I made it!

I might be smiling on the outside in this picture, but I was crying on the inside. I was just happy that it was all over and I didn't have to run any more. My leg muscles felt like useless pieces of rubber that had been tied into impossibly complex knots, my feet felt like they had been beaten by a mallet wielded by a sadist, I was drained of energy. Yet my spirits where high and that is what got me through my first 'ultra'; Leon's Fat Ass Recover from the Holidays 50k. The race started at the grand old hour of 7 am via headlamp and I stumbled across the 'finish' at around 3; about 8 hours total. Not too bad for running 30 miles through the snow, if I do say so myself.... Of course I couldn't have done it without all the support and words of encouragement from my friends and family. Especially Jennifer, Bryan, Amie, Della and Kulgogi; who came out braving the elements to cheer me on. I would also like to thank Mother Nature for making a sweet course. Now that I am done and my body is one giant ache I will probably take some time off of running; or any physical activity for that matter. So what should my next race be, know any good ones?

T minus 5 days and counting

The day of my big run is getting closer. Next Saturday I will be running the Fat Ass Recover from the Holidays 50k and it will be a crazy race for sure. First the distance is crazy and second there isa ton of snow on the course. Today I ran about half of it plus another 5 miles home and it took me about six hours because of all the snow. For about 7 miles I battled through knee to waist deep snow. I believe I am ready for it though. I have been training hard for 4 months in all kinds of conditions. I've ran through heat, cold, mud, rain, finals, vacations and blizzards with white out conditions. Colds, massive amounts of homework and papers, vacations where I didn't run at all, and hangovers all got in the way of training; but I still pushed through the obstacles to get to where I am today. The run will certainly be a challenge and I will be beat after it is all said and done, but it will be a rewarding, satisfying victory for myself. I'd like to take a moment to thank the people who have supported me so much through out this. First off all my family and friends who have given me words of encouragement (even if it was only astonishment and saying I was crazy), my Dad for getting me interested in long distance running at a young age, Jennifer for putting up with my crap through out the training process and most of all my faithful running companion Kulgogi who always forced me to go running even when I didn't want too. So the race is next Saturday the 26th at 7am. The race starts where the pavement ends on Rocky Canyon Road, snakes throughout the Boise foothills and turns around at the Hard Guy Trailhead on Bogus Basin Road. It then snakes its way back to Rocky Canyon Road to the finish. If you can make it I would love the cheering and as always any words of encouragement. Let me know if you can make it and I'll let you know where to go.