#72 - The Cuyamaca Flagging Run Ultra

 Hi Everyone!

On March 28 I decided to help my buddy flag a portion of the San Diego 100 course for a training run.  We had a great time actually on a fine but cool day in the mountains.  BJ, John, and I shared many great stories while running and hiking and flagging the course.  I went a total of 28+ miles which took around 9 hours in the Cuyamaca mountains.  There were plenty of knee deep streams we had to go through which added plenty of excitement to the run and kept us cool for sure!  BJ and I afterward went out to a local bar and had a few beers and burritos and shared many great stories as well.  I had a great time and was sure glad I went to San Diego to run in the mountains!

Thanks everyone for the continued support!

On 4/1/24 - Donated $100.00 to the Shiley Alzheimer's Research Center.

 

 

#71 Tortolita Reserve Ultra

 Hey all!  Yeah, I did another one while I was still in decent shape!  Using my car as an aid station in the Tortolita trailhead, I had everything I needed.  The course (mostly bike) course is set up as a 9.3 mile loop in the Tortolita mountains which are only a 30 minute drive from my house.  So, I did 3 laps and then some to come in at 29 miles - right around 3:30 in the afternoon.

It was a beaut of a day, starting out pretty cold, but by the 2nd lap I had shed all of my extra layers.  By the end, I was pretty tired and feeling the effects of the effort and of the previous ultra about 2 1/2 weeks ago.  I had some bowel issues and some stomach pains during the first half of the run- which I rarely do, but I dealt with it by slowing down, eating, walking, hiking, and jogging when needed.  Oh well.

Anyway, it was a good day and proud to put forth this effort.  Thank you all for the support!

Here are some pics!

$100.00 donated on 2/17/24 to the Shiley Marcos Alzheimer's Research Center

#70th Ultra - Oracle Rumble 50K

 Yes, I did indeed finish the Oracle Rumble on 1/27/24 in not a record time, but finished nevertheless!  A great nice sunny but cool weather was had by all!  Lori and Sunny met me with about 4 miles to go at Tiger Mine road which was greatly appreciated.  My time was about 50 minutes slower than the last time - which I believe was not only due to getting Covid again (3rd time) awhile ago, but I really haven't practiced that much on this harder section of the Arizona trail for awhile now  So, I felt a bit under trained, but managed a decent hiking pace nearer the end.  This is not an easy course even if your are in great shape.  The middle section is the toughest.  My best ultra running friend BJ ran too so it was great to talk to him a few times during the race, however most of the day was pretty quiet, and I listened to no music or podcasts!  My time was around 8:50 or so.  I was home by 5:30 and drinking a beer at 5:31!  A great day to finish this tough race!

Here's a few pictures.  Thank you for all of you supporting me!  #70 is done!

 

$100.00 Donated to the Shiley Marcos Alzheimer's Disease Research Center 1/30/24

#69 Ultra

 Hey everyone!

Well, I did another one in just a couple weeks after the last one.  While I was still up in Prescott, I decided to do my favorite route on the Prescott Circle trail on October 3rd.  It's a 31 mile route that begins near Granite Mountain and I end up right at my house!  It was an absolute beauty of a day all day too!  Nice and cool!  Stashing a gallon water container half way through at Aspen Creek trailhead, I had done 16 miles and still had some serious climbing to do, and some awful rocky downhill for 4 miles or so.  It wasn't that easy and  I started to get pretty tired after 20 miles or so.  My time slackened quite a bit after that.  I fell one time and landed in a bush, but was ok with just some minor scrapes on my hand.  My overall time turned out to be just around 9 hours after starting around 7 am.  I was soaking in the tub with a beer at 4:15! 

At the top of the high point of my course I finally spotted out Mt. Union which is the highest point in the Bradshaw mountains.  I also could see a controlled burn near there as well.  And, bizarrly, I ran into a couple going up to Goldwater Lake and they were totally lost, had no water, no map, no nothing, and they were worried! I informed them they were very close to a campground down the hill and could get water there!  I rarely run into people who are that lost and worried!  Scary!

Well, here is some pictures of the day.  And, thank you for the support!

10/5/23  - $100.00 Donated to the Shiley Alheimer's Research Center

Flagstaff to Grand 55K

Hello all!

My 6th running of the Flagstaff to Grand 55K is now in the books!  #68 Ultra Marathon!  Wow, what a beautiful day too - all day!  When we got to our hotel though, it was raining really hard and all through the night - and cold too!  Lori and I met some good friends from last years race and had dinner with them the night before.  They finished way before me so we didn't see them after the race.  The run for me went great.  I now confirm that I have a run, shuffle, walk, jog, and hike technique all in one.  With this technique I manage to get a solid 15 minute per mile pace which is just fine by me!  My overall time was just around 8 1/2 hours.  Overall mileage was almost 34 miles.

After a shower and a beer, Lori, Sunny, and I went to a favorite restraunt and had a fantastic meal.  I was in bed by 8 and probably sleeping by 8:30.  I didn't get far reading my book that night!  Overall, a fantastic day.  This was our 35th Anniversary too, so it's extra special!

Thanks for all everyones support!  Here are some pictures!

9/19/23  -  $100.00 donated to the Shiley Marcos Center for Alzheimer's

#67 Black Canyon Trail 60K Ultra

Two days ago I completed a grueling 37 mile ultra race called the Black Canyon 60k.  Ok, I admit, I didn't necessarily train for all the downhill in this race so I was hurting for certain at the end.  My quads were spent by about 26 miles with 11 miles to go.  I managed to do a 19:00 per mile pace for those last 11 miles.  Not my best, but I'm really glad to finish with a smile on my face.  My time was 10:35 - quite a long day to be on the trail.  The weather was actually really nice to run in.  Very cool at the start in Mayer, AZ. and gradually warmed up to the mid 60"s during the run with a cool breeze going down into Black Canyon City - just right outside Phoenix, AZ.

The Black Canyon trail is actually quite rough in many places - totally built for horses and mountain bikers who love lots of rocks.  This wasn't my favorite kind of trail to run on for 37 miles.  At the end, my feet were sore - and I wear really cushioned running shoes too!  There were a total of 3 stream crossings - one of which went up to my knees.  Running back up the trail out of these canyons turned out to be quite a feat as well!  Tough stuff!  It was however, very beautiful in many places and as you made it down into the valley, more saguaro cactus appeared.  I managed to take a few pictures in the midst of being passed my many many faster runners that needed to get by me on some very steep grades!  The attitude of some of these faster runners needing to get by you in order to get their "PR", I was not happy with.  I gradually forgot about it and managed to strike up a few conversations with a few other runners that were running my pace.  That was nice.

When I finished I struck up a conversation with a guy who has done around 250 Ultras and he's only 52 years old!  Unreal!  I headed for my car in the parking lot and proceeded to take off sweaty clothes.  I needed to drive back home which should've been just a 2 hour drive but turned into a 4 hour drive because all 2 road closures!  I was so tired and also forgot to pick up my drop bag at the end!  So I had to drive back to the races offices a couple days later.  

Here are a few shots of the trail.  Thanks for everyones support!

2/21/23 Donated $100.00 to the Shiley Alzheimer's Research Center

#66 Ultra - The Oracle 50K (Not) Turned 30 Mile AZT Trail Run

 Hi everyone

Well,  my adventure getting to my second Oracle 50K race did not happen.  However,  I took a different route on my own to cover another ultra marathon.  The race start directions from the race website did not help at all because the road  about halfway there turned out to be flooded and closed.  There were no indications that this was the case, and no messages were sent to runners either.  Lori and I were out in the middle of nowhere with nowhere else to go, but to go back.  There were only 2 roads to use to get to the race start on Freeman Road and we, as it turns out, were on the wrong one this year.   I thought it was very strange that we were the only ones that didn't know this!

Knowing that we had to go back and I was going to miss and not get to the start on time, I decided to do my own ultra using some the same ultra marathon route on the AZT trail.   We made it back to the Tiger Mine road near the end of the race and I started my own run there.  I did a couple 7 1/2 mile "out and backs" and I covered 30 miles.  I finished near the end where the race ended in Oracle State Park, and met Lori and Sunny there - which was awesome to see!  Lori took a picture and I headed to the car to get a beer!  I was pretty bummed and disappointed the whole day during my lonely 8 1/2 hour run, but I managed to pull off another one.  Sometimes you just have to dig deep even if you're disappointed and bummed.

Thanks everyone again for the support!  Take care!

$100.00 donated to the Shiley Marcos Disease Research Center  on 1/29/23 

 

 

My Golden Ultra, "65 Ultras for 65 years of age"

 Yesterday I finished my 65th Ultra in the Colossal Vail 55K race.  I just so happened also to be 65 years of age too!  Pretty cool.  I signed up for this race at the last minute and figured it will be a good "ultra" training run for my upcoming Oracle Rumble 55k I'm doing next month.  The weather was just perfect for running too!

I finished this race in a little over 9 hours which for me, was harder this time because I wasn't as prepared as I usually am before a race, and the race was particulary rocky in quite a few places.  This led to my feet getting super tired of hitting rocks.  I managed to fall on the trail a few times, and even in a small creek bed trying to jump over!  Oh well, I chalk it up to being overly tired - no biggie.  I also had to pick out a few cactus needles embedded into my elbow, but again, no biggie.

The course was mainly an out and back type - entirely run on the Arizona Trail just down south of Tucson.  The course got a little long for me especially because we couldn't use any sort of headphones or ear buds.  I did manage to get in behind a great group of runners going my speed who were talking the whole time, so that got my mind off what I doing.

Overall, a great day was had.  Lori and Sunny met me 4 miles from the end at an aid station and at the very end too!  That was so well appreciated!  Thank you Lori!!!  A barbecued pork sandwich and some pizza  and beers ended the night at home and I was asleep soon thereafter! 

 Thank you all of course for your support!

 $100.00 Donated to the Shiley Marcos Alzheimer's Disease Research Center 12/11/22

Here are some pictures!

Stagecoach 55K (#64 Ultra) now done!

Hey all!  Wow, what a great day in Flagstaff to run the Flagstaff to Grand 55K Ultra for the 4th time in a row!  On Saturday, September 17, I finished 34 miles on primarily the Arizona Trail in 8 hours and 22 minutes.  A perfect day to run!  I'm very blessed to be able to do these crazy runs!  I'm just so glad I'm doing it for the right cause!

 A spectacular day all around with Lori and Sunny greeting me at the 21 mile aid station and at the end!  I talked with quite a few people in the first half of the run - had a brief calf seizure around 10 miles but managed to work through it.  I brought my old iPod with me and from 21 miles to almost around the end, I listened to some great music I hadn't heard for a LONG while!  That was just super!

This year brought no rain so the last 5 miles this year was a lot easier than last year!  I was so thankful for that!  I felt pretty good the last 5 miles too and managed to pass at least 5-6 people!  It was actually one of my best times in this race!

The beer afterward and a great 34th Anniversary meal Lori and I had that night was really special too.  Wow, what a day!  I slept like a baby!  Thanks everyone again for the support!

$100.00 Donated to the Shiley Marcos Alzheimer's Disease Research on 9/21/22

 

 

 

#63rd Ultra now completed!

 Hi folks!  I thought I'd squeeze in another ultra while the weather was still (kind of) (relatively) not too hot!  Anyway, while we were in Prescott for another week after being in CA. I felt good, so I did the same route I did a month ago on the circle trail and ended at our home!  I had a great first half of the run and had some real nice strong breezes in my face which cooled me off.  The day gradually got hot near 85 and that sun was wicked hot.  I hiked, walked, and jogged for the last 8 miles or so - all on familiar territory.

I had great tunes and podcasts to listen to the whole way which kept my mind active.  I actually got to meet Michael Versteeg on the trail about half way through my run of 30 miles.  Michael won last years 260 mile Cocodona trail race in Arizona, so it was great finally meeting him!  We talked for a bit and he seemed really cool and easy to talk with.  

Lori and Sunny met me again at the 15 mile mark and I had my sandwich and chips and changed out my water bottles with cold new ones.  What a relief that was.  I met another runner guy who was bombing up Wolverton mountain on the same trail I was on.  He not only ran another 1-2 miles up the mountain, turned around and ran down - then past me up around 3 miles later!  He was going really fast down the trail which to me way to dangerous to go that fast on this very rocky terrain.  Oh well!

The run took me about the same time as the last run I did on this course which was around 8 1/2 hours.  I got in the tub real soon and was soon refreshed with a couple of nice cold beers.  Starting at 6:30 am or so, I got in around 3 pm.  It was nice to be back at that time for sure.

Thanks again you all for the support!

Looking north towards Prescott

Towards Thumb Butte

Our house in down there somewhere 13 miles away

Back side of Thumb Butte about 10 miles in

Granite Mountain 5 miles in

$100.00 Donated to the Shirley Marcos Alzheimer's Research Center on 6/16/22