</h2>
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With another good night’s sleep under my belt, I was out the
door by 4:30 this day. I prepared like I
had done the previous 4 days and was on the road with my plan at hand. I was going to take today just like I had
yesterday because it worked so well.
Without even realizing it, I was just passing 10 miles in with only 13.6
to go and I was not only feeling great, but my legs didn’t feel as heavy as they
did the previous 2 days. Whether it had
to do with mental preparation or the fact that my body was adjusting, I was
feeling really good. Even though I was
going as slow as I was, the miles were ticking by and before I knew it I was 3
miles away from finishing for the day. I
kept at it, ate my food, drank my fuel and passed mile 23.6 6:04 after
starting. 5 days were complete and
tomorrow would be the final day of this challenge. I was so mentally prepared by now that I was
ready for the day to come!<br />
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<h2>
Day 6: 22.2 miles</h2>
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Today I was up by 3am even though I hadn’t planned on getting
up until 3:30am. I guess my mind and
body were ready to complete the final miles of this epic challenge. I was taking my first steps of the run by
3:49 am and again just taking it nice and easy.
The miles were being counted down with every step I took. I was at 3 miles, then 6 miles, then 10
miles. The fuel was consumed, the
pb&j was eaten and the miles were conquered. When I finally passed 22.2 miles and was done
with the challenge I got a little emotional.
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Taking on this challenge was something I feel I was
preparing myself for even though I hadn’t decided to do it until a few weeks
ago. Here I am, a 46 year old father of
5, who only started running 6 years ago with the hopes of completing a marathon,
running 120 miles in 6 days. Never in my
wildest dreams did I ever think I would be doing something like this. It just goes to show you that if you put your
mind to something and prepare yourself, you can do anything. I hope that some of those that followed this
6 day journey of mine were inspired to take on your own challenge. It doesn’t have to be big or small, it just
has to be personal.<br />
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Once again I want to thank all of the people that followed
me with this epic endeavor. Your words
of encouragement kept me focused and determined to complete what I had set out
to do. I also want to say that the
respect I have for all of the endurance athletes was always there, but it has
been compounded by what I did since many of them make this look easy and for me
it was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. To know that I will be doing this in the
mountains of Colorado 2 years from now excites me knowing that I can mentally
prepare for it. I do have work to do
though since I will be running it at altitude and climbing over 20,000 ft in
elevation.<br />
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So, once again, Thank you for all the support.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Run Hard, Run Strong and Stay Vertical my friends!!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491521923267804174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494981284603393520.post-75135580677697828692015-08-23T13:14:00.000-04:002015-08-23T13:16:47.510-04:00My Transition Into Ultras<div class="MsoNormal">
Becoming an ultra runner was not something I had set my
sights on when I first started running about 6 years ago, but like anything
else, the more you do, the more you want to do. The initial goal was to train
for and run a marathon and that is exactly what I did and then I kept running
them. To this day I have completed 10
marathons and 10 half marathons. I know
it may not seem like a lot to so many others that run, but it was never my plan
to run race after race. I would focus on
a few each season and train for them. It
was after I ran my 9<sup>th</sup> marathon, the Cleveland Marathon, in May of
2014, that I knew it was time to challenge myself with more. With that in mind, I registered for the 50k
at the Clearwater Distance Classic that was taking place in January of
2015. I trained hard over the summer,
logging many miles and very long long runs and by the time January rolled
around, I was ready as I ever would be.
I ran the race not as well as I had wanted to, but I knew I would
complete my first ultra this day and that is what I did. I am always humbled when I cross that finish
line no matter how many races I have run.
I am someone who is fortunate enough to be able to do something I am
passionate about and I do not take it for granted at all. It’s always a very emotional moment for me
because I am so thankful.</div>
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<br />
It was after completing that 50k that I knew this is what I
wanted to do. I wanted to run all the
distances, 50k, 50m, 100k, 100m 12 Hour runs and 24 Hour runs. I am motivated by the challenge. It is what drives me and inspires me. On a whim, I signed up for a 12 Hour run, The
Whispering Pines 12H/6H run, that was only about an hour from where we
live. It was actually free and only a
small donation would suffice for the food and venue. It took place in April on the trails in a
state park. I figured that I would run as
much as I could and see how I did. I
surprised myself by staying in the run for the whole 12 Hours, logging just shy
of 50 miles. Funny thing is, I actually
could have continued if the race wasn’t over.
I felt that good. <br />
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There was a
stage race though that I had been looking at for a while now that looked so
cool, but I just could never wrap my mind around it. When I completed that 50k in January, it was
like the switch was flipped and my focus became crystal clear. I was going to run the TransRockies Run. <a href="http://www.transrockies-run.com/" target="_blank">www.transrockies-run.com</a> I reached out to Linzie that night to see if
he wanted to run it with me as teammates.
He was the person that first told me about this stage race. He was so psyched that I wanted to run it
with him, we broadcast it on FB. The
initial plan was to aim for 2016, but recently we have decided to push it back
to 2017.</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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At this time I am presently training hard to run my next 50k
in October, the Mutual Mine 50k <a href="http://www.ultrasontrails.com/mutualmine.html" target="_blank">http://www.ultrasontrails.com/mutualmine.html</a> and then my big one, my first 100k in February,
The Iron Horse 100k <a href="http://www.ironhorse100kmclub.com/info.html" target="_blank">http://www.ironhorse100kmclub.com/info.html</a>. </div>
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There was something
I had been thinking about for a while now though that I wanted to do, but was
trying to see when the best time to do it would be. It just so happened that I had to take a few
days off from work since Kasi was going to be away for a conference and it all
fell into place. I was going to
challenge myself to run the distances of the TransRockies Run (20.8, 13.4,
24.3, 23.6 and 22.2) over 6 consecutive days.
What a challenge this would be for me.
This might be easy for some, but not for others. I would start on Thursday August 20<sup>th</sup>
and finish on Tuesday August 25. It was
not going to be easy by any means, but with determination, I plan on completing
this challenge with the hopes of inspiring people to show them that you can do
anything you set your mind to. So, come on this ride with me and lets see how I do. Keep checking back for the updates from each days run to see how I did.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491521923267804174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494981284603393520.post-28880650005143601832015-03-18T19:36:00.002-04:002015-03-18T19:36:54.684-04:00My INKnBURN Discovery!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EH8wkW2s5RZTaho2z2vFxadSCLM3keiQ2PhQyMwm501otVlOb7Wrf1rP7H_IGKFe1MZWMiLaWWfWq6Qf-KS7ir2LM2NfRtWMgaNp7j1rX6ZxjVLG32viESiV9hkicG85NLcPusn7zAzq/s1600/INKnBURN.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EH8wkW2s5RZTaho2z2vFxadSCLM3keiQ2PhQyMwm501otVlOb7Wrf1rP7H_IGKFe1MZWMiLaWWfWq6Qf-KS7ir2LM2NfRtWMgaNp7j1rX6ZxjVLG32viESiV9hkicG85NLcPusn7zAzq/s1600/INKnBURN.JPG" height="171" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back when I started running in the fall
of 2009, boy was I NOT in the know of what to wear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was running in cotton shirts, cotton
shorts, cotton socks and “sneakers” that I had been wearing casually for the
past year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look back on those days now
and cringe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As time went on though, I
started to learn about anything and everything related to running attire, but
it wasn’t until 2013 that I hit a home run and I haven’t
looked back since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to give super
kudos for this epiphany to one of my best friends and fellow Ambassadors, Mr. Linzie
Starr III.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ever since we met at the Walt
Disney World Marathon in January of 2013 he had been telling me all about this
company called INKnBURN, based out of Costa Mesa, CA, that had the coolest
active wear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would continually tell
me that I really needed to check them out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One day when I had some down time at work, I went to the website to
see what all of his hype was about, and I must say that I was literally blown away with what I
saw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were so many designs on these
tech shirts, shorts, calf sleeves and arm sleeves that I could wear to run in!!
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I don’t know about everybody else,
but I love clothes with really cool designs, especially shirts, so this was
right up my alley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was at that point that I started going to
the site every day, trying to decide on which one I should buy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My next race was going to be the inaugural
Dumbo Double Dare at the end of August out in California with Linzie and other
best friends and fellow Ambassadors, Katie Preston and Jennifer Pelham and I
wanted to be wearing INKnBURN at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I showed
pictures of my favorite designs to my wife and asked her to help me decide
since there were so many to choose from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With her help I purchased Blue Ink and even the Denim shorts
as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Less than a week later I received
my first Black Package and to say I was excited was an understatement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I opened that package as fast as I could and
held in my hands for the first time that, what I like to call, Magic Material
that would change the way I looked at running clothes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My first impression was that the colors were
so vivid and it was so soft to the touch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The shorts were just as amazing, looking like they were made of denim
yet were that same magic material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
proceeded to try my outfit on and take a few pics that I sent to Linz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was so excited that we decided we were
going to be twins at the Disneyland Half Marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That day could not come fast enough and when
it finally did, I was so excited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Running in that tech shirt was like nothing I had ever worn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was not one stitch on that shirt or those shorts that
was bothersome and the wicking material worked like a charm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew that day that I needed to let others
know about INKnBURN as much as I could and in any way that I could.</span></div>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5byw3AxIYs8cFA36YBrj7O5GTJzcqn43U-PLfvH-OxTYQh3CZGvNERwIv3uZDhgwWjr5hUThtdY1Mbj1s2vk-fm800R6rTbnFZ4clBCmN9oYpUPVVcmhdMovYFlqyvt8UAEF_OipzJTW/s1600/BlueInk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5byw3AxIYs8cFA36YBrj7O5GTJzcqn43U-PLfvH-OxTYQh3CZGvNERwIv3uZDhgwWjr5hUThtdY1Mbj1s2vk-fm800R6rTbnFZ4clBCmN9oYpUPVVcmhdMovYFlqyvt8UAEF_OipzJTW/s1600/BlueInk.JPG" height="320" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Linzie and Katie before the 2013 Disneyland Half</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcrQY2mB6rw3bU8HoE_d_qnaub9XIGbikBJevUHJ3CD-MXj-PPhXFvnk7bvBPuTuw8p1Vo54ky1MAEQEs5iFKsQqJMrodrYfUylhGjGHUThxRo7h3nati2aVbi0QIsRXyAxdZp8aB9lVA/s1600/BlueInkLightningMcQueen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcrQY2mB6rw3bU8HoE_d_qnaub9XIGbikBJevUHJ3CD-MXj-PPhXFvnk7bvBPuTuw8p1Vo54ky1MAEQEs5iFKsQqJMrodrYfUylhGjGHUThxRo7h3nati2aVbi0QIsRXyAxdZp8aB9lVA/s1600/BlueInkLightningMcQueen.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twins (other than the shoes)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtNbbHmhuZ6sHVxNecBsFLlp8xxDA3NlTOjAZ9YTZ-yUrk2MLGq2G5bLwXbkvwfRYKzlhphQPyRLQT85M6GQAIwwx8Oj_2OfxsYOIor3vWduAf20WlenvAD53zJlwNI5qZWF0NVXMk4_h/s1600/BlueInkFinishers.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtNbbHmhuZ6sHVxNecBsFLlp8xxDA3NlTOjAZ9YTZ-yUrk2MLGq2G5bLwXbkvwfRYKzlhphQPyRLQT85M6GQAIwwx8Oj_2OfxsYOIor3vWduAf20WlenvAD53zJlwNI5qZWF0NVXMk4_h/s1600/BlueInkFinishers.PNG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dumbo Double Dare Finishers</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since that infamous day I have not
looked back and my collection has grown significantly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have over 20 shirts and two pair of shorts
and everything looks as new as the day I got them, even after many wash cycles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t
even bother looking at other running shirts of a different brand any
longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As my wife can attest to, there
has been only two days of running (training and races), since I first wore my
Blue Ink shirt, that I have worn something other than INKnBURN.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of those times, was only because I didn’t
have a pink INKnBURN shirt to wear for the Breast Cancer Marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am constantly posting pictures of myself
and friends, on all social media outlets, wearing all of the INKnBURN
styles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A short while ago I even purchased
my first long sleeved tech shirt, called Haida, from the latest Winter
Collection that has fast become my most favorite design and my go to shirt to
wear when the temps are a bit cooler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
actually just wore it at the Run Hard Columbia Marathon in South Carolina and I
received so many compliments on my “really cool shirt”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After thanking them I proceeded to tell them to
go to the INKnBURN website, like I always do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfmJVnpw3-KNsEKMX7gSFMM3THP9Y0pS8RmWpW0AXTktCiSgBve8i7PpXUJCU_pZDWmpMprIL_lQK-3NgKaWcXJw6NsGqrnir39sXA75tAYmXfvYMzG5POM470Jtr9Mb8EihLVT16-X3J/s1600/Haida.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfmJVnpw3-KNsEKMX7gSFMM3THP9Y0pS8RmWpW0AXTktCiSgBve8i7PpXUJCU_pZDWmpMprIL_lQK-3NgKaWcXJw6NsGqrnir39sXA75tAYmXfvYMzG5POM470Jtr9Mb8EihLVT16-X3J/s1600/Haida.PNG" height="320" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming to the finish</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoi9SoEf3gu5F1PVl-mt_LHhhzPT973Imlcs4_XTJu53F09_zGxoTuBmcB8e3RDaye_Ayr5BqPDpxyfgZHN3W6iUprwKYx1oSb2Gqcl_f5TQ6bGbuUQyeEB3Y7gKYFPjrvr83JUcQ-M6-/s1600/HaidaMedal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoi9SoEf3gu5F1PVl-mt_LHhhzPT973Imlcs4_XTJu53F09_zGxoTuBmcB8e3RDaye_Ayr5BqPDpxyfgZHN3W6iUprwKYx1oSb2Gqcl_f5TQ6bGbuUQyeEB3Y7gKYFPjrvr83JUcQ-M6-/s1600/HaidaMedal.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marathon #10 </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As all
runners can attest to, in my opinion that is, we can remember all of our races
we have ever run, when we ran them and our times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This rings true for me as well, but you can
also add to that what INKnBURN shirt I wore in that race.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recently
I was asked by INKnBURN to become a Brand Ambassador for them and I was honored
to accept.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is no other brand that
I would rather stand behind.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">INKnBURN is
like no other shirts and shorts I have ever worn and I wear no other tech
shirts while running, period.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The best
part about this spectacular brand is that these lines of attire, men’s and
women’s, are not only to be worn for athletic activities but as casual
wear as well.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since I am able to wear
casual clothes to my job every day, I wear an INKnBURN shirt at least once or
twice a week and every time I do, I get compliments on the style
I wear, no matter how many times I wear it.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If you
are looking for some great active wear to add to your collection or to send to
someone you know, look no further than INKnBURN and rest assure that you will love
that you did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go to </span><a href="http://www.inknburn.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.inknburn.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> to see the latest styles
and designs and hopefully soon after you can become an INKnBURN convert as well!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491521923267804174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494981284603393520.post-49056199480013148682014-09-07T20:28:00.000-04:002014-09-07T20:28:58.540-04:00Hi everybody! Welcome to my blog. Please bear with me as I start on my journey in this new endeavor. My name is Joe Rainone. A lot of you might know me from one of the social media sites I am on. On Twitter and Instagram I am @JSRainman1, on Facebook I am Joe S Rainone and on Google+ I am JSRainman1969. On this blog I will talk about running and all aspects of it from nutrition and fueling to recovery and injury prevention. I will talk about races that I run and races I would like to run at some point. I will talk about my training (I am presently training for the Clearwater 50k, my first ultra) and will guide you, if need be, with suggestions during your training. I have become so passionate about my running that I decided to make it an even bigger part of my life. I am presently in the final phase of becoming a certified marathon coach through the NAASFP, The North American Academy for Sports Fitness Professionals, so with that the door opens even further. I will discuss products that I use and others that I like, from gels and hydration products to running shoes and tech shirts and everything else in between. So, hop on board and come along for the ride with JSRainmanRuns. You will be glad that you did.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491521923267804174noreply@blogger.com0