tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18392230484091551492024-03-13T09:27:00.171-07:00Trail PigeonPigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.comBlogger316125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-74201166590298770822017-12-10T13:06:00.001-08:002017-12-10T13:06:34.578-08:00My Why For Running 100 Miles<div style="text-align: left;">
"A Glimpse of Heaven and a Taste of Hell," this is the motto for the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Run. I experienced that and more during my 2017 running of the TRT100 mile endurance run. This was my final attempt at the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 mile run. </div>
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What was different this year then in years past you might ask? The difference was my reason for running. My Why, my driving force this year was my daughter Taylor. She is "Why" I was running and "Why" I was focused on completing this run. I wanted to be able to tell both my children not just her that no matter happens you never give up, you get up and you keep going. You never stop, no matter what. You may not succeed the first time, the second time or even the third time, but you never stop trying. The mind is a powerful tool and if you put your mind to a goal, you can accomplish anything. That is what I will tell my children one day when they are old enough to understand, but more importantly this is how I want my daughter to live her life. Never giving up, always trying and reaching her goals no matter what the obstacle may be in front of her. </div>
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Why is this so important to me you ask? Well, because my daughter is hard of hearing and has Usher syndrome type 2c. What does that mean you may be thinking? When she was born, she failed her newborn hearing test in the hospital. My wife and I were wrecked with emotions. Oh maybe it is just fluid in the ears the nurses told us, but my wife and I knew it wasn't. We went to more hearing test and finally received the diagnosis, she has hearing loss and the next step was to find out how much hearing loss there was. We went to more testing, one test took 2 hours to complete and that was just one ear, then it took another 2 hours to complete the other ear. After that hearing test we knew, she would need hearing aids. We still at this point didn't know if the hearing loss was progressive or not. This process took about 3 months to complete everything. It was a long three months trying to understand this new world we were in. All the thoughts went through our heads, "How much hearing loss is there? Can she hear us now? What does this all mean? But there was one thing my wife and I both knew and we knew this before we left the hospital, we as a family were going to learn sign language, ASL. We wanted a way for her to communicate with us and us to communicate with her. And so our journey began.</div>
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But our journey didn't stop there, we had finally come to terms with the hearing loss, though I think one never really comes to terms, it was a fact, we couldn't do anything about it, but we could learn sign language, we could give her a way to communicate. We had a plan. During all this time we did ask for genetic testing because we wanted to find out what type of hearing loss she had. Was it Connexion 26 or some other form of hearing loss. We received word it wasn't Connexion 26, and that they had narrowed it down, but needed to confirm before they could tell us. The emotions we went through again it was like a roller coaster. We had our minds settled it was Connexion 26, but it wasn't. What was it, could anything else be effected by this? All kinds of questions we had but no answers only worry and fear.</div>
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By this point I had returned to work, we were learning sign language as a family. Taylor was going to school one day a week at a deaf and hard of hearing class for newborns. This way we could incorporate more sign language, and any other needs she may have during her newborn years. Then my wife called me in tears, and I knew, we had a hunch that is was Usher Syndrome.</div>
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Usher Syndrome is the most common condition that affects both hearing and vision. A syndrome is a disease or disorder that has more than one feature or symptom. The major symptoms of Usher syndrome are hearing loss and an eye disorder called retinitis pigmentosa, or RP, which causes night-blindness and a loss of peripheral vision through the progressive degeneration of the retina. The vision loss worsens over time, and currently there is no cure. Our little girl potential could loss her vision, it would be like looking through a straw and her hearing loss could potentially be progressive, meaning she could loss the rest of hearing over time. This syndrome is so rare only 25,000 people have been diagnosed with it. </div>
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I immediately broke down at work, and left right away, I knew I needed to be home with my family. It was a lot to process and we had already processed the hearing loss, but now the vision too. What does her future look like? When will she lose her vision? What does this all mean? So many questions, so many emotions. How does one respond to that news. </div>
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As parents we are suppose to protect our children, but right now I felt completely powerless to do anything. This was out of my control and I couldn't stop it. How do I tell her? Do we tell her? Of course we have to tell her, she is going to know, she needs to know, but when? What can we do right now to better prepare her and our family? My wife and I read everything we could get our hands on about Usher syndrome. We are learning sign language, she will learn Braille when that time comes, a service dog, yes that is a possibility. We are going to do everything we can to advocate for her until she can advocate for herself. </div>
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The fear of having this diagnosis is real. The fear of what her future holds, what does that look like? The fear in general at times controls me. The fear........We don't know when she will start to lose her vision, we can only look for signs that her vision is starting to go, is she afraid of the dark? Is she bumping into things? How is her peripheral vision and same of hearing. We have hearing test every 3 months to track her hearing. She currently has hearing aids so she can develop spoken language. We are using sign language to help develop communication, we have deaf mentors that are teaching us sign language and deaf culture, she has an amazing deaf and hard of hearing teacher, we are doing everything we can to make sure we don't fall between the cracks in the system. But the fear is real, it is there every day and at times debilitating. </div>
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It's the fear of the unknown, but we can't live in fear. Because then, are you living at all? Fear cannot control me, I must control my fear, my emotions are real, I can't ignore them. But what can I do? I can love my daughter and be thankful each and everyday for her. She is amazing, she is strong, and nothing is going to slow down. I can see that in her. She is independent. She will develop 2 languages as well as our son. I can share with her my journey to 100 miles when all I wanted to do was quit and lie down, when I was laying on the side of trail completely spent not knowing how I was going to get up, but I did. I found the strength to get up and put one foot in the front of the other. I found the strength through her, she taught me that. I got up and finished that race. I finished that race, because I was drawing strength from her, I was running this race for her. I needed her to see me crossing the finish before she losses her site. That is why I fought so hard at TRT100. That is why I continued on when there was no possible way I should I have. I was throwing up the final 50 miles, my legs had nothing left in them, but I had my goal my "Why" and it was her my daughter.My daughter gave me the strength I needed to complete that race. When she is a bit older I will share that story with her, and I hope she never forgets her "Why". Never give up, keep moving forward no matter what and always have a "why" in life. </div>
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I may not be able to change my daughters diagnosis but I can do everything in my power to give her the necessary tools she needs to be successful in life. Never give up that is what I will tell her. </div>
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Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-34749232446760122242015-04-12T04:53:00.000-07:002015-04-12T04:53:21.363-07:00Little bit of MissouriIt has been a bit since my last blog post. A lot has happened and JCM is getting so big. After Salmon Falls 50k, we had a big trip planned. We were headed to Missouri, to visit my wife's family. This was a big trip as it would be JCM's first flight and our first flight with a newborn. It was going to be challenging, but we were up for it. JCM did great on the flight, he didn't make a peep and slept most of the flight which was great. The challenging part was the drive. Once we arrived in Missouri, we had a 3 hour car drive to Grandma's house which ended up taking us 4 fours because we had to stop a few times to calm/feed JCM. But other then that he did great.<br />
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It was a long journey, but glad we made it to grandma's house</div>
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Grandma and the family were super excited to see him and pretty much couldn't put him. We saw pretty much the entire family while we were in Missouri and there was even meet Baby JCM party. It was a great trip.</div>
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Missouri Landscape</div>
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The last time I was in Missouri I had mentioned to my wife that I wanted to go to the Fantastic Caverns. Missouri is known for there caves, there are a ton of caves that can be visited throughout the state and Fantastic Caverns just happens to be down the street. What makes this cave system different is it is America's only Ride Thru Cave system. Pretty cool. Well, be loaded up the family and took an adventure. I enjoyed the tour and we saw a lot of cool things in the cave. It was a pretty massive cave system and a few years ago it did flood and it has 2 sink holes. When we go back, I wouldn't mind visiting another cave as I find that kind of thing interesting. </div>
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He has grown so much!</div>
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After visiting grandma at their place we once again had a long journey ahead of us. We had a 3 hr drive back to St. Joe, and it took us 6 hours as JCM was having some gas and we were needing to stop to sooth/calm him down. It was a long trip but we made it. He was a trooper. </div>
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All ready for St. Patrick's day. </div>
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Tired little guy from the trip</div>
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His overall's which are super cute on him. </div>
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While in Missouri we also went to Jamestown. Jamestown is a historic place and home to the Amish. There is also a lot of antique stores and we walked through all of them and ended up with some pretty cool things that we mailed home.<br />
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JCM meet Ma and Paw, great grandma and great grandpa.</div>
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I enjoyed taking photos of grandma and Ma and Paw's land. </div>
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Such a handsome little guy!!</div>
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Missouri was great, but we were very happy once we made it back home. Once home I resumed my training as I had a race coming that I was using as a training run. The American River 50 miler didn't go as planned, but I write more on that later. For now, I hope you enjoy the pictures of JCM just as much as I do. </div>
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Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-34368437095916299672015-03-02T13:25:00.000-08:002015-03-02T13:25:47.519-08:00Salmon Falls 50K Race Report 2015This past Saturday was the first race for me in 2015. The <a href="http://www.salmonfalls50k.com/">Salmon Falls 50k</a>, put on by race director Anthony Brantley. The start of the race was at Magnolia parking area. From there we climb to enjoy some beautiful views of Cronan Ranch as we make our way to the South Fork of The American River. From there we climb and make our descent on Red Dragon which offers views of Salmon Falls. From here we make our way onto the Sweet Water Trail system which is a single rolling track as we continue on to the Browns Ravine Marina and finally our destination at Folsom Point. A beautiful course with a rich history.<br />
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I had some personal goals going into this race, but ultimately my long term goal was to not be destroyed at the end so that I could resume my training. This was a training run for me, but a training run where I wanted to push a bit if I could and see how the body responded. Going into Saturday, I wasn't nervous. It was just another run for me. I didn't sleep that much the night prior as having a newborn in the house doesn't allow for sleep.<br />
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Race day here. I met up with <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and our friend drove us to the starting line. Once at the starting line, we had no clue what the weather was going to do. All week I had been watching the weather reports, one day it called for rain, another day thunder showers, and another possible showers. I didn't really know what to wear, so I brought a few extra layers just in case the skies opened up, but didn't need them as it felt like it would be warm day.<br />
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At the starting line at Magnolia parking lot I could feel the energy. There were about 180 or so racers. Anthony gave us a pre race briefing, basically saying if you get lost it is your own fault as the course is well marked. And just like that we were off and running. I was warned by many people to take it easy during the first half of the course. If not I could pay for it during the second half. I kept that in mind as I tried to find a good position on the fire road. Soon we hit the creek crossing and started our first climb of the day. I ran some and hiked most of it keeping a steady leg turn over. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> was right in front of me and looking strong. She had been training hard for this race and I could tell during our long runs how much power she had developed and many runners told me "She is like a billy goat going up that hill." I heard this a lot during the race from other races.<br />
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Of course what goes up must go down, we hit the first descent and many runners opened it up. I resisted the urge to fly down knowing we had a long ways to go. It was too early in the day to destroy the legs so I let others fly past me. It was here that I paused for a second and looked around at the beauty of this course and area. It was amazing how lush and green everything was. Soon I was at the base of the hill and slowly starting to climb again. This would be a constant theme throughout the race, up and down up and down. Again Trailmomma took off like a billy goat. I couldn't keep up with her. As we neared the top and started the long descent to our first aid station Trailmomma said that she needed to use the restroom. I told her to run ahead and I will meet her at the aid station. She took off. She was gone. All I saw was a small speck in the distance. I made my way to the aid station and once there noticed just how far the restroom was and looked down the trail to see <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Traillmomma</a> high tailing it back to the aid station. She explained to me that it was just too far and she would wait.<br />
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I chuckled and we were off to the longest climb of the day Pedro Hill. I have climbed Pedro Hill, and it is a nice steady climb, I also took in some calories as I had only garbed a handful of chips at the aid station. My legs never felt loaded and I kept a steady turnover, even running some of the hill with Trailmomma. From here I pretty much have run the course and knew what to expect in the coming miles. I hit the top of Pedro Hill and Trailmomma and I started the descent. Here I backed off a bit and Trailmomma gained a nice lead on me. I knew that she wanted to push herself, so when she pushed here I let her go. I wasn't ready to push the pace.<br />
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Soon enough <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma </a>and I reconnected, I could tell she was focused. She wasn't talking much and I was OK with that. We would chit chat a bit here and there but overall not much. I was feeling pretty good and as we neared aid station #2, I heard "Their is the new momma." Hearing that brought a huge smile to my face. All day long I heard how cute my son was, which just brightened my day and made me smile ear to ear. I thanked Paul with a hug and enjoyed some more chips as Trailmomma and I made our way to aid station #3, where I knew my son and wife would be waiting. That was my driving force, that was my motivation all day.<br />
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During this stretch, <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> really opened it up and started to push hard. I couldn't keep up with her. I power hiked as hard as I could but she kept gaining ground on me. She had really perfected her power hike and all her hard work in training was paying off. I settled back and focused. I focused on keeping a nice and steady pace, power hiking when I thought best and running where needed. Here I started to feel a bit off and decided I should take in a few calories. I continued on power hiking and running through the ups and downs and smooth rolling single track, and soon I had arrived at Red Dragon.<br />
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Red Dragon is gnarly descent. It twist and turns just as a dragon does. It has super sharp turns and feels like it goes on forever. On the descent I had the urge to use the bathroom, only there wasn't anywhere to step off of the trail. I would have to wait until I reached Salmon Falls aid station. The descent was hard on me and my stomach. I slowly made my way down and kept thinking "Oh I hope I make it." It was going to be close. Soon I reached the bottom and crossed the bridge and saw Trailmomm's family who cheered me on and I made my way to the aid station.<br />
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As I popped out of the single track trail and into the parking lot I quickly made my way to the restroom. I had to go and go I did. I felt so much better after that pit stop. A weight had been lifted per say. Once this duty was completed I made my way to my family who was waiting for me with a big orange sign and of course my banana. My wife and son were there and I had arrived right on time. I took a quick photo with my son, kissed my wife and <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and I were on our way.<br />
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13 miles completed and I was feeling pretty good. We crossed the bridge and made our way up the road chit chatting and enjoying the day together. As we hit the single track of the Sweet Water Trail System Trailmomma took off and I couldn't keep up. I was feeling a bit low on energy and my legs weren't responding. I knew I had to take care of myself so I took in a gel. Not long, I started to feel a bit better. This single track trail is super runnable and I was frustrated at myself for messing up my fueling. But once my fuel kicked in and I started to make up some ground.<br />
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Long day crewing for Mom!</div>
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I was nearing the river/stream crossing and I could see Trailmomma just across the way. She was at least 7-10 minutes up on me. I followed the billion course markers to the stream/river crossing and once across I heard "Pigeon!!!" I looked back and was surprised to see Trailmomma. I shouted to her "Did you get lost???" her face told the story. She looked like a deer in headlights and she explained to me that she was following the runner in front of her and missed the crossing. She settled in behind me and I lead us up the hill. I asked if she wanted by but she said "I just need some time to recover is all." We plugged along and soon enough Trailmomma took the lead and was off once again. We made our way into the aid station and had another surprise, Captain Kirk and Wonder Woman with their little boy were there cheering on the runners. They told us we looked strong and I thanked them. I then focused my attention on fuel, as I needed some. I guzzled down some Pepsi, grabbed 2 girl scout cookies and a handful of peanut butter pretzels and took off after Trailmomma who had already started the climb.<br />
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While climbing I finished my snack and could feel the Pepsi kicking in and quickly caught up to Trailmomma. I was feeling better then when I arrived at the aid station as I do believe by now I was behind on my calories. A mistake I know. Together we were making our way to New York Creek Crossing. The trail is rolling along and I could tell from Trailmomma's form that she was feeling strong. <br />
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This stretch we focused and talked about our family and how exciting it was to see them, when out of nowhere I see her family. Vans and her kids had made their way down to New York Creek Crossing and had surprised us. That was an exciting moment and really boosted my spirits and Trailmomma's as well. In fact I think this gave her what she needed. After seeing them she was a different runner and I couldn't keep up with her. I was able to keep her in my sights. We were working together during this stretch, at one point I would be in the lead pulling us along and then Trailmomma would take the lead and pull us. I couldn't wait to see the next aid station as I wanted some more coke.<br />
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We arrived at the aid station and down 2 cokes, look over at Trailmomma and see the best thing ever. Payday's. She is enjoying a payday. I quickly scan the table and find them. I grab 2 look at trailmomma and we both start to hit the trail again, while others stuck around. We started hiking and finished up our snack. We had put some distance on the runners at the aid station, but I could hear them coming. We picked the pace up a bit and started to cruise. It was during this stretch that Trailmomma asked me how many more aid stations. I responded very quickly and assured her we had 2 more aid stations. She didn't believe me, but also didn't question me. Here I am thinking we have 9 more miles to go. 9 miles.<br />
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We cruised along, running more and more of the rollers. I was on a mission and pushed myself to remain steady but run more of the rollers. Trailmomma took the lead and out of nowhere she had this sudden burst of energy. She was gone, I couldn't respond. I focused on a nice and steady turnover, run that roller, keep going. Push, push, push. I could see the aid station and as I neared it it was Fleet Feet. I arrived to some loud cheering gave Dan a hug and guzzeled some coke. I quickly pointed to the sign on the table and said to Trailmomma, "See 3.47 to the next aid." 6 more miles is what I am thinking. She quickly says "3.47 to THE FINISH!" I respond "No, 3.47 to next aid." Then Debbie and Annabelle who were both voluntering look at me and say "No, you have 3.47 to the Finish." I and dumbfounded, really. I look at Debbie and quickly say can you take my pretzles, I can get by on coke them. She laughs and does. I guzzle some more coke and Trailmomma and I are both off. Thank you girls for the help.<br />
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3.47 sounded so much better then 6 miles to go. I apologized to Trailmomma. I had no clue where I thought we had 2 more aid stations, I guess my math didn't add up. This last stretch we have both been on numerous times. My legs were tired and I was ready to be done. 3.47 we got this is what I kept thinking. Trailmomma took the lead and I just tucked in behind her knowing that with each step forward was another step closer to the finish. I could see the levee. As we descended down to the levee I shout out "hey, that's Tigger T." Trailmomma's friend had come out and surprised us by being on the levee. We quickly gave hugs and said thanks for being there and that we would see her at the finish. A great surprise.<br />
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The levee never ended. I could see the finish line and I could hear the finish line. So instead of focusing on the finish line, I focused on the runner ahead of me. Our pace quickened but it felt like we were not making any progress. We were gaining on the runner and slowly passed him. Soon we made that right turn on to the single track trail that would take us to the finish line. Trailmomma got a burst of energy and I knew she had a strong kick. I couldn't let her get to far ahead of me, but I also couldn't kick as early as her. I had to time it just right. She kicked and I kicked a little, I was gaining. I can catch her, I kicked a bit more, I was so close. I could hear Anthony saying "Look, we have Trailmomma and Pigeon, training partners coming into the finish line." So close I was to her. She crossed the first mat and it looked like she slowed down a bit, I kicked only finaly time, I pushed as hard as I could gaining, when I hear Anthony "Oh no, Pigeon is catching you." and trailmomma pushes hard to the finish line. She crosses one second in front me. I almost caught her. What a finish. When we hit the homestretch we put on a strong finish. We were both smiling from ear to ear and laughing a bit about the strong finish. Way to get it done!<br />
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Finished!!! Laughing, just as it should be</div>
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We finished, we both had some obstacles to overcome through out the day but in the end we finished with a smile on our face and both our families there to see it. As my son get's older I hope I am an inspiration to him and that he will see that he can achieve anything he put's his mind too. I also hope he knows that he is my motivation and that I love him and my wife very much.<br />
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Thank you to everyone along the course who cheered and said encouraging words to me. Thank you to my wife and son, who put up with my training and for encouraging me to sign up for this race. It was a great day made even better because I was able to spend the day doing something I love with people I love. Until next time, Run Happy as trailmomma would say!<br />
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<a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Go Here To Read About Trailmomma's experience and for pictures!!</a><br />
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<br />Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-9865557167959909712015-02-23T12:12:00.000-08:002015-02-23T12:12:10.526-08:00Taper Time and Remodel UpdateIt is finally taper time, meaning I bring the mileage down and allow my body and mind to rest and recover so that I can be prepared for the upcoming Salmon Falls 50k on Saturday. This is a brand new race, which also means new trails, that I haven't been running on that much. I have been able to train on parts of the course, but I am still unsure of the entire course.<br />
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With tapering comes the doubt that slowly makes it's way into my head. Have I done enough? Did I do enough long runs, quality runs, am I ready? My training for this 50k hasn't been perfect, but what training ever is? I have a newborn at home, I am in the midst of a remodel, which currently my wife and I are doing the work. This means long days as well as long runs followed by working on the remodel and also taking care of our son. One little piece of good news is I am currently on an LOA for baby bonding time so I do not have that stress factory.<br />
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With all of that, I can confidently say, I have done enough. My body well remember to run that distance. With each weeks long run in the books, I gained more confidence as my form and strength came back. This race isn't my target race, but a race to help my training for my target race. In the end, what matters most to me on Saturday, is running a strong, smart race and to be able to continue training the next week.<br />
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Taper week has played many tricks on me. On Saturday Trailmomma and I ran a nice and easy 8 mile run. Only I felt terrible, my legs weren't working, I was just spent. I internally did a mental check to figure this out and I came up with this conclusion; A, I have been working on demoing, ripping carpet out of bedrooms, ripping tack strips and staples out of the floors, and also painting. B, I am tired due to the face we have a newborn, C, it's life, get over it and move on.<br />
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There is nothing I can do about the past but there is something I can do about the future. This week I am making sure that I am resting. I slept in today. I am drinking plenty of water and eating. I also plan on getting a few shake our runs in as well to keep the legs loose. I will ready for Saturday if not then it is the tough runs that I learn more about myself.<br />
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Like I said earlier, my wife and I have been working on the house. We have completed a few rooms, besides some minor things like sanding the floors and base broads, which we will do later on down the road.<br />
The first room we completed was our sons room. We ripped out the carpet, wood paneling along the walls and painted. Doesn't sound like much, but it was a lot of work.<br />
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Before</div>
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During, carpet is gone and next to go is the wood paneling along with the cubby hole.</div>
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First coat of paint on</div>
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Finished!!!!!</div>
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JCM says "Thank you"</div>
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The other room we focused on was the office. We gutted this room as well. We removed the carpet, the built in desk which took up a ton of room and painted.<br />
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The dogs space and office</div>
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The built in desk</div>
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Shag green carpet under the built in desk. WOW!!! The entire room before had this carpet</div>
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Getting ready to paint</div>
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My space. We turned it into a den.</div>
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I am so glad that these two rooms are completed. Now we are focused on the master bedroom, organizing the garage and then moving into the guest room. Lot's of work to do, but we are able to make this home our own and that is all that matters.</div>
<br />Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-70035724306550833232015-02-13T07:06:00.001-08:002015-02-13T07:06:19.185-08:00Confidence GoneThis morning I woke up a bit late for shift change, about an hour late. I have been super tired just as my wife is. We have been doing a lot during the day with our remodel along with loving our son. As she downloaded me with the evening events, IE; he didn't sleep from midnight to 4am besides a little nap here and there and has been cluster feeding it was a pretty good night. Sounds exhausting to me. I took over so that my wife could get some uninterrupted sleep, only I had no clue how it was going to go for me.<br />
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Within 15 minutes I had him asleep. Sweet, nicely done, only that didn't last long, long enough for me to down load my pictures I took yesterday, which didn't take long at all. He awakes and I figure I should check to see if he has a dirty diaper, and sure enough it is dirty and wet. So, I change him. Now my confidence had (notice the use of had instead of has) been growing, as he hadn't peed on me in a few days. I have been doing pretty good, with my efficiency during a diaper change. Almost like nascar pit crew, OK so maybe not as quick as a nascar pit crew, but I was getting better with each diaper change.<br />
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I was in the midst of changing him, I had a clean diaper ready, wet wipes good to go, this was going to be easy. Then I feel something warm on my arm, crap, he is peeing, but his diaper is wet, is all I could think about. He shouldn't be peeing.<br />
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Quick cover it, cover it, I grab a wet wipe as fast as I could and cover it. I quickly clean my arm and hand up with a wet wipe and proceed to change my son. Now, not only do I have to change his diaper he now needs new clothes because of that little incident. He is not a happy camper, he is crying and getting louder and louder, and all I am thinking is "Please don't wake mommy, please don't wake mommy."<br />
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I remove the wet wipe and start to clean him up with a new wet wipe, when all of a sudden just like that he is peeing again. How can something so little have so much? Crap, grab something, I am out of wet wipes, so I grab the clean diaper and lay it as fast as I could on top of him. At this point he has pee all over him, on his face, his chest, his back it is everywhere. I quickly clean him up, which means a new out fit and a washcloth bath. Now, he is really crying because he is cold and I am not moving fast enough. Crying and flapping his arms and legs which makes it difficult to change his outfit. Finally I get a fresh diaper on him and a new outfit and just like that the crying has stopped.<br />
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Now my confidence has been shot with this diaper changing business. But at least JCM has calmed down and is now resting comfortable in my warm arms. Everyday brings with it new trials and challenges from changing a simple diaper to trying to sooth him during those long dark nights. But with those trials and challenges comes great rewards and love and affection. Those moments where I am holding him as close as I possible can and he giggles. It starts in his belly and works it's way up his body, and I can feel the giggle coming before it happens. Seeing his eyes light up with pure joy and excitement. Those are the moments, the soft unspoken connection when our eyes meet and for a bit it is just me and him in this world.<br />
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Nothing else matters, the peeing incident is long gone and forgotten as he rest quietly in my arms.<br />
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Let me give you a quick update on the progress of the remodel.<br />
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I focused on removing the carpet from the office/dogs room</div>
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Wood Floors underneath. I removed the tack strips, nails, staples and base boards too. The plan is to remove the built in desk, texture and paint this room, new base boards. But for now I am just happy that disgusting carpet is gone. </div>
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Yesterday my wife focused on JCM's room. Her primary goal was to get it ready so that we could paint on Friday, and hopefully get his things back in the room. Because right now all his things are in the living room besides his crib. The house is a bit disorganized and I can only handle that for a little bit.<br />
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The cubby hole. That is the master bedroom on the other side, so it took up a bit of the master closet</div>
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Sheet rocking</div>
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Goodbye. Now that the cubby hole is gone, it gives us more options in his room for furniture placement and wall decor.</div>
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Taping the area</div>
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Mud, then it will be sanded down and I believe ready for paint, unless we have to texture it.</div>
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She also textured this wall so it should hopefully be ready for paint after sanding. </div>
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I am hoping that today we can paint. I think we need to sand down the walls. She used wall putty to fill any holes which there were a ton. After paint we can do base boards, or we may wait until we stain. But we should be able to get his furniture back in the room. Then we can move onto the master and spare bedroom. Which we will be removing the carpet and painting. We are hoping by the end of weekend we are done with the carpet removal. I can not believe how disgusting the carpet it. This house was a rental and had maybe 3 rentals in it before me so I can only imagine the dirt and grim in the carpet. We were lucky though and have the wood floors underneath. </div>
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For now, we are happy with how much work we have completed. I can't wait to get the paint on the walls so that JCM can have his room back and us our living room. </div>
<br />Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-55124528903451276422015-02-12T07:17:00.000-08:002015-02-12T07:17:01.236-08:00It's Official, Let The Remodel BeganIt is official, we finally closed on our home and now we can make it our own. It has been a long 4 months. We looked at a ton of homes, put a offer in on one, but we couldn't come to terms and then we put a offer on the rental home we were in and that was accepted.<br />
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The great thing about that is we don't have to move, but we are starting a massive remodel project. Some of the projects we will be doing ourselves (DIY, good thing that is my favorite show) and others we will be contracting out. Talk about doing things backwards.<br />
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I mean who gets pregnant, then just before they are due start to look for a home during 4th quarter for me, finally purchase a home and with a newborn start a remodel in the home?<br />
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We do that is who, crazy, but exciting at the same time.<br />
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The first thing we did when we heard we had closed was take down the 1970 curtains in the family room and dinning room. Boy, did that bring in a ton of light. The curtains we took down were floor to ceiling and disgusting with dirt, stains and who knows what else. By taking those down that made a huge affect to those rooms. We still have to take down the curtains in our master bedroom, but we are waiting until we pick out window treatments.<br />
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Talk about out dated, 1970 floor to ceiling drapes</div>
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Taking down those curtain/Drapes really brightened the room</div>
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The second thing we did was buy a new washer and dryer. Our washer and dryer went out on Monday, we closed Tuesday and that same day we bought a new pair which was delivered today (Wednesday). You can't imagine how much laundry we have to catch up on, ok it is not that much, but I had big plans earlier this week.</div>
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space for the washer/dryer, we took that box down as well. Actually it just came down, it wasn't secured to the wall very well. </div>
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The third thing we did was buy paint. This house needs a paint job bad. The paint is so bad that when we would wipe a wall down the paint would come off with it. I can't wait to paint the bedrooms and bathrooms. With all that excitement, today my wife and I decided we would start painting our son's room. Only that didn't happen. What happened instead was a massive overhaul.<br />
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Look what we found under the carpet!!!</div>
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As I was taping off the wood paneling, (yes wood paneling, the fake kind) I causally said "Hey, I think the paneling will come off pretty easy." and with that simple sentence our little project turned into an overhaul. We took off a panel in the corner behind the door, to see if what I thought was true, and sure enough it was pretty easy, and there wasn't too much damage to the wall as who ever installed the panels only used glue on one wall, so that was a nice surprise.<br />
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But of course we couldn't stop there, since we had removed a small section of the panel we decided to see what was under the carpet as we had plans in the near future to replace the carpet with new wood floors. What do we find under the carpet, wood floors!!!! Score, who in their right mind would cover up wood floors. With that score we checked all the bedrooms and sure enough each room has wood floors under the carpet. Another Score<br />
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Carpet is gone, wood paneling is next to go!</div>
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With the find of the wood floors, we started to rip out the carpet, the tack strips, nails, staples, wood paneling and anything else that didn't belong. When we fully uncovered the floors we were very surprised to see that they were in really good shape. Another score!!!!!<br />
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Wood paneling gone.....</div>
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So what started as "hey, let's paint JCM room." Turned into removing the carpet, removing the wood paneling (not real wood paneling), tack strips, base boards and nails and staples. A pretty big project, but one that was needed and would have been done in the near future. All that is left to do is repair the glue damage, paint, new base boards, and bring JCM's furniture back into the room, currently that is sitting in the living room except his crib as that wouldn't make it out. It is going to be a pretty big change from what he had when he was first born, but one that will be worth it.<br />
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JCM giving us a fist bump for all the work we did today!</div>
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Even with closing on the house, and the remodel in full effect I have been able to get in some solid quality runs this week. Monday I took a rest day, Tuesday was hill repeats. I did a mile warm up, then 6 repeats followed by 1 mile cool down and then 200 step ups at the park. The step ups were done on the equipment at the park, specifically for step ups.<br />
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I would step up with one foot on the small circle, then pause at the top on one leg and very controlled step down and repeat with the other foot. All of this motion was very controlled and really works my leg muscles. Today, I ran 6 miles and then did 100 step ups. So far this week has been off to good start. This coming weekend Trailmomma and I are doing the Western States Training Run. It is the last 20 miles of States. Looking forward to it.<br />
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I can't believe how long he is getting</div>
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I am sure you have noticed my blog going in a different direction. I will be writing about my running as well as my family and now this remodel, in hopes to one day share all of our crazy/fun adventures with JCM. Stay tuned and see what else we turn up during this remodel and see how my training is coming along. I have also finalized my race calendar which I plan on blogging about soon.<br />
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Sleepy time.......</div>
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Until then Run Happy!Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-40286957937819218142015-02-10T05:46:00.001-08:002015-02-10T05:46:29.465-08:00Long Run SaturdayThis past Saturday was long run Saturday. On the schedule we were to do any where from 20-26 weather depending as we had a big storm come through. What I wasn't expecting when I woke up at 3:00 am for shift change, AKA JCK Baby Duty, was not being able to get anything done that I needed to get done before leaving. As in I needed to eat, pack my gear, get my clothes, ect......JCK was having a rough morning and only wanted to be held, but that didn't sooth him, the only thing he really wanted was food, so I feed him which also meant his diaper needed changing. Pretty much from 3-5 I held him, eventually though I was able to get him back to sleep. As soon as that happened I quickly gathered my gear woke my wife and ran out of the house to meet <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and Jenn for our run.<br />
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We were lucky as the weather system that came through looked like it might hold off. I wore a short sleeve shirt, my vest, and shorts and a hat. The vest was for if it did rain, at least I could keep my core warm. Well about 1.5 into the run (if that) I took my vest off and never wore it again. It was muggy out on the Salmon Falls course. The trail was super nice though, it was soft but not to soft on the single track where you fell through. It was a fast trail this morning.<br />
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On the way out I took the lead and set the pace. We weren't exactly sure of how many miles we were doing, but the goal was to be on our feet for at least 20 miles. We weren't the only ones out there today. There was a large group that started maybe 15-30 minutes behind us, so for the time being we had the entire trail to ourselves. It was absolutely gorgeous out. My legs were feeling really good, I think the consistency in my workouts has been helping me tremendously not just in the physical aspect but also the mental aspects. Mentally I was feeling strong.<br />
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The three of us were making some good timing along the course. There are a few significant climbs at the beginning, but on the return those would all be some pretty fun descents. Soon we hit the fire trail and it was wide enough for us to run side by side and take in the views. We were making our way to the Movie Set, which of course once we arrived, I took a look around to check it out. At this point I was feeling pretty good and we only had a little bit to our turn around.<br />
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Once at the turn around we looked at the trailhead map and decided we would add a couple of simple loops to get our mileage up. We took off on this climb that brought with it some spectacular views of valley. The sun was shinning and it was a sight to see. The climb was pretty good, a constant grade and once we reached the top it was a very gradual down hill with some small rollers. Soon we were back at the Movie Set and added another loop along the river. This loop was interesting as there were a ton of porta potties. I chuckled at myself as there were so many bathrooms, but neither one of us needed to us them.<br />
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After this short loop we decided we better make our way back. Jenn and <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> took the lead, I was glad about that as I needed a moment to myself to assess the situation. I was feeling a little low on energy, and I knew I needed to do something about it. I decided that now would be a good time enjoy some more Skittles. Instant energy, but I also knew it wouldn't last long so along with the skittles I took in a Special K bar. Now I was feeling better. I knew this because I saw some runners ahead and all I could think about was catching them. I took the lead and increased our pace a bit. We put together a nice stretch, running a bit of the uphills and keeping a strong steady pace on the climbs. It was go time, it was time to challenge myself and see what I could put together.<br />
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We were getting closer and closer to the runners so I kept the pace going, even on the slow and steady climb. I gave us a few minutes though to recover before putting together one final push on the climb. Soon we were passing them left and right. They were really nice and made room for the three of us. I knew though that once we passed we couldn't relax, we had to keep the pressure on ourselves and that meant running more of the climbs. We did just that, though I gave us a small section to recover. We were about 3-4 miles from the finish with only a few minor climbs before the long descent down Red Dragon. Here I took in more skittles, and offered<a href="http://trailmomma.com/"> Trailmomma</a> her 1 skittle. (A joke between us) When I offered her the skittle she just took off up the hill. I yelled to her in a joking way "Fine, no skittle for you." She and Jenn were gone. They crushed that hill and hit the descent like they owned it.<br />
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I at this point was feeling the push we had made earlier and was just focused on keeping a steady pace up the hill. Once on top I let the hill take me down, dancing around the loose rocks and being carful not to let the hill take me to fast. Slowly we winded and turned and made our way down. We arrived back at the car all three of us feeling pretty good.<br />
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Back at the car we quickly stretched and changed our shoes and I jokingly said "The sky is going to open up any minute now." And as if on cue, the sky opened up. We all three laughed and quickly jumped in the car before getting soaked. Overall this run was pretty solid. We put together some nice sections and with each long run I get more confidence in my fitness. Thanks for the great run ladies, I can't wait to do it again.<br />
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Next weekend <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and I are doing the Western States Training Run. This run is the last 20 miles of the States course. Always a great run, I haven't done this run in a few years, so I am really looking forward to it. <br />
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Hanging out with this guy after the run. Miss him when I am gone</div>
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This past week training was pretty solid for me. On Monday I did 6 miles followed by 100 step ups. Tuesday was a rest day as JCM had his 2 week check up, Wednesday was hill repeats, 6 repeats. Thursday I did 6 miles, Friday rest day (doctors appointment) Saturday 20 miles, Sunday 8 Miles. Pretty good week. I always enjoy the hill work outs. I feel stronger each week after completing them and I look forward to them each week.Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-70220718023079262022015-02-06T18:02:00.001-08:002015-02-06T18:02:49.194-08:004 Diapers LaterHave you ever had one of those moments that you really just can't believe is actually happening? Like, when you close the front door only to realize that the keys are still inside and you had locked the door already? Or how about that moment you get all the way to work only to realize you left your cell phone on the night stand? Or that moment that your son is still going #2 (poop) and you don't have a diaper ready? Yup I am talking about that moment. 4 epic diapers later.......<br />
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It was my shift as we call it around here. Meaning I was in charge, feeding, diapers, burping, cuddling, all me. My wife was resting and it was up to me to keep the fort down. Up until this point I have been really good with the diapers, he has only peed on me once......um......Ok......maybe twice, or three times, I sort of lost track, but hey, who is counting. Certainly not you, but I bet you are.<br />
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Anyways, I decided that I would change his diaper. I went to the changing table and took off the dirty diaper, only it wasn't dirty. (I am still learning) When all of a sudden my son goes #1, and pees. I do what anyone would do and quickly grab the clean diaper (Diaper #1 here) and cover him so he doesn't get everything soaked. Crisis diverted right, nope. As I am cleaning him from the incident #1, he goes #2. Now there wasn't any warning, it just came flying out. It startled me and I screamed a bit. I froze not sure what to do, and then I realized he was still going, so I quickly grabbed a clean diaper (diaper #2) to catch the remaining #2. OK that has to be all of it, right. So I gather diaper #2 up and throw it away and grab a clean diaper (diaper #3) and put it on him, only I didn't realize that I missed the mess on the changing table from the explosion and I had just placed the clean diaper in #2.<br />
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Are you laughing yet?<br />
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Because I wasn't.<br />
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Now I grab another clean diaper (Diaper #4 if you counting) and quickly get that on him this time being sure to miss the mess on the changing table. 4 diapers later of what should have been a simple task turned into a 2 person task as my wife came to my rescue. You see what I didn't tell you was I screamed again and she came in to see what all the fussing was about. She helped on diaper #4 as by this time I had it under control.<br />
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4 diapers later he is all changed.<br />
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Now I am sure this will happen again or something like it. This was one of those moments that I replay over and over again in my head and say "Did that really happen?" and the answer each and every time is "Yes, yes it did happen."<br />
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This is something no one tells you, but that is OK. I laugh at myself just about every day over something. I am learning something new every day and I love it. I don't mind the dirty diapers and the sleepless nights, in fact those moments I am sure will be long forgotten as he gets older.<br />
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I am enjoying when he is sleeping and grunts and stretches is little tiny arms above his head and he holds his breath until his face is red and grunts some more and then whimpers just a little whimper but enough of a whimper, then I pick him up and look into his sweet little eyes and he smiles, like ha, I just got you to pick me up. Hehehe. Those are the moments I love. Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-50175740207863630202015-02-02T15:38:00.000-08:002015-02-02T15:38:33.259-08:00A Simple Cup of Coffee No MoreIt is amazing how routines can change just like that. Change is typically something hard for me, I love routines, I am all about them. Change is tough for me, ask anyone I know. So it is hard to believe I have adapted to my new routines rather quickly and without fighting them since the new addition to our family. It didn't freak me out or turn my entire world upside down or into complete chaos, in fact the new routines were rather simple and something that just naturally developed, a unspoken routine I would say. <br />
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Yawning</div>
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It all started this morning that had me thinking about routines. Typically the first thing I do when I wake up is enjoy a cup of coffee, I look forward to coffee just as my dogs look forward to being feed. It is a constant, something I am familiar with, something that starts my day on the right foot so to say. No, it doesn't have anything to do with the caffeine, just the simple motion, the simple routine of making coffee. It soothes me so to say. That is the best way I can describe it. Soothing.<br />
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This morning as I was sitting in the living room having cuddle time with our son, I just smiled to myself, this simple act of cuddling was now my new routine. I look forward to our special one on one time each morning. A time for us to bond and connect over the little things in life right now. Those little things being dirty diapers, feedings, cuddle time, more dirty diapers, and best of all story time and connecting with my son.<br />
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Now the first thing I do in the morning isn't reaching for the coffee cup, but rather reaching for my son and soothing him when he starts to cry. We have our morning escape, just the two of us in the early morning hours, just the two of us and eventually when everything calms down and he is settled back in then and only then can I enjoy my coffee, although sometimes I make it, but I don't always get to it on my schedule.<br />
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A simple cup of coffee no more, but rather a time to cuddle and connect with our son. Morning coffee is one of many routines which have changed and I am sure as he gets bigger and older my routines will change again. But for now coffee can wait.<br />
<br />Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-3191387202577544702015-02-01T05:44:00.000-08:002015-02-01T05:44:16.886-08:00One Step Forward is Another Step Closer to the FinishBesides the new addition in our family I have been focused this week on running and getting back on track with training. I have a very supportive wife, who encourages me to sign up for races and also to go run. Not only does she encourage me to sign up for races but she reminds me that she will be there as well. With that this week I have been running.<br />
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Traildog Toby standing watch while JCM takes a nap</div>
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Monday- 6 miles, 4 with Traildog Toby and 2 with Remi, who by the way is 130 lbs. A big strong dog, so running with him is more of a cool down for me as Traildog is more of a tempo.<br />
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Tuesday- Hill Repeats times 6. Now that was fun. I always enjoy hill work outs because I feel stronger immediately following the work out.<br />
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Wednesday- Rest day, super tired from being up with the little guy JCM, so I took a nap, a 3 hour nap.<br />
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Thursday- Mile repeats, 1.5 warm up followed by mile repeats times 4, 1.5 cool down. This was fun.<br />
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Friday- 4 miles, recovery<br />
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Saturday- Long Run, 23 miles on the trails in Cool.<br />
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Before this 23 miler, my longest run was.......will I can't remember my longest run. I think it was 18. Like I said before this week my training had been inconsistent, I was dealing with going on LOA from work so handing off my workload was a bit stressful which had me doing long hours, then JCM was born and now that we have a few routines in place I can once again focus on my training.<br />
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Saturday's run was in Cool. It was the training run for the Way Too Cool 50k, it was the last half of the course which is beautiful and very runnable. I carpooled up there with some friends and we decided that it would be best if we started early, to avoid the large amount of people who will be at this event. We started bright and early just when there was enough light to see.<br />
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It was a bit chilly at the start but warmed up as the day grew. We hit the trails and just enjoyed the quiet and each others company. I didn't push the pace on the descent into the canyon, I kept my pace nice and comfortable and found myself in the back of our group of 5. We hit the quarry fire road and the pace quickened, but again, I just kept it nice and easy, power hiking the hills. Soon we hit the single track and I found myself in the middle. By this time I was warmed up and in a good space so I really enjoyed this section. We were keeping a nice and steady pace and were making some good time. My legs at this point felt good unlike last weekends run where I ran out of steam during the last 4 miles of our 14 mile run. The views along the trail were incredible and the trail was lush and green.<br />
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We hit third gate and I was still feeling rather strong. We transitioned into a very steady power hike and just put our heads down and kept on moving. My motto for the day, "One step forward brings you one step closer to the finish"<br />
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We hit the aid station at about mile 12.5 or so and I enjoyed the sweet bubbly carbonation of Coke and 2 squares of PB&J. This next section is my favorite as you can make up a bit of time as it is totally runnable and I always like to test myself. I quickly took the lead and increased our pace for a few miles. During this stretch all 5 of us put together a nice stretch of constant running. It felt good to open the legs a bit. We were also approaching Goat hill. Goat hill is about .7 of climbing, and this would be a nice little test for my legs. We arrived at goat hill in no time and started the climb. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma </a>climbed it like she owned it and quickly put some distance on me. I guess all those stairs she climbs at work have been really helping her. (I wonder where I can find some stairs). She looked strong, so did everyone else in our group. I felt good going up and my legs were holding together as well. Soon we were at the top and were greeted by another aid station. Here I took in a gel and I knew we only had about 5ish miles to the finish.<br />
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During the descent I could feel my quads a bit, but everything was holding up just fine. We kept a nice steady clip going down and power hiked the hills. Soon I could hear the cars on 49 and knew were getting closer. We crossed 49, and had only 1.5 to go. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> took off up the climb. She had some unfinished business on this hill. Let me tell you she owned it. We all did as a matter fact. The home stretch was near. "One step forward is one step closer to the finish" I hit the parking lot and felt pretty good about this training run. We were consistent, my body and mind held up for 23 miles on the trails and overall it was a strong training run.<br />
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After we finished we hung out and I caught up with all my running friends. It was good to see everyone and I can't wait to do it again. This was a strong week of training for me, now I just need to be consistent and remain focused all the while balancing my home life and family time too.<br />
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Just chilling </div>
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Story time with my son, I read books each night to him</div>
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Precious little boy</div>
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JCM, is doing great, though I think he has his days and nights a bit confused. He is a super chill baby and I am enjoying spending as much time with him as I possible can.Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-10698873785793292652015-01-28T05:07:00.001-08:002015-02-01T05:44:53.777-08:00A New Addition It has been a very long time since my last post. There has been a lot going on in the previous months. One of the most important things I have been up to is getting ready for parenthood. Will, can you actually get ready for parenthood? Nope, but I like to think that I could. My wife was pregnant with our first child (I am hoping for more), I was training for my races that were late in the season, I was working full time and we were also looking at buying at a house, all of this I remind you was during 4th quarter. 4th quarter is where things get super crazy busy at work, I work very long days filled with a ton of stress, pile on house hunting, a pregnant wife and trying to run and I had created a very chaotic life. But, with all this chaos there was always a light at the end of tunnel so to speak and that light was the pending arrival of our son. He couldn't get here fast enough.<br />
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As the months turned into weeks which turned into days, all I could think about was spending time with my family. Wow, my family, not that sounds different, but I love the idea of it. Soon we were weeks away and each day I would lean into my wife's belly and whisper, "Any day little man, any day. When ever you are ready you can come out. It is safe." He of course had his own idea of when he was going to grace us with his presence and will, I just had to be OK with that.<br />
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Soon we were only a week away from his due date. It was my weekend off from work, and my wife encouraged me to go run long on Saturday, as I had a race I was training for. I hesitated and asked "Are you sure?" She insisted. That Saturday I ran with Trailmomma and another friend and we knocked out 20 miles. Of course I had my phone on me and so did Trailmomma, just in case there was a call/text from my wife saying to hustle back. Trailmomma's phone went off a few times, and each time it did we would pause and check the message. Lucky for us it wasn't my wife which meant we didn't have to do a tempo run back to the car.<br />
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Trailmomma jokingly said "Watch you run 20 miles today and just as you go to bed I bet she goes into labor." We had a good laugh and I said "At least he would have waited long enough for me to get my run in."<br />
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Fast forward to Sunday night at midnight, only about 12 hours later, and yup you guessed it my wife is in labor. I strolled out to the living room to find my wife writing down her contractions and telling me they are 10 minutes apart. I casually suggested that we watch a movie, to keep our minds occupied as it was too soon to go the hospital. We did just that. But soon enough the contractions were 5 minutes apart, and we called Labor and Deliver who advised us to head on in. We did, but only after we had both showered. It was 3:30 am and we were headed to the hospital. We were admitted as she was close to a 7. They made us comfortable and we settled in. Then it was time to start pushing, it was 11:25am. My wife was amazing and at 11:41 am our son was born. He was delivered by the nurse and medical student as the doctor didn't have time to get to the room, the little guy didn't want to wait and wanted to make his entrance exciting.<br />
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Wow, our son. He weighed in at 7lbs 8oz, 20 1/4 inches long, and was the most handsome, adorable, precious little guy I knew. I just about cried when he was delivered, it was such an emotional experience and one that I will always cherish.<br />
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We have been home now for about a week, we only stayed the one night in the hospital. The three of us are getting our routines down and each day we learn something new. In the first week of his life we have had many firsts. A first being he peed all over me one time during diaper change, we lost our first little sock during an outing, I experienced how a little guy could clear an entire bedroom with his powerful farts.<br />
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Our first outing was hysterical. My wife and I and JCM had an appointment, we had to get lab work then head over to the doctors. Time kind of got away from us and soon we only had 15 minutes before we had to leave. My wife took JCM to change him. When she took his diaper off he peed everywhere, all over the wall (yes, that really happens, it is no joke) all over the changing table and all over his clean outfit. She had to change him, when she did she set him down, but had forgotten about the early incident and now he was soaking wet again and had to be changed. 3 outfits later we are ready to leave. I grab the diaper bag, (I know my role) and we are off. We made it to the lab and doctor appointment, we then have to run and get some paper work. Will, during the walk from the car to the office, we lost his sock. We retraced our steps but couldn't find it. Our first time out and we loss a sock, I am sure it will not be the last sock we loss. We learned a lot that day, and we still laugh about our first outing. We have gotten much better each time we have to go somewhere.<br />
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We have pretty much been bonding and getting routines in place. I typically take the 3 am- 7 am shift, as I am up from my work schedule. This way my wife can get some much needed sleep. I always enjoy this special time with him. Just the 2 of us. We bond over feedings, changing dirty diapers and just cuddling. he just melts my heart. I can honestly say, I don't mind getting up with him as this is our special time together, sometimes we just stare into each others eyes. During this time, I also enjoy reading to him, which I think he likes. I am sure as the days and weeks go by it will be very difficult for me to go back to work, but right now I am not thinking about that, right now I am just enjoying every second I have with him along with taking as many photos as I can.<br />
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<br />Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-61476254531065991032014-08-03T05:54:00.000-07:002014-08-03T05:54:32.346-07:00On the Trails AgainThis past week I have slowly been getting back at it. As in running/training again. On Thursday I started with 6 hill repeats. I needed to wake my legs up per say. Then on Friday I did a nice and easy 6 mile recovery run. I was feeling pretty good. Mentally, it helped to be focused again on running/training. This weekend I had big plans in store for me and Trailmomma, I emailed Trailmomma and we decided upon 16-20 miles starting at the base of stagecoach and doing the Clementine and Overlook loops. We wanted to do loops as the day was going to be super hot. Soon enough our little run of two turned into 5 of our running friends. Awesome, it's always better to run in a large group especially when it is hot.<br />
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We arrived at the base of Stagecoach around 6:25 am and were ready to start running around 6:30. It was already muggy when we started. We ran the Clementine loop first as I knew the mountain bikers would be out this nice weekend and I wanted to hit the loop before they started.. I was feeling pretty good, but I also noticed my legs were still recovering from my 50 mile adventure from a few weeks ago.<br />
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We finished up the Clementine loop and refueled at the car, I added some more ice and water to my hydration pack and enjoyed a banana and used the restroom. I also realized that the chaffing I had experienced at TRT was not 100% healed and was aggravated and hurt.<br />
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Soon we were ready to tackle the next 10 miles which we call the Overlook loop. We climbed the "fully exposed" Stagecoach and I just pitter pattered up this 2 mile climb. Power hiking every so often and just taking in the spectacular view. The climb was warm, but there was some shade, even though I still believe it is fully exposed. A little joke between Trailmomma and myself.<br />
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At the top of the climb the group regrouped as Miss P. and Karen tore it up. We hit the pavement and continued on our way. We had a little turkey sighting that made Trailmomma's heart skip a beat. I of course just laughed about it. We hit the water fountain and immediately dosed our bandanas in hopes of staying cool as it was getting really warm. Luckily we had stated early and would hopefully be done before the heat just drained us and baked us in the canyon. Miss P. lead the way and I took up the rear, just keeping the group in my sights. We hit the overlook in no time and again, cooled down. Now we only had 4 miles to go, but it was in the canyon and that was going to be hot.<br />
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I was feeling it in my legs and the chaffing was uncomfortable. We saw a lot of our friends on the trail at various points and it was nice to stop and catch up for a bit. That is the great thing about trail running, you can see a ton of your friends even though you may not have started at the same point and it makes for a nice day. We hit the waterfall and again cooled down. Only 2.5 miles to go, but the heat was zapping our energy. I was slowing down and I was sucking my water down. It was hot. The fire road to No Hands Bridge was super hot as it was exposed, but we kept a nice steady pace. We arrived at No Hands crossed over and made our way to Stagecoach for a nice 16 mile run.<br />
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I was done, the heat and my legs had had enough. Which was fine, as this was my first weekend running and 16 miles was a nice start. I am looking forward to hitting the trail with these amazing ladies again, the miles ticked by quickly and it was great to on the trails again.<br />
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What do I have planned in the upcoming months you may ask? I don't know, I do know that I am enjoying being on the trails again. I look forward to focusing on my fitness and maintaining a nice base.Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-13526936508572316672014-08-01T11:01:00.001-07:002014-08-01T11:01:54.146-07:00Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Mile Race Report 2014"A Glimpse of Heaven...........a Taste of Hell" is the motto for <a href="http://www.tahoemtnmilers.org/trt-endurance-runs.html">The Tahoe Rim Trails Endurance Runs. </a>I was once again signed up for the 100 mile run. I had some unfinished business that I hoped to complete this go around. Like any race or 100 mile run this run is challenging. I have been coming to Tahoe every July for the past 4 years. Running the 50k twice, the 50 miler once and now attempting the 100 mile for the second time. I was determined this year that things would be different, I trained hard, I focused on my fueling, I had an amazing crew and pacers. All was set, now all I had to do was run.<br />
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The night before the race my crew and I reminisced over the past few months of training. We laughed and laughed the night away. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma </a>has been my running partner for years, but this past year she was with me for just about every long run and boy did we have stories to tell. I think sitting there around the kitchen table and sharing and remembering our runs was one my favorite parts about the trip.<br />
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The morning of the race I awoke really early. I couldn't sleep, I had some major anxiety and when the alarm finally went off I bounced out of bed full of energy and ready to start the morning. My wife made me eggs, pancakes, ham, and strawberries. I enjoyed this meal like it was going to be my last. We arrived at the starting line about an hour before the race started and I found us a nice spot on the benches to relax and take in all the excitement. Soon it was time to head to the starting line. I kissed my wife and said " I will see you at diamond." and off I went into the cool morning.<br />
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Photo By Trailmomma, what was waiting for me on the kitchen table</div>
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Start To Hobart:<br />
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Right Before the start</div>
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The start to Hobart begins on a fire road. I quickly settled into a nice a pace. Soon the line began as we squeezed our way onto the single track trail. I wasn't in a hurry, I didn't try to pass anyone but there were plenty of runners passing me. I wasn't moving slow, I was moving just as quickly as the runner in front me. It was a comfortable power hike as we were climbing, or I should say snaking our way to the top before a nice descent down to Marlette lake. This year I took it all in. I took the time to look up ahead and also below me as the lights from everyone's flashlights were pretty amazing to see. Plus it kept my mind occupied and focused on the current task at hand, to make my way to Hobart aid station, roughly 6 miles. I arrived into Hobart on schedule and quickly gathered my drop bag and enjoyed a Special K breakfast bar. It was easy to eat as it was soft and tasted really good. I was also fueling with Power Gel as I had stopped using the prepetuam as I was getting sick while I trained with it. </div>
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Hobart To Tunnel Creek:</div>
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I was in and out of Hobart rather quickly and started the climb up to peak and a gorgeous view of the lakes. I again settled into my pace and focused on the next 5 miles to Tunnel Creek. I knew that trail was super runnable once I crested the peak and I had a nice downhill section into Tunnel Creek. I also knew not to open up to much as the day was just beginning. I arrived at the downhill section and enjoyed the nice smooth rollers and switch backs to Tunnel Creek. I passed a few runners, but I didn't push the pace.I was running comfortable. I was excited to get to Tunnel Creek as my some of my crew were going to be there, I always enjoy seeing a friendly face or two when I am on this trail. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and her friend from Canada <a href="http://be-well-run.com/">Be-Well-Run</a> would be at Tunnel Creek and with each step that brought me closer to Tunnel, the bigger my smile became. I arrived into Tunnel right on schedule, and quickly grabbed my drop bag and supplies, refilled my pack and departed. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and Be-Well-Run were both waiting for me and cheering loud. It was awesome to see them. </div>
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Photo by Trailmomma, Leaving Tunnel Creek #1 on my way to Red House Loop</div>
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Tunnel Creek to Red House Loop</div>
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The next section of trail was a 6 mile loop with a massive descent to the lowest elevation on the course. This descent is a quad buster and bone jarring. I took it conservatively on the descent. Here I saw a lot of the front runners and some of the faster 50k and 50 milers started to pass me as they started an hour after us. It is pretty cool to see and even better on the climb back out to offer and receive words of encouragement. I started the slow climb on the fire road. Running some here and power hiking some there. I hit the red house aid station and quickly did my best at making a ice bandana and cooling myself off as the day was getting warm, a bit warmer then previously reported. I knew this next section would be a grind so I just put my head down and continued on my way. Finally I hit the real climb out and slowly started to make my way back to Tunnel Creek. It was tough and it was hot. I just put my head down and carried on. Soon I could see my crew and <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> comes running down to me and asked "How are you?" a harmless question, I quickly say "Why?" a not so harmless answer. She was a bit concerned because in years past I have run this flat section. I was feeling that climb out. I quickly avoided her question and looked at Be-Well-Run and asked "How did you enjoy the climb into Tunnel Creek?" she said "This isn't about me it's about you, how are you?" Such a great crew!!!!! I of course needed some calories and to recover from the climb so I entered Tunnel Creek and took my time getting situated. </div>
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Photo By: Trailmomma, coming out of the red house loop, still smiling </div>
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Photo By: Trailmomma, getting weighed for the first time, down 1 pound</div>
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As I entered Tunnel Creek I immediately was weighed. I was down 1 pound from Friday's weigh in, nothing to be concerned about. After weighing in I went and grabbed my drop bag and ate a special K bar, grabbed my bottle to help cool me down during the next 12 miles and picked up a few more gels. Then I sat down in the chair and emptied out my shoes, they were full of sand and pebbles, plus this gave me a moment to breath. Then I gathered my things and used the restroom and told my crew "At diamond have ensure and gatorade ready, I will see you guys there." and off I went to the cheering of my crew. (I also forgot to cross the timing mat, but my crew saved the day and told them)</div>
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Tunnel Creek to Bull Wheel to Diamond Peak:</div>
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Now I was on the longest stretch of trail, but I wasn't alone. My friend Tina who was also running the 100 miler was with me. We talked and talked, which made the 3 miles fly by. We arrived at bull wheel grabbed some food and started on the 9 mile stretch. I was carrying my water bottle to help keep my cool, as last year I burned up going through here. This year I wasn't going to make the same mistake. I started to notice my energy levels getting low, so I ate a special K bar and took in a gel. Soon, instead of power hiking I was running again. The fuel was what I needed. I pushed on keeping a nice comfortable pace, power hiking some here and there. Then I made that left turn and knew I had 4 miles to Diamond peak and my crew. On this descent though my stomach I had a stomach cramp and had to walk some of the downhill, which was fine as it saved my legs. I was near Diamond Peak so I changed my focus on what I needed instead of how I was feeling. I wasn't feeling terrible, but I also wasn't feeling good. The descent seemed to never end and all I wanted was for the descent to end. Soon, I could hear cheering and I knew I was close. I popped out of the trail and hit the parking lot and my crew immediately went into action. </div>
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Arriving at Diamond Peak Aid Station</div>
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I told my crew I had put together a nice 12 mile section, in fact so much better then the previous years. I was stoked about that. I was focused coming into Diamond Peak. My crew took my pack and cooled me down as I walked to check in. Once I checked in they showed me our spot and I went to the bathroom. I was having a bit of discomfort (put lightly) and I needed to address it. I used the restroom, and it hurt. I was chaffed pretty good in that area and it was bleeding as well. In my efforts this year to keep cool by squirting myself the water my shorts chaffed me in the groin. It hurt, I was swollen, but I was also determined. After the bathroom, I emptied out the pebbles and sand in my shoes, ate some food, drank some coke and was ready to go. </div>
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Diamond Peak, taking care of the sand and pebbles</div>
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Photo By: Be-Well-Run, (I should have tried to keep my shorts dry)</div>
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I also soaked myself with the hose. I was overheating and it felt so good to cool down. My crew was fantastic here, they had me in and out in no time. I was excited to see them and also excited that this year I came into Diamond Peak in much better condition then last year. </div>
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Kuni and I</div>
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Diamond Peak to Bull Wheel:</div>
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I was now on my way up the 2 mile climb of the ski slope. Kuni walked me out a bit and told me to take my time on this climb. I had plenty of time, in fact, he told me to slow down, that it was ok to walk the downhills. I thanked him and off I went. I had my water bottle to keep me cool and I was fueled up. The first mile of the climb isn't that tough, I hiked it and I would pause in the shade when there was some to recover. Soon Tina caught up to me and we both worked our way up the hill. We would pause in the shade on the steeper section, and soon we were pausing every so many feet. It was brutal, but you know what, I was doing better then last year. As we climbed I looked to our left and noticed a storm cell coming in. I told Tina about it and that I hoped it hit us on our way to Tunnel Creek and not Snow Valley. I could hear the thunder in the distance. We climbed and climbed and eventually made our way to bull wheel. Once at bull wheel, we enjoyed the best tasting water mellon I have had this year (Ok, it has been the only water mellon I have had, but it was delicious.) We took some time here, I ate another special k bar and a gel. That climb took a lot out of me and I knew I needed the calories. </div>
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Bull Wheel to Tunnel Creek:</div>
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Tina and I were both on our way to Tunnel Creek. It was 3 miles pretty much downhill to the aid station. I had a nice pace going, but I was also uncomfortable, the chaffing was getting worse, and causing a lot of pain. I sat down and emptied a boulder of a rock out of my shoes and then carried on. By this point Tina was a good distance ahead of me and moving well. I was feeling pretty bad and all I could focus on was the chaffing. I couldn't move past it. It burned. I eventually arrived at Tunnel Creek along with some sprinkles. Here I weighed in again and was down another pound, again nothing to be worried over the volunteer said. After weighing I grabbed my drop bag. I ate a Honey Stinger Waffle, a gel, a quarter of a pay day bar, and drank some coke. I took my time in this aid station. I also put the water bottle in my drop bag, and pondered over grabbing my rain jacket. (I had packed a wind breaker in my Hobart drop bag, my rain jacket in the tunnel creek drop bag, and my crew had a wind breaker at the 50 mile marker) I decided against (a decision that would prove costly in the miles to come). It only sprinkled a bit, so at the time I wasn't to concerned about the weather. </div>
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Tunnel Creek To Hobart:</div>
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I left tunnel creek hoping that the calories I had just put in would help me get back on track. I also had plenty of food and gels in my pack to refuel on my way. I knew that this next section would have a lot of power hiking and the only thing was, my legs left empty. I didn't have any power in them. I slowly made my way up each switch back and just kept moving forward. This was not good. What just happened? I couldn't believe how bad I was feeling. I tried to focus on the smaller picture of just getting to Hobart and not how many miles I had left. But it was hard, I cried some on the way to Hobart. I was struggling. I kept thinking that the calories needed some time to digest and that I would start to feel better. I kept moving forward switch back after every switch back, the process was slow and painful. The sun was no longer out and the storm clouds at any moment would open up. I slowly arrived at Hobart and just looked at the volunteers. The color was gone from my face and I eventually asked for some warm soup. I sat down and pondered what to do. I grabbed my drop bag and ate a waffle and a gel. I also grabbed my light wind breaker. I sat back down, looked at the volunteers and asked about the situation on snow valley. She responded "It hasn't been evacuated yet. But it is cold up there." I said thank you and packed my wind breaker. Before I could stand up a tremendous boom sounded and streak of lightening danced in the sky. The volunteer was again looked at me and said "Well, it is evacuating right now with that." I held my breath and could only think, I am getting ready to head that way into the storm. </div>
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Hobart to Snow Valley:</div>
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I left Hobart, not fully recharged, but ready non the less. I was hiking my way into the storm and secretly hoping it wouldn't be that bad. I mean I was only going to 9,250 feet. I deep down knew better and quickly increased my power hike. I didn't know what to expect, but with each step forward the thunder slowly grew. It started as small growl and slowly grew the higher I got. Then the lightening came, it was bright and seemed very close. I would count until I heard the thunder and then another crack only this time it scared me and I screamed. It was close, closer the I ever want to be. The thunder and lightening were really close and there wasn't anything I could do. Then it slowly started to rain, I unpacked my wind breaker and put it on. Just in time as I placed my hood on my head, the hail came down in buckets. I was in a hail storm and each pelt of hail hurt. The lightening was till dancing around me and the thunder was loud. Then it poured buckets of rain and the trail slowly vanished to river. I saw some runners running to tree line. I followed and asked what they are doing as I knew if I stopped hypothermia would set in in these conditions. The guy looked at me and said "Do you want to go to the aid station." I said "yes." He said "Ok, let's do this together as if we stay here we will get hypothermic." I said "Ok" and off we went. I were sprinting on the trail with the thunder and rain. It was raining so loud we could hardly here each other when we spoke. We picked up a few other runners and together we made our way to Snow Valley, which I was pretty sure would be empty and not be a safe place to stay. We crested the last small hill and were completely exposed with the lightening dancing where it choose. We rushed into the tent and were greeted by a volunteer who told us they had to evacuate and that it was best to keep moving as stopping now we were at risk for hypothermia. I quickly drank a ensure thanked the volunteer and started down the river trail. </div>
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Snow Valley To Spooner Lake (mile 50):</div>
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My feet by now were killing me. They were completely soaked and freezing from run off. I couldn't keep them out of the puddles/river. The chaffing was even worse now and I was cold, I couldn't feel my hands. Each step on a rock my feet screamed at me. They were tender and sore from being soaking wet. I was suffering, but that is all part of a 100 miler. The question was how much and how long could I suffer. I slowly made my way down to the tree line and here it wasn't as cold, but I was still cold. I knew my crew was probably worried about me as I was off schedule. This 7 miles was longest thus far for me. It was pure torture, each step caused bolts of pain to shot through my body. By far the worst was the chaffing as the rain didn't help me. I slowly made my way down. Eventually I arrived at the lake level and soon I saw Kuni, my pacer and friend. I became emotional in seeing him and quickly told him about snow valley how I had gotten caught out in the storm. He looked at very supportive and said "so you experienced yourself a mini Hardrock." You see Kuni had just completed Hardrock the weekend before and had run in far worse weather then I, so yes, you could say it was a mini Hardrock experience for me. He walked me into the 50 mile aid station and my crew went to work. </div>
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My crew and others trying to keep everything dry including themselves. </div>
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Mile 50:</div>
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They rushed soup to me and were just thankful that I had some kind of a jacket in. I told them I was cold, the chaffing was out of control and my feet were killing me. My wife told me to sit down so that she could assess the situation and fix my feet. We took my soak off and she said "oh wow, your feet are water logged." They were so water logged, we couldn't repair the 3 blisters I had. I had a blister on the sole of foot and on both pinky toe. Last year I had blisters in between each toe, so this was far better then last year. The bad part was we couldn't dry my feet out, they tried, they put foot warmers on my feet. I also shared my concern in regards to the chaffing. It was really bad, so bad I could hardly run. I looked at my crew and knew I had a tough decision to make. They could see that I was torn with what needed to happen. I wasn't able to run due to the chaffing and my feet were water logged. I looked at my wife and told her to turn in my chip. I was pulling the plug here. It was a serious blow to me. I came into mile 50 mentally ready tackle 50 more miles, but with the chaffing and water logged feet, physically I couldn't. The chaffing was/is getting worse and with me just sitting there, I was on fire it hurt that bad. I kept apologizing to my crew and pacers as they had invested so much time and energy to support me all day and through out my training. I felt like a failure and a disappointment. They kept reassuring me that it was ok, that ultimately it was my decision and a tough one at that. To this day, I question myself on that call. But ultimately in the end, there was no way I could have gone on. </div>
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My amazing crew: Be-Well-Run, Trailmomma,and Rachel my wife (we are expecting our first baby)</div>
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Well I be back........maybe......is there another race this season?........maybe?.............<br />
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Thank you to my amazing crew for being there all day and braving the storm. Thank you to my very supportive wife for supporting me through the many long training days, I love you so much. Thank you to my friends and family for believing in me, I may have fallen short, but I am not finished.Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-68418809263556718602014-05-26T06:05:00.001-07:002014-05-26T06:05:59.953-07:00Western States Memorial Day Training Run Day 1 (32 Miles) This weekend was the <a href="http://www.wser.org/">Western States</a> Memorial Day Training Run. Day 1 consist of 32 miles from Robinson Flat to Foresthill School. This runs would take us through the two most difficult climbs, Devil's Thumb and Michigan Bluff. The temperatures in Sacramento were to reach the upper 90's, which meant it was going to be very warm in the canyons. There are a few aid stations along the way, Dusty corner, Deadwood cemetery, Michigan Bluff and Foresthill.<br />
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I have run this year now every year for the past few years. This year just like last year I started early. My friend drove a small group of us to Robinson Flat and we started before the busses arrived. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> was very excited about this run as I was too. We arrived in Foresthill about 5:45am to check in, use the restroom, and get our gear in order. We jumped into Tina's car and off we went to Robinson Flat. This would be my first time running this section of trail as the trail has been closed due to last year's fire.<br />
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Once at Foresthill it was time to get our run on. Today's goal was time on my feet and being smart. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and I started off and we power hiked our way to some spectacular views before descending down the single track trail. Today's run would have a lot of ascending and a lot of descending, and the name of the game was don't blow up the quads.<br />
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We arrived at Dusty Corners aid station where I refilled my hydration pack as the next section would have a good long descent and and a very tough Devil's thumb climb and it would be about 11 miles until the next aid station. I also grabbed 2 squares of PB&J and off we went. The day was warming up and I have not been able to get much heat training in.<br />
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We cruised on the fire road just focusing on the task at hand. We hit the single track and the long descent down to swinging bridge. This year due to the fire we would be crossing the river with the aid of a cable instead of the bridge as the bridge was burned in the fire. I couldn't wait to hit the bottom as the water was going to feel refreshing. I was in the lead with <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> right behind me and a small group of runners about a switch back back. The trail was loose with leaves and the switch backs were pretty tight. As we continued down my foot clipped a rock and I was going down, only I saved the fall at first but then I face planted and my legs kicked up. The downhill momentum wouldn't let me save myself. I was covered in dirt, leaves everywhere, dirt in my mouth and I hear <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> ask "Can I get a picture?" I shouted "NO!" got up as quickly as I could and continued on. My legs were shaky, me head hurt, and I was covered in dirt. As we continued down, I brushed the dirt off and stopped at a creek crossing to clean up and also to cool down. I was pretty frustrated with myself at this point because of the fall. As we continued down, my left knee started to hurt and my left quad was banged up a bit so the descent was taking a lot of of me.<br />
<br />
We hit the bottom and made our way to the cable crossing. The river felt very refreshing and came up to our waist. I wasn't very excited about the climb we had coming. Devil's Thumb is a challenging climb, it is steep with a lot of switch backs. During this climb I started to really dip. My energy level plummeted, my leg strength was non existent, I had to stop numerous times, and my legs were shaking. I was in trouble and I knew it. I told <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> to go ahead, but she just looked at me and said "I am good here." She knew I was hurting, she stayed with me and offered encouragement. As we climbed I ran out of water in my pack, I was dry and we still had a ways to go. This was not a good situation to be in. I kept putting on foot in front of the other. Mentally though I was in a all time low, I just wanted to be done. And when I say done I mean done for the day, not just done with this climb. I knew that I needed fuel, and that I had somehow not fueled properly in the miles earlier. I told myself that once we hit the deadwood cemetery, I would spend some time there fueling. We climbed and climbed, I stopped and climbed some more then stopped and climbed some more. We were getting closer to the top, but it just felt like the climb would never end. As we neared the top, I looked at <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and said "I am out of water." She quickly grabbed "her jugs" and offered them to me. She had 2 small bottles plus her pack, so she had plenty of water. The water tasted great. We finally hit the top of the climb and slowly made our way to the pump and the aid station. I told <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> that I was done, she just chuckled and said "No you are not."<br />
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At deadwood aid station (The Pump) the volunteers filled my pack, I enjoyed 2 cups of coke, some chips, half a payday bar, some PB&J and a GU. I also grabbed some GU as the Powergels I had weren't tasting that great. We also soaked our bandannas thanked the volunteers and were on our way. I slowly started to feel better, the leg strength slowly came back and mentally I became focused. On the descent I had to take things slower as my knee was still giving me some issues. We made our way down and with each land mark I knew we were getting closer to the bottom. Once at the bottom I took in another GU as what goes down must go up. We had about a 2.5 mile climb to Michigan Bluff.<br />
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This climb I was feeling strong. I kept a nice steady clip and passed a few runners along the way. I was getting pretty excited the closer we got to the top because from there it was only 6 miles and the day would be over. We climbed and climbed and the heat in the canyons was felt by all. I took in a GU as I started to feel my energy level drop. The GU kicked in and we were moving again. We were almost to the top when we saw a runner on the side of trail not looking too well. I asked if there was anything he needed, maybe some salt. He said he didn't have any salt and <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> quickly offered him 2 salt tabs. Then maybe 5 feet in front of us another runner was getting sick on the trail. I looked at him and asked him and his partner if he needed anything, a gel, salt? His running partner said she had 1 gel. He asked for some solid food, <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> again came to the rescue and gave him her gluten free bar. But before we moved on I had a great idea, I looked at <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and asked "Hey, do you have any ginger chews?" She did and gave each runner a ginger chew to help settle their stomachs. They were both appreciative and as we continued on I joked with <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> about how I gave her fuel away and too be sure she refilled at Michigan bluff in case I needed something. We were nearing the top and I knew. As we popped out and hit the fire road to the aid station I was excited.<br />
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We had arrived at Michigan Bluff. Here I again refilled my pack, enjoyed some chips, some coke, a PB&J and GU before we moved on. Even though we had roughly 6 miles it would be a challenging 6 miles with a scorching sun. It was warm out, we power hiked the long hills, but quickly transitioned into a run during the flats and short hills. We were both moving pretty well and that was good feeling. We hit the single track and took our time as we switch backed it down to the bottom. At the bottom we cooled off in the river before the final climb of the day. This climb would be the shortest, but very hot as it was exposed. We climbed and ran when we could. Soon we hit the paved road and it was a amazing feeling knowing we were just about back. We kept a nice power hike on Bath Road and made the left turn to the school, where we trotted in with smiles on our faces.<br />
<br />
It was a challenging day for me in the canyons. Mentally I had a tough time staying positive, but in the end it was nice to see the perseverance and determination come through. I had many lows and I mean super lows, but I bounced back and kept moving forward. Overall it was a strong mental training run, one with many lessons I shall carry with me into TRT100. I started the day with a smile and I ended the day with a smile and that is what matters. Thanks <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> for your encouragement during the lows and the laughter all day. I can't wait to go back out there. Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-52031777382290600152014-04-13T09:43:00.002-07:002014-04-13T09:43:55.904-07:00American River 50 Mile Race Report 2014The American River 50 mile endurance run is a local favorite. I enjoy this race for many reasons, but the main reason is that it is local, I can train on the trails, and it is convenient for crew to enjoy. I have been running this race since 2010 and each year brings with it a new adventure and this year wouldn't be any different. Going into this race, I told myself it was a training run as my target race was in July. I was to use this day as time on my feet, to focus on fueling, and not to crack myself.<br />
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This year the event started at Brown's Ravine near El Dorado hills and we would run to Folsom and around Lake Natoma before heading back to Auburn. This was a new course which meant new possibilities and I could only wonder what this new course would do to my time.<br />
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I knew going into this race that I could a run anywhere between a 9:45 and a 10:15. I have been pretty quiet thus far this season with my training and what races I will be running and what my goal times are. I have been keeping things to myself and focusing on what I know I am capable of running and not allowing any one to influence me or to put doubt into my head. I am staying focused on the bigger picture TRT100.<br />
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I arrived at the start with my training partner <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and my wife Rachel. Rachel would be crewing us this day and I would be picking up my pacer Kuni AKA The Beast at Beals which is mile 24. I had asked Kuni to pace me at TRT100 along with Trailmomma and having him pace me at AR50 would be good before TRT. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and I were in wave 1 which started at 6am. We both had lights as it was pretty dark. We lined up and before I knew it we were off for 50 miles of fun. This first mile we were running on pavement, but soon we would hit the fire road and eventually the single track trail which would bring us to Folsom Point where the first aid station would be. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> was booking it as this was her back yard. I just jumped onto her tail and held on. When we arrived at the levee I said to her "You know you were flying back there? We have 50 miles to go?" She replied calmly and confidently "I know, but this is by back yard and I feel good."<br />
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We arrived at Folsom Point on schedule, if not ahead thanks to Trailmomma. We did what we call the clover loop around the parking lot and then we arrived at the aid station. Here I grabbed some PB&J and we left. We weren't there too long. As we were leaving we spot The Beast and he gives us big hugs and we hand off our lights. As I am leaving he looks me in the eyes and says "Take it easy, I will see you at Beals." This stuck with me the rest of my journey.<br />
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Now we where on the pavement and we both settled into "our pace" a nice, comfortable pace. We enjoyed the sun rising over the lake and each others company. I could tell <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> was feeling great and mentally in a great spot. I on the other hand was having a few issues, maybe more mental than anything. Did I go out to hard, I am pushing the pace to much. The typically thoughts, ones that can turn a race around. I did my best to bury those thoughts, but once they manifested it was hard to change them. Ohh the doubt has been planted.<br />
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The pavement portion was one of my least favorite. Pavement is tough to run on, for me that is. Every step just punishes my body. I can feel it throughout my body. I also knew that it wouldn't be long before we arrived at the second aid station at Willow Creek and not far from that we would hit the trails once again. I focused on my fueling. I was fueling with Perpetum. I started drinking if after mile 5 and had packed 2 small baggies that I was carrying in my pack. Each bottle was roughly 250 calories. I have been fueling with Perpetum for about a year now.<br />
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As we neared Willow Creek <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> took off ahead as she needed to use the restroom and as she left she said to me "Wait for me." I arrived at the aid station and took my time, I refilled my bottle with perpetum and enjoyed a PB&J square. I walked out of the aid station and waited. I didn't wait that long for Trailmomma maybe less then a minute and we continued on our way.<br />
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We were now making our way to the aquatic center and eventually the bluffs. I always love reaching the bluffs because by this point I am done with the pavement and it is great to use different muscles. As we neared the aquatic center something was off with me. I was very quiet and my eyes were darting here and there. My stomach was gurgling at me and not in the way that says I am hungry. I needed to go, only there wasn't anywhere for me to go. I had to slow my pace as the discomfort was painful. Trailmomma knew something was up and looked at me and asked "Are you ok?" I looked at her and said "No, I have to go." The aquatic center came and went and now we were slowly making our way to the bluffs. We crested the top of the bluffs and for a split second I contemplated ducking behind the cars and going, but soon realized that wasn't a good idea as it was to exposed. We started down and I darted ahead and at the bottom, I darted off onto a side trail and went.<br />
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Trailmomma waited for me and we were on our way. I felt better, but not great. My stomach was still upset but at least I had some peep back in my step. We took off toward Main bar. Here I filled my pack, and enjoyed a quarter banana and grabbed a small mojo bar. This next section takes up to the bluffs and some nice single track trail. We kept a comfortable pace, ok maybe I was running a bit slow here. I didn't have much in my tank, though I had been fueling. I knew that I needed to settle down and relax, this was just a low and that it would pass. There was till plenty of race left. Trailmomma and I cruised along and as we hit the bluffs I told her "I have to go again! I think it is the perpetum, I am going to stop drinking it and switch to coke." I knew something had to change. Something that I was doing was causing this issue and I couldn't continue this race doing the same thing, but expecting a different result. I made a choice, right there and then. I was going to stop drinking the perpetum.<br />
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<a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> took off ahead as I once again had to use the restroom. She told me she would wait for me at the next aid station. I arrived and mentally I was defeated. I knew I couldn't keep going if I was going to be using the restroom every 20 minutes. But I also knew that my system needed to reset and my secret weapon was my wife, Rachel was waiting for me at Beals point along with my pacer The Beast and Dasie. I had to keep going, but all I could think about was how bad I felt. As soon as I arrived at the aid station Trailmomma went to action. She grabbed my bottle and rinsed it out and put coke it in. She had me moving again telling me "Rachel was at Beals. Let's Go."<br />
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<a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> was feeling like a million bucks and I just kept thinking I am slowing her down. I told her to go ahead, I had to let her go. It was tough watching her run and I did everything I could to muster a slow shuffle, but once again I had to use the bathroom. Ugh this is not good. I had one final hill before the small descent into Beals. I rounded the corner and shuffled under the arch and then transitioned to a walk. I saw Dasie and she walked me to Rachel. The Beast was smiling and said something that made me laugh. My crew went to work getting me ready for the next half. I told them I was drinking coke, they knew I was sick and that I had been dry heaving. Trailmomma gave me some tums. I drank a ensure and then I managed to get a gel down. I slowly ate some banana while Rachel cleaned out my pack and replaced my gels. I looked at The Beast and said, "We should start walking." The three of us started walking. I was ready, but was I ready? I looked at The Beast and told him "I have to use the restroom" and I sprinted for the bathroom. Trailmomma told The Beast, "you guys will catch me ok." I was in the restroom for a bit about 5-7 minutes. After that I felt a lot better, like everything had been reset. I am hoping this is the end of the runs for me today.<br />
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The Beast and I hit the levee and slowly ever so slowly my pace starts to quicken. I have a new pair of legs a new energy about me and I want to capitalize on this energy. We hit the single track trail and I am in full gear, I am focused and thinking clearly. I start to pass runners and when I pass them I am light on my feet. I am back and ready to take this day this race back. But first I need to catch Trailmomma.<br />
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We hit the fire road at cavitt and we are cruising, The Beast is telling me to hike this and run that, not to hard here, how about you drink some coke, a salt maybe. He is doing everything right and I am listening and following direction. Soon we hit the single track trail and at first I am moving conservatively, but then within a blink of an eye I take off. I accelerated so fast, I don't know what happened, but it feels good. I open up a bit more and we are flying. We are passing runner after runner and I am looking strong. I don't feel like I have 25 miles in my legs but rather I am just beginning my day. I challenge myself to hold this pace, now open it up some more. I do. Then I see the blue shirt and I can't believe my eyes and under my breath I say "No way." Up ahead is Trailmomma. I caught Trailmomma. As I near I shout out "Hey, hey, hey." She looks back stunned, surprised and excited like she can't believe her eyes. She jumps aside and so does the group she is running with and I pass. As I pass she hooks on to us and once again we are together. I caught her just outside the granit bay aid station. Together our pace increases and I hear her ask The Beast "What did you do? And can you do that to me?" We are passing runner after runner. Up ahead I can see Rachel, she had surprised me by being at Granit bay. I fly past and she knows I am back.<br />
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At the aid station Dasie is waiting for us. I drink some soup and take in a gel and tell Dasie "Let my wife I know that I love her." I am alive and feeling great. We exit the aid station, the three of us, me in the lead followed by The Beast and then Trailmomma. This next section takes us onto part of the mountain bike course, which I didn't like at all. We were slowed down by conga lines and there wasn't much room to pass on top of having to look out for mountain bikes, it was not fun. When I saw an opening I would take it. I would see another opening and take it. The Beast was my eyes for bikes as I was focused on finding an opening and passing. After about 2.5 miles of this loop we were back on the course I knew. We were all three still together which was a amazing feeling.<br />
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On our way to buzzards cove there was a lot of congestion, which really slowed us down. There wasn't anywhere to pass and the line was long. Here I was getting really frustrated as I was feeling strong and wanting to move only I couldn't. I kept looking at my watch, which frustrated me even more because I was losing time. I wanted by, we passed when we could, but I knew we would have to make our move at Buzzards cove. In the meantime The Beast had me on a gel an hour and a salt an hour and he would have me sip the coke from time to time. This fueling was working. I was feeling good.<br />
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Buzzard cove was approaching and behind me The Beast says "You going to eat some ice cream?" This aid station is known for the ice cream. I have never had the ice cream. I still had my wits about me and replied "Ohh so this is the real reason you agreed to pace me. For the ice cream." We all chuckled and when we arrived The Beast had some ice cream. We were in and out and finally had some room to play with on the trail and I took advantage of that. We were on our way to horseshoe bar.<br />
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I was still feeling great and made up some time, only to run right back into another conga line. Like before there was nothing I could do. I threw my arms up in the air in frustration as we were having to walk. I told myself to calm down, take this as a time to reenergize and refocus. I knew that there would be an opening up ahead where the trail widens and when I came to section I took off like my tail was on fire. I accelerated so fast I was passing runners on their left, their right letting them know I was there. They were trying to stay dry as this section was a mud pit. I took a chance and plunged through the mud and water. I looked back and saw The Beasts was with me, but I didn't see Trailmomma. Crap.....Crap....Crap....we had lost Trailmomma. I knew she would catch up and I pressed on. But every chance I had I looked back to see if that blue shirt was approaching.<br />
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The Beast and I were flying again. We arrived at horseshoe bar and I took in a gel and quickly made my way to water bucket. I was hot and needed to cool down. The Beast followed me and helped cool me off. I screamed and hyperventilated. The Beast had a huge smile on his face and I was smilling as well. The cool water felt great. As The Beast continued to cool me I looked back and shouted "TRAILMOMMA!!! OVER HERE" she had caught up to us. She looked at us perplexed (I can only imagine how that image looked) and said "I fell." I ushered her over to the water bucket and The Beast and I cooled her off and cleaned up her bloody knee. I told her it was 2.2 to rattlesnake and we took off.<br />
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2.2 until I see my wife and crew again and then about 10 miles to finish. I can totally do this. I checked my watch and I was within my goal time, but I wasn't going to be able to settle. I would need to continue to push myself, I would have to run on the fine line of cracking if I was going to make my goal time.<br />
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The Beast and I were moving well during this section. He was monitoring my fueling and allowed me to dictate the pace. He took the lead for a bit which was great as it allowed me to relax my mind and recharge. I took the lead back and kept focused. We were getting near and as we neared I could feel the aid station energy. I heard some music and then realized that what was playing was a song we played at our wedding and that energized me some more. "It's a beautiful night, I think I want to marry you!!!!! I think I want to marry you!!!!! Yup that played through my head and the memories of our wedding energized me some more. My love was waiting for me, she was supporting me no matter what, I can't wait to see her!<br />
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I arrived at Rattlesnake after a gnarly descent and my crew immediately went to work. I was feeling strong and focused. My wife Rachel puts a banana in front me and I just look at it. She looks at me and back at the banana and I take the banana and start to eat it. Yup my super food on this run was bananas. I then make my way to water bucket because I am hot. Dasie has my pack and is refilling it. I get cooled down and Dasie makes me a ice scarf out of my bandana around my neck. I cooled down and ready for the final part. I look at Rachel and say "I love you, and ohh yeah I heard our song." She just chuckled at me. The Beast and I are ready. Trailmomma flies in just as we are leaving. I knew she would be fine as here she was picking up her pacer.<br />
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The Beast and I took off, I hear as I am leaving "You own this Pigeon." I power hiked the hill passing some runners and then it is game on. Again we are moving and I am doing the math in my head and know it is possible to achieve if I believe. It is going to be close. The Beast continues to monitor my fueling and salt intake which is great because that is one thing I don't have to think about. All I need to think about is moving forward and catching that next runner. The next aid station is coming and The Beast tells me "You don't need anything, maybe a gel, something light that is all." We are in and out and our way. Only a few more miles. Keep moving, don't slow down. I keep passing runners and I make it a priority that once I pass a runner they can not pass me. It is a fun game to keep my mind occupied and to give me a edge, a reason to push a bit harder each time we pass a runner. Then I see it, the Damn Hill. 3 miles to go.<br />
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I am focused, we transition into a power hike and my power hike is strong as we are passing runners. It feels great to be this close to the finish and have life in my legs. Keep pushing, don't slow down. Ok we can run now and run we do. The mental talk in my head was fascinating. Run, run a bit more now power hike. I matched the The Beast power hike and had him pull me a bit. Last Gasp was near. So close keep moving. We hit last Gasp and I again cool down with the water bucket and then we push on. Running here and running there. Passing and hiking now running again. 1 more mile, "push it" I hear The Beast say and push it I do. One final hill and The Beast has me run all of it. He wont let me settle, oh the pain it hurts I am right there on the red line, the pain, but push on I do. We crest the hill and make the right turn the final little hill and then the grass. I hear the crowds, I hear my name so close keep going. Push it!!!!! I see the clock and I am so close I find another gear and cross in 10:15ish. I did it.<br />
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Rachel is waiting for me and as soon as I stop moving I immediately start to cramp. My hamstrings, my calves everything is screaming at me, but I don't care. I finished and I finished within my projected goal time. Who would have thought that would have happened with the way my first 24 miles went. I turned things around the last 26 miles. I didn't do it alone though. I had the aid and support of a amazing running partner, Trailmomma. The amazing support and sacrifice of my wife Rachel. The best crew and pacer in town with Dasie and Kuni The Beast. Thank you all for your support and drive and compassion throughout the day. Trailmomma thank you for your help all day, you turned my day around.<br />
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I completed the AR50 miler. I learned a lot during this journey. I learned even more about myself.<br />
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In the days since AR50, I have recovered well. I didn't get any blisters during this event which is amazing. I was a bit sore, but walking fine on Sunday which was a goal of mine. I took the week off from training one to recover and two because I developed a very bad cold on Tuesday that had me in bed for a few days. In the weeks to come I have a race on April 27, a trail marathon that I will be using as a training run. Then things start to really ramp up in my build toward TRT 100 in July.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Believe and you will Achieve</i></div>
Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-11415426016750810092014-03-13T05:39:00.001-07:002014-03-13T05:39:58.996-07:00Way Too Cool 50k Race Report 2014This past weekend weekend was my first race of 2014, or I should say training run as I knew going into this event I was not focused on a PR (personal record). I was focused on seeing where my fitness was and I didn't want to break myself, I wanted to a run a smart race a hard race, but also a race where the following the day I would be able to run.<br />
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Going into race day I was a bit nervous, as my last long run which was suppose to be 26 miles ended up only being 19 miles as I had fallen and was pretty bruised and bloody. That meant my longest run going into Cool was 22 miles. I had a few goals going into this run, my first goal was to run a 5:45 as I figured my fitness was around this time goal. Second goal was to get <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> a PR as we would be running most if not all of this race together.<br />
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Now let's fast forward to the race day. It was going to be a beautiful day. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and I lined up in the middle of wave 1. I was excited as you could feel the energy coming from the crowd. I was also nervous because I knew with the amount of runners in the race that there were sure to be some conga lines along the single track trail and I told myself to use it my advantage. The one thing I really didn't think about and probably should have was all the mud as it had rained the week prior and it would be pretty muddy out there.<br />
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The first 8 miles take us down the haul road before we reached the fire road and our first stream crossing at Knickerbocker creek. I knew from past experiences to go wide left as there is congestion with a lot of runners using the rocks so as not to get their feet wet. I went left and quickly passed runners. I hit the single track and sure enough the conga line had us stopped in our tracks. I was a bit upset as this section of trail was very runnable, but with all the runners I wasn't going anywhere fast. I settled down and just went with the flow. I knew that I didn't want to spend a lot of energy trying to pass as there was a lot of miles left so I relaxed and got comfortable and soon enough the congo line would run for a bit and then come to a screeching halt. Bust soon we hit the fire road which gave plenty of room for others to pass and or be passed. Eventually we arrived back at the Start/Finish and it was here that I exchanged my hand held for a fresh handheld as my wife Rachel was waiting for me. At the aid station I enjoyed 2 bananas and was on my way as the next aid station at Lower Quarry was only 3 miles away.<br />
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As <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and I started the descent my stomach started to knot up. I had to use the bathroom. I love this downhill section, I like to open it up and let the trail take me only I wasn't able to as my stomach was really bothering me. I managed to peel off and as I did I yelled to <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> that I would catch up, she kept going and I made a necessary pit stop in the bushes. After my much needed pit stop I felt so much better. I quickly hit the trail and let it open up. I was probably doing sub 8 on this section. I made it to the HWY 49 crossing and spot <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> at the port-o-potty. I shouted to her that she can catch me on the fire road as it isn't my favorite section. I hit the aid station and filled my hydration pack, grabbed some bananas and some granola bars and was back on the fire road where to my surprise <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> was right by my side. We set a nice and steady pace for ourselves and hiked the large hills and ran everything else.<br />
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Our next aid station was Maine Bar which was 5.6 miles away and at mile 16.7. I was fueling with prepetuem in my handheld and relying on the solid food as I really wanted to see how my body would react with solid food as I haven't been enjoying gels. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and I plugged away and soon enough the aid station appeared, only it was at mile 15 which now meant we had 6 miles to Auburn Lake Trails (ALT) instead of 5 miles. At this express station I again grabbed some granola bars as those were tasting really good.<br />
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I knew that this next section had some climbing and that I needed to stay focused. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and I had a nice rhythm going, and my legs during the climbs felt very strong and I could keep a nice strong cadence. We would run and hike run and hike. I was feeling pretty good but slowly I could feel my energy level slowly dropping. I didn't take a gel in and in hindsight I should have. I was trying to wait until the Aid Station. I hit the climb to third gate and plugged away at it, again keeping a nice strong cadence and pushing myself a bit on this climb. It was after this climb that I really wanted that aid station to appear. Only it didn't and I started to get a bit angry. I should have taken in a gel, or something as I knew I needed some fuel. I kept plugging away and eventually we arrived at the aid station.<br />
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At ALT aid station, I took in some food as well as refilled my handheld with perpetuem and took in some more food. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and I took off and walked a bit so that we could finish what we were eating. I knew that this next section was very runnable and I had been looking forward to to it all day. This section would just take you if you let it and you could really pick off some runners. Only that wasn't the case for me. I tried to increase my pace, but it wouldn't happen. I would like to think I managed a nice steady clip. I just kept plugging away. We were nearing goat hill and that was all that I was focused on. Get to goat hill and from there only 5 more miles. But I was really low on energy and I knew I needed to do something about it. At the initial climb to goat hill I took in a gel. Then I took in another gel. And my energy came back to me.<br />
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<a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and I hit goat hill and I was feeling really good. My legs felt strong and I just put my head down and power hiked up the hill. We climbed goat hill in 9 minutes with the conga line. At the top of goat hill I was pumped. I quickly filled up my hand held with what <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> calls "crack"...which is actually coke and looked at her and we took off. I was on top of the world. I hit the descent and shouted to her that this was very runnable. We took off.<br />
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We were now on our way to HWY 49 crossing. We were slowly passing runners and picking off runners who had passed us on the section to goat hill. At one point though I started to dry heave, it didn't slow me down I kept right on running. I was probably a bit dehydrated when that happened. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> was really funny and wanted nothing to do with it. (Note to self for when she paces me at TRT.)<br />
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I saw the grandpa tree sign and knew we had 4 miles to the finish. I also looked at my watch and knew that a 5:45 was out of the question but that Trailmomma could still PR. So I did what any good friend would do, I pushed the pace. I encouraged us to run a bit more of the hills and to power hike quicker. I'm not sure if <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> was cursing at me, but if she was she didn't tell me.<br />
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We hit the 49 crossing and I filled my hand held with more coke and took off. I had us running the hill longer then I normally would have. I was focused on <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma's</a> PR. Then I transitioned us to a power hike and kept shouting encouragement to <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a>. I think other runners thought it was obnoxious, but who cares. I was energizing myself and had my eye on the goal. My legs were feeling great and really strong on the hikes. We had 1 mile to go and I pushed the pace even more, telling <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> to run up and over this hill and you look good, nice and strong. Now only .5 to go. We hit the home stretch and I told <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> "Let's open up." <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> did. I knew we had more to give so I said "Push a bit more, pass those 2 girls." and she did, then <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> said "This is good enough", but when I heard that I said "Push some more." and she did. One final hill, and I told her "Up and over, keep going, push it." And we did. Then <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> turned on her fuel jets and sprinted. Luckily I saw the acceleration and matched her foot step for foot step. I pumped the crowed up and the crowd yelled louder.<br />
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We crossed the finish together and I threw my arms in the air. We crossed in 6:14:09. A new PR for <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a>. I was proud of her, proud of how she pushed. I was pretty happy with my time, considering that my last long run was 19 miles. I ran within my ability. I pushed myself on the climbs and I pushed myself those last 5 miles to see what was left in the tank. Honestly when I finished I felt really good physically. This wasn't my target race, and I kept my eye on the ultimate goal TRT100.<br />
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As for how I thought my fueling was, I could have used a few more calories. Obviously that was a given. I did enjoy not having as many gels, but I needed a bit more solid food. That I can work on. I never got sick of the solid food. I took in a lot of salt, about 2 an hour as it was warm. I should have had more water as I was a bit dehydrated at the end. The perpetuem I got sick of. I think it was having the same flavor and consistency. Overall I learned a lot and that was what I was looking for. I ran a smart race. I ran within my fitness which was great and I was able to run a solid recovery run on Sunday.<br />
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Now to focus on AR50 as again this will be a training run for me.<br />
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Thank you to the volunteers who were out there all day and to my wife who has supported me from the beginning. You believe in me which makes me believe in myself. Thank you to <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> for all the training runs and for being my running partner. We have laughed, we have cried, but most off all we have fun each time we hit the trail.<br />
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<i>Believe and You will Achieve</i></div>
Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-86240347760764253812014-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:002014-02-02T06:00:03.519-08:002 Loops of Fun Yesterday on my running schedule was 22 miles. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma </a>and I decided that a few loops would be best for our long run. One of the cool things about doing loops is the aid station at the car, which also means we didn't have to carry as much water and fuel, only enough for each loop. I enjoy doing loops every now and than as it makes my long runs not seem so overwhelming.<br />
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<a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma </a>and I met up and carpooled to the base of stagecoach as this would be our starting point and mini aid station. I was excited about today's run because I was going to be showing <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> some new trails that I had been running on since last summer.<br />
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We had and early start of 7am which meant it was cold out so cold that when we started we pretty much were sprinting and didn't realize it for bit until we both sort of looked at each other and said it seems we are running rather fast. We ended slowing down knowing we had plenty of miles left. Our first loop I was taking us on was the Clementine loop. This loop has some climbing which was going to be our theme for the day. Lot's of climbing. It is a pretty tame loop, nothing to technical but it does have a nice steady climb at the beginning which we would run and then power hike run some more and power hike some more. I was focused on my power hike and noticed that my legs were responding really well and felt strong. Must be the previous weeks worth of hill repeats.<br />
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We hit the green gate and I told her now we are going down, as I wanted to show her the boat launching area and the Clementine lake. Once at the lake I took a quick restroom stop, and <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> took some photos and then we were off to start our second climb of the day. Again we tackled it like before, run some power hike some. This climb has a nice gentle grade and is very runnable. I even took the time to point out where we had been. I always enjoy doing that, just to get a different look on things. Instead of looking at how far I have to go, I look at it like wow, look how far we/I have come (or climbed) or whatever the case the may be. I seem to do it every run, I will stop at a random spot and point out over the horizon where we just came from and it blows my mind some time.<br />
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At the top of the climb we hit the descent we took the short cut trail this time as there are many options available. The descent was nice and smooth and my legs were feeling great. I was fueling with a handheld of perpetuem and I had a packed some gels and salt and my hydration pack of water. The single track trail brought us into the sun light and warmed us up. The sun felt really nice. We arrived back at the car in no time and quickly grabbed a snack, filled our bottles, used the restroom, and took off our long sleeves and we were off for loop #2.<br />
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This time we were going up stagecoach, which is also very runnable. Again, I found my legs were responding really well with the climbing. There was only one mishap when a mountain biker came flying around the corner, I was on the left side of the trail and <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">trailmomma</a> was on the right. I looked up and just about froze, well I did freez but quickly regained my composer and ran over to the right side of the trail just in time as the mountain biker flew past us. <a href="http://trailmomma.com/">Trailmomma</a> and I both laughed about this for a bit. In fact most of the day we were laughing and in really good spirits.<br />
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We hit the top of stage coach and made our way through town and over to the overlook where we would hit the single track trail and on over to No Hands Bridge. The descent felt great, again my legs were feeling strong, I was fueling properly and most importunely I was having a great time on the trail.<br />
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We arrived at No Hands in no time and from there we decided to climb K2. Which is a pretty steep climb. We started climbing and my legs felt strong. I quickened my pace and kept things lively. I joked about each false summit as we arrived, I even started singing and once on top just let out a taadaaaa. I was feeling great.<br />
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We took the Western States Trail back down to No Hands Bridge crossed the bridge and ran the trail along the road to the base of stage coach. 21 miles never felt so good. I am liking where my fitness is. My legs are getting stronger each week and my mind is getting focused as well. I have my eyes on the big picture called Redemption and I can't wait to get there in July Tahoe Rim Trail 100.<br />
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It was a great day on the trail for us both and I can't wait to do it again.<br />
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Fueling:<br />
-Fruit and Spinach and Flax Seed Smoothie when I woke up (I wake up really early due to work 2:30am)<br />
-Oatmeal and blueberries for breakfast about 1.5 hours before the start<br />
-Banana at the start<br />
-2 bottles of pertuem, one on the first loop and one on the second loop<br />
-1 Mojo bar at the aid station<br />
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I found it interesting that I didn't take in any gels or salt, I felt a steady flow of energy during my entire run.Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-8352566046977201872014-01-19T04:37:00.002-08:002014-01-19T04:37:45.911-08:00Missouri TripThe past week and half has been very busy in the Pigeon household. My wife and I had to fly out to Missouri last minute on New Years Eve. I have never been to Missouri, but I knew and was told many times that it was going to be cold, very cold. It was pretty stressful getting ready for the trip, luckily our friend was able to dog/house sit for us as we do not ever want to board our boys in a kennel. My wife found the airline tickets, rental car, and hotel and booked them 2 days prior to our departure.<br />
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Our flight out of Sacramento was delayed about 20 minutes, we were flying into Salt Lake City and had a connecting flight that originally would give us a 40 minute layover. We arrived at Salt Lake City and grabbed our things and took off running to our connecting flight. We ran so fast, it was like a impromptu speed work at the track. We ran to our gate with minutes to spare. I think we were close to the last passengers on the flight. But we made it as I didn't want to be stuck in the airport all night.<br />
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We arrived in Missouri later that evening and before leaving the baggage claim to get our rental car my wife had me bundle up, jacket and gloves and she made me put my hood on. It was cold, but this wouldn't be the coldest day, in fact it might have been the warmest day. While in Missouri we spent a lot of time with her family. I met a lot of family I have never met before. One day we drove over to her parents house which was about 3 hours away from our hotel. We spent most of the day/evening there and left just before dark. There was a snow storm coming in, which if you lived in Missouri you would call it "A light dusting." The interstate was down to 1 lane and we were driving 30 miles an hour at one point. I was scared that we were going to slid off the road, get sandwiched between the other cars. We eventually arrived home but it took about 4 hours of stressful and painfully slow driving to get home.<br />
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As the week drew near we started watching this massive storm come our way, hit Missouri and then continue onto the East Coast. This storm canceled thousands of flights and delayed thousands of flights as well. We knew that there was a possibility of our flight leaving Kansas City could get delayed (Which it did) and also the possibility of our connecting flight in Denver being delayed or cancelled overall.<br />
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We left Kansas City late which meant that we were going to have to hussle to our connecting flight in Denver. Once on the plane we were waiting for our pilots arrive as they were coming from the East Coast and once again we were delayed roughly 20 minutes. We left and settled in for the flight. We arrived in Denver with no time to spare. We had 5 minutes to get to our connecting flight which was all the way at the other end, and the bad news was we were last passengers off the plane. We took off running, using the moving sidewalks so we could cover more ground faster. Rachel told me to run ahead so I did. I ran my little heart out. I neared the gate at the end of the terminal and looked out the window and I could see our plane. Only it was slowly ever so slowly backing away. The gate agent apologized saying they couldn't hold the plan as they needed to get the planes back on schedule. I had arrived exactly at 7:55pm right when our plane was due to depart. Really, you couldn't hold the plan. There were at leases 8 passengers on our flight and numerous other passengers that were heading to Sacramento. Agh, frustration sets in.<br />
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Now we have to walk all the way back to customer service to try and get on a different flight. The line at the customer service counter was long. It took us 4 hours to get to the ticket counter. And guess what? There were no flights leaving Denver that evening. We were stuck in Denver. Also, the hotels were booked so we were sleeping in the air port.<br />
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We were really tired by now. While waiting in line at customer service I made some calls to make sure our boys (dogs) were taken care of, as our dog sitter was leaving town the next day for New York. Luckily my brother in law was helping us out. Rachel and I found a corner near the terminal where our flight we were flying stand by on would leave and tried to get some sleep. I was unable to get comfortable and I think I managed 2 hours of sleep sitting in the chair, while Rachel was out like a light as soon as her head hit the suitcase.<br />
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In the morning we checked in as stand by passengers on the early flight and luck was on our side. We were able to get on the flight. We finally arrived in Sacramento after a long 2 days of traveling.<br />
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It felt good to be home again and our boys were super excited to see us. I am glad that I was able to make the trip with my wife.<a href="http://www.meierhoffer.com/22683/obituaries/janet-o-rosenbaum/"> I learned a lot about her grandmother</a>. Even though she is no longer with us and I never had the opportunity to meet her, I know that she will always be looking over us and is apart of us to this day. If you were to describe Rachel's grandma in one word....that word would be <i>perseverance</i>. When I heard that I smiled as I have a tattoo on my left arm that says perseverance. She will always be with us, and right now she is with my mom looking out for us and smiling.Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-17079819684968092512013-11-08T08:04:00.000-08:002013-11-08T08:04:14.295-08:00Our Wedding Day<br />
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Let me go back to September 21, 2013. It was a crisp cool morning with not a cloud in sight......who am I kidding. It was a crisp cool morning with plenty of clouds in sight. The back yard was set. The high bar tables were around the pool, we had moved the work bench from the garage to the pool deck to be the bar for the evening. The chairs were set up for the ceremony, the tables were in place under the gazebo for the buffet. We were ready, we were both filled with anxiety as the weather was not cooperating. We were looking at intermittent rain showers through out the day, but secretly deep down in our hearts we were hoping the showers would blow through and not interfere with our wedding day. When was the last time it is has rained in September in California????? My biggest concern when we choose this date was the heat, hence a evening ceremony so the big Oak tree would provide shade for our guests.<br />
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This was our wedding day. I was going to marry the love of my life rain or shine. It was about 1:00 pm and Rachel my fiance at the time was outside placing the table clothes on the high bars and the buffet tables. I looked outside and the weather had moved in and then it happened, it started to rain; slowly at first with just a drizzle. I looked at Rachel and I could tell she was holding back the tears, the frustration was overwhelming. I went to her and just hugged her saying "It's going to be Ok, the rain should pass in time for the ceremony. All that matters right now is us and that we are together."<br />
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We stood there holding each other trying desperately to keep the tears back, standing there in the rain feeling defeated. All I was thinking about was what were we going to do. I knew I couldn't shut down and that we needed to come up with a plan in case it did rain. We both went inside knowing that we each needed a little space, some time to decompress. I turned the television on and watched something on DVR, what, I don't remember and Rachel played a calming game of tetris. About an hour later I looked over at Rachel and said "We need to come up with an option 2. We are running out of time, the caterers will be here around 4 and the photographer will be here around 3." Rachel knew it, but I think she didn't want to accept the fact that we might be having our ceremony in our house, nor did I for that matter. I had a few ideas and I looked deep into her eyes and said "Rachel, let's walk." Yes, I was using work terms.<br />
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With those few words we stood up walked into the living room and frantically started rearranging the furniture. It was still pouring outside and everything was soaked. We moved the dinning room furniture into the spare bedroom as this area was now going to be the buffet room. We removed everything from the kitchen counter and this space was now the bar. We than removed all the furniture from the living room and placed it in the family room as the living room was now going to hold the high bar tables and potentially be where we would have our ceremony if it came down to that. We moved so quickly, it was amazing how fast we moved the furniture. We brought the high bar tables inside, the buffet tables and quickly put the table clothes in the dryer. I immediately jumped in the shower as the photographer was due to arrive at any moment. I walked out to the living room and it looked amazing. We had completely transformed our house. The flowers were out, the candles were in place, it literally took my breath away.<br />
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Our photographer arrived a little before 3 pm. At this point the tears and disappoint are about to be shed, it was still raining. She immediately went to work and started getting the photos before we had to finalize getting ready and the family pictures.<br />
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At this point my friend Trailmomma arrived. I had asked her to come a bit early to help keep me calm and together and to do any last minute things we/I needed. She already had her hands full as I had called her twice already. I needed a vase for my mom's bouquet. She brought two vases with her. She also ran to Target and gathered all the black umbrellas we had. We would potentially need these umbrellas. What a life saver Pam was as well as Rachel's two friends who were staying with us.<br />
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Rachel and I finished getting ready and it was time for pictures with our dogs, as they are family. We had them dressed up with their bow ties. We were able to get pictures out side with Rachel and myself and the dogs, but it was a challenge.<br />
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The black umbrellas came in handy as it was drizzling a bit on and off again. After that we drove over to the park near our house and it was time for family pictures. Luckily the rain had stopped. Just as we finished up the family pictures and arrived back home it started to rain again. And when I say rain the skies opened up. We still had hope though that we would be able to have our ceremony outside. Our guests were arriving and were enjoying themselves. I could hear the laughter and see the delight and happiness on their faces. The rain let up and then the most amazing thing happened. Rays of sunlight started to appear as the clouds parted. It was at this point I knew that all was going to work out. We had weathered the storm and it only made our relationship stronger.<br />
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Everything was going to be perfect. The rain had stopped. The ceremony was just about to began. I was nervous I wont lie. I was more anxious and excited because I never thought that this day would come.<br />
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That I would never meet someone who made me as happy as I am today, who loved me as much Rachel loves me. Someone who loved me for me; even if I am a nerd and a bit random at times. Rachel, brings out so much happiness in me. She is my light. When I see her my face lights up. We were about to began our lives together, to travel down a road that I thought I would be traveling alone. She understands me and accepts me for me and never questions that. I love her so much and all I want to do is spend the rest of my life with her.<br />
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The ceremony was special to us. The officiant was a friend of a friend and he did an outstanding job. During the ceremony he made a last minute change that just about melted my heart. You see, my mom passed away when I was 14 from endometrial cancer. Even though she wasn't physically there I know spiritually she was there that day. She made her presence known through the words. Rachel as her gift to me is refurbishing my mom's guitar. Our officiant didn't know anything about this. When we came to this part of the ceremony I about cried.......<br />
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I surprised Rachel with cufflinks! Her reaction was price less.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><i>"Love
one another, but make not a bond of love. Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other’s cup, but drink not from the same cup. Sing and dance together and be joyous,<br />but let each one of you be alone. Even as the strings of the </i><s><i>lute</i></s><i> guitar are alone, though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping for only the hand of life can contain your hearts and stand together, Yet not to near together for the pillars of the temple stand apart.<br />
And the oak and the cypress Grow not in each other’s shadow"</i></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><i></i></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">I looked at Rachel and Rachel looked at me with a twinkle in her eye. How did he know? We asked him afterwards about using the word guitar and he said it just came to him during the ceremony. </span></div>
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Trailmomma signing the paper work!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">That day I will never forget. I married the love of my life, in front of my family and close friends. The weather challenged us that day, but we came out on top. We made our relationship that much stronger. Now matter what is thrown in our path, together we can do anything. </span></span></div>
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Michael our officiant signing the paper work!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">We enjoyed the rest of the evening laughing and talking. There is a long standing belief that it is good luck for a couple to marry on a rainy day. A knot that becomes wet is strong and hard to untie and some in the Hin-du tradition believe the same about a wedding in the rain. We tied the knot on a rainy day and our knot will never become untied for it is as strong as ever. </span></span></div>
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A special thank you to our photographer Gabriella Clavel, all photos you see were by her.</div>
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GSMCLAVEL@YAHOOCOM</div>
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A special thank you to Anthony Brantley for the music</div>
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Thank you Michael Hill our officiant</div>
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To our Family and Friends for joining us on this special day and for celebrating our love and commitment to each other. </div>
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To Trailmomma, Kortnie and Emily...Thank you so much for all that you did that day.</div>
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<br />Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-21928364730701769312013-10-21T03:10:00.001-07:002013-10-21T03:10:18.212-07:0021 Miles For The Week!!!!!This past week I would say was pretty successful. I managed to log 21 miles in running which is a huge jump from the previous 10 miles the week prior. Overall I am excited that I am able to run again and even more excited that Trailmomma and I are meeting up on Sunday's for our "long run."<br />
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Yesterday I went to work about 3:45am and worked until 11:45ish. Once I arrived home I immediately changed into my running clothes grabbed some water and then headed off to Trailmomma's house. Trailmomma was all ready to go and she even had a surprise for me. A new route that she wanted to try. I was looking forward to trying a new route. This new route would take us to Brown's Ravine and a small loop over by the lake and then we would tackle the hills on the last mile back to her place.<br />
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The run was pretty great, it felt like we were in the middle of the woods when in fact we weren't. It was also warm out there about 84. I of course didn't bring any water for the run which was a mistake on part, but Trailmomma being a great friend let me have some of hers. The route took us on the road and even some dirt trails. It felt great to be back on the dirt again. We even got a little silly and took our classic JC Penny pose while out there.<a href="http://trailmomma.com/"> You will have to check out her site for the pictures though. </a><br />
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All in all, it is tough getting back in shape, but what makes it easier is having a training buddy who can keep you motivated and focused. I am sure that if I hadn't made arrangements to meet Trailmomma yesterday, then I probably would not have run as far as we did. 7 miles is a big thing. I do know that soon I will start incorporating some hill work to rebuild my leg power and next week we have plans for hopefully a 10 mile run and yes, I will bring water next time. Thanks Trailmomma for the run and thanks to my wife for all the support.Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-74678265082839436632013-10-18T02:58:00.000-07:002013-10-18T02:58:25.367-07:00Running AgainAfter being not able to run for the past 2 months due to a hip flexor injury and also my wedding, I am pleased and excited to say that I am back to running once again. Oh how I have missed it. I can actually feel that my body missed it.<br />
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It has been a challenging 2 weeks of a lot of emotional lows in trying to get my brain and body to remember how to run. My first run was 4 miles, I knew I didn't want to push my body and that I needed to rebuild the milage. 4 miles was a long ways. I had plenty of walk breaks which was disheartening and I had no power. I knew that this was due to not running.<br />
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At the time of my injury it was actually pretty difficult to walk. To bring my leg forward brought pain and I walked with a limp for a few weeks. In fact the joke around the house was, "You better not have that limp when we get married." Oh the pressure was on. Actually not really.<br />
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After the pathetic 4 miler I was mentally in a funk. But, I kept at and my next 4 miler was just as bad as the first. It was like my body forgot how to run. Which I am sure it did, but I knew that eventually on one of my runs everything will click.<br />
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This past weekend, I emailed my friend Trailmomma and we made plans to run together. During that run everything felt better. I was actually running. We made plans to continue to run on the weekends in fact we are getting together this Sunday and will actually try some dirt fire roads.<br />
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It feels great to be running again. I have missed it. Now I just need to focus on building my strength and leg turn over. I know my fitness will come back, I am sure that this 2 month break was needed. I am looking forward to racing again but most of all I am looking forward to spending some time with my running friends.Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-19613717286230706432013-10-03T08:43:00.001-07:002013-10-03T08:43:09.574-07:00Cascade Hike/ Rainbow Trail Hike<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We have been home now for almost a week. It is really hard to go back to work because all I really want to do is be home with my wife. We had a blast in South Lake Tahoe. We did a bit of hiking, some horseback riding, some relaxing but most of all we were with each other. Our last day we were there we did the Cascade Lake Trail hike. It is moderate 1 mile stair case hike to a overlook that overlooks Cascade lake. Which is a private lake for the residence. It also gives us spectacular views of Lake Tahoe in the back ground. We took our time on the way out and really enjoyed the views. </div>
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This is right before the hike</div>
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Here I am on the left jumping for joy and on the right Rachel is at peace with the view and sun. </div>
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Rachel really wanted to do some rock climbing. </div>
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Cascade Lake with Lake Tahoe in the background. </div>
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Here I am practicing my JC Penny pose. </div>
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Pretty neat tree</div>
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The view without the lake. Any view in Tahoe is beautiful. </div>
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We also went to Taylor Creek visitors center and walked the Rainbow Trail. During early/late October the Salmon are running as it will be spawning season for them. If you are lucky you might get a glimpse of a bear enjoying some fish. </div>
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Unfortunately the Salmon weren't running, but soon. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tcTR3xF0EsM/Uk2NV7hCBqI/AAAAAAAAClE/lpnapyQ_3MY/s1600/DSCN2976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tcTR3xF0EsM/Uk2NV7hCBqI/AAAAAAAAClE/lpnapyQ_3MY/s400/DSCN2976.JPG" width="400" /></a>We did though see a family of bears. A momma bear and her two cubs. In the middle of the picture you can see the last cub. That was pretty cool. I wonder if that was the same bear I saw last year? We had a great time and I can't wait to go back again.Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-20584760823352189972013-09-27T16:55:00.000-07:002013-10-03T08:43:34.541-07:00Another Amazing Day in Tahoe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Yesterday, we took it nice and easy and enjoyed some down time. We went horse back riding at the Camp Richardson Corral, located on highway 89 past Camp Richardson. Overall our experience was great. We were the only ones during the time we selected. Which meant it was just us and the trail guide. Our horses did really well and we were able to cover more ground than most parties do in the hour time slot. </div>
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Rachel, really in her element.</div>
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The corral also offers boarding and during the winter time it offers authentic sleigh rides. There was a age restriction, at least 6 years old. But they did offer "pony" rides for the little ones if they weren't old enough to ride on the trail. </div>
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Here I am petting the horse before riding, and yes I am very scared. </div>
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Here are our horses; Cigar and I can't remember the other's name. Cigar had a very calm personality. In fact the trail guide told us he doesn't want to get to left behind so he will gallop to catch up. He is also very thoughtful before any obstacle he goes over; as in he thinks about each foot placement. Kind of like me. Rachel's horse on the other hand, took the quickest route and didn't care if it fell behind. All in all each horse was a good pick for each of it's riders. </div>
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Then we did some site seeing, tourist style. I took Rachel up to inspiration point and we looked down upon Emerald Bay and just enjoyed the moment and being with each other. </div>
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So far, this is the perfect vacation for us. We have enjoyed some great hikes, some horse back riding and also some amazing views, but most of all we have enjoyed spending time with each other and taking it all in. </div>
<br />Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-28889264716759820542013-09-26T08:32:00.000-07:002013-10-03T08:43:48.441-07:00Fun in Tahoe <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been a crazy week in the Pigeon household, but we are also taking some time for ourselves and relaxing in beautiful South Lake Tahoe on our Honeymoon (Wedding post to come when I have pictures!)<br />
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Yesterday we enjoyed a very nice day hike. We headed to Fallen Leaf Lake and did the Glen Alpine Trail Hike. This hike took us to a beautiful water fall and also to Soda Springs and Grassy Lake.<br />
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The weather was coming in, so we made sure to bring some warm clothes and I am glad we did as the first part of our hike brought in some snow flakes. As we climbed the weather cleared up and became sunny with wind gust. We ended up turning around about 1 mile after Grassy Lake due to some pretty gnarly looking clouds and I knew I didn't want to get caught in that weather system.<br />
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The Glen Alpine Trail is located at the end of Fallen Leaf Road and the trail can take you to Mt. Tallac, which offers incredible views of Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe. You can hike to Gilmore lake, Half Moon lake, Susie and Heather Lake, as well as Lake Aloha. The views are breath taking and the great thing about coming to South Lake Tahoe at the end of September is the trails are pretty much empty, plenty of parking as this is the down time as in non peak season.<br />
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On the Pier enjoying the view</div>
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Pretty Cool Tree</div>
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Taking a moment to enjoy the view</div>
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Water Fall on the right, and that is me pushing the tree over</div>
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Ohh, wait....I shouldn't have pushed the tree over!</div>
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More to Come, stay tuned on what other adventures we will have. (Today Horseback Riding)</div>
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Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1839223048409155149.post-34613097954040938042013-09-15T04:05:00.001-07:002013-09-15T04:05:53.610-07:00UpdateThe past few months since TRT100 or should I say TRT 67.5 I have not done much runner to be honest. In fact I do believe and this is hard for me to say I have been injured. I somehow injured my hip flexor muscle and it was really difficult some days to even walk. Every-time I would take a step forward, I would have shooting pain and weakness in my quad. So with a heavy heart I had to stop running. I did try to run a few times, but that was cut short about .5 into a run when I ended up having to hobble home and pretty much rest the rest of the day. It has not been fun. But I would like to think that this injury is behind me and I might be able to start running again.<br />
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Since I haven't been able to run, I have increased my focus on strength training. It may not sound like much but with the injury I had I knew I needed to increase my strength so that I would be able to come back strong. I didn't start this strength training until the beginning of this month, September so that gave my body a chance to really recover. I have incorporated, some basic squats, push ups and leg lifts. On day 1 of this new training, I kept the repetitions small so I could slowly transition my body and hopefully avoid any set backs. It was pretty comical to see me do a full a push up at the beginning, because to be honest I have no upper body strength. Now, I like to think that there is progress as the push ups are being completed easier and I am able to increase the reps. I can also feel my legs and core and getting stronger. Now the real challenge is to keep this up going forward and not to lose my motivation.<br />
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The other thing I have changed is my diet. Now when I was running a lot of miles each week I basically could eat what ever. Now don't get me wrong, I still choose to eat healthy when I was running a lot. Since I wasn't running, I knew my weight could and would easily get out of control if I continued eating like I was running, and I did not want that to happen. I have increased my vegetables and fruit and lean protein and decreased carbs, like bread and potatoes but I do eat the good carbs occasionally.<br />
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It was real challenge at the beginning, because I was always hungry I never had that full feeling. I think I finally figured it out and to be honest I really don't miss those carbs. I do have a "cheat" day every now and than, but I believe that that is healthy because in my opinion one can not totally deprive one's body. I feel great, I feel energized and I enjoy going to the farmer's market each Sunday and Wednesday and eating the fresh organic fruits and vegetables has been great. I don't even think twice to make some rice or potatoes.<br />
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I am really hoping that this injury has healed so that I can get back into running. I will continue with my strength training and add some more exercises as I feel my body is ready for that. Sometimes it is good to slow down, change up the routines and just enjoy being.<br />
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<br />Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01865875254289443124noreply@blogger.com0