ALIVE for A.L.S. @ The Arizona 6 Day Race (No Boundaries)

Rick Cheever ran 160 miles for A.L.S. at The Arizona 6 Day Race held in Douglas, AZ June 7th-13th, 2009! Check us out @ www.ALIVEforALS.com


You can also view this video in much better quality by clicking here...

The 2009 Arizona 6 Day Race! June 7-13

The Arizona 6 Day Race will take place in Douglas, AZ. June 7th-13th. Located in Southern Arizona directly on the border of Mexico. Douglas will be very hot in the daytime with temperatures soaring up and around 100 degrees at around 4,000 feet above sea level. The object of this race is to see who can run the furthest in 6 full 24 hour days. The athletes will run on a 3/4 mile track in a park in Douglas. The park is overloaded with spectators in the evening as the entire town gathers at the park to cheer on the little ones as they play baseball in a very electric environment. Watching baseball for a couple of hours at night, helps pass the time while running for 6 straight days. Rick participated in this "ultimate test of endurance" last year and placed 2nd overall with 276 miles ran in 6 days. This year Rick plans to run over 300 miles all while spreading the word on A.L.S. and raising funds for The A.L.S. Association's Arizona Chapter.
Please take the time to donate to my cause.
Click on the round "DONATE" button on the top right hand corner of this page to contribute today!

The Across The Years 72 Hour Race!

The 2008-2009 version of The Across The Years 72 hour race was quite great!
This race takes place Dec. 29th-Jan 1st. 2008-2009. You can either choose to run 1 day, 2 days, or 3 days. This would be my second year in a row running in the 3 day race and my fourth year attending the event. My first 2 years I ran the 1 day.
This year, I was very excited rather than nervous like I was last year.
I had just gotten off of The Appalachian trail with Ben and I was very excited and pumped up to be running in an actual race.
Every day out on The AT I would think about this race and I would imagine myself doing well, running way more than 200 miles.
I was extra excited to see all of my ultra running friends this year as this event is more like a family reunion/new years eve party, than an ultra. The same athletes participate year after year and every year, you seem to meet new friends.
I was so excited to see Martina, John, Jamil, Patti, Nick, Ray, Gary, Roger, Paul and Nathan as well as many other familiar faces.
I had an absolutely wonderful time out there over the 3 day period of time however, I did not have my best race ever.
My first day did not go as planned.
I planned to walk/run the entire first 24 hour period of time.
I ended up only making it the first 16 hours or so. Then I did what I should not have done. I slept for almost 8 entire hours. Sleeping this long during an ultra will definitely affect your overall finishing milage amount.
This race tests your endurance by seeing who can run the most miles in 72 hours. Even a slow person like me can win the race. It's not about speed, it is about endurance.
My second day went about the same as my first day. My goal at this point was to survive till New Year's and to simply have fun.
Well, after a lot of struggling, I made it to New Year's!
We counted down to New Year's in our party hats, noise makers, and glow sticks. We even toasted champagne and took a lap together. The entire race directing crew and volunteer staff would join us for our celebratory new year's lap.
This was awesome and is always a highlight of my running year. No better way to start the new year than by running with all of your closest ultra running buddies. I love this sport.
Now, only 9 more hours till this beast of a race was finished.
I still had a chance to make my secondary goal of 150 miles.
I took a short nap before entering the final stretch.
I pushed and pushed and pushed my way through the third night as the sun came up.
I love running through the sunrise, when that sun comes up it gives me that extra boost of energy that I need to keep going, such a refreshing experience I encourage everyone to try at least once.
Once the sun was up in the air, I knew that I only had about 2 hours to go till this race was over and in the books.
I started to become emotional. This was not my greatest performance by far, but I still worked very hard and went through a lot of pain.
I was proud of myself for nearly reaching 150 miles.
I ran my final 2 laps very fast as the emotions ran down my face.
I had done it again!
I had finished a 3 day race for the second year in a row.
This year would only be 148 miles but that was OK by me as I did have such a blast.
I received so many positive messages of encouragement throughout the entire race, through the race e-mail system as well as phone calls and voice messages. Thank you all for thinking of me over New Years! I love hearing from people during my long races.
This would be my 4th race of 100 miles and beyond in only one year. (My 5th race of 100 miles and beyond in 53 weeks)
Next year I will shoot for a higher milage amount.
I will not give up till I reach that 200 miles in 3 days goal.
It is such a hard task to pull off, but I feel it is possible and I will give it another try.
My first attempt was 188 miles.
This years attempt was 148 miles.
Who knows how next year will go.
I have unfinished business out @ Nardini Manor, in west phoenix, the place where Across The Years is held annually.
I can't wait to get back out there and to give that 200 miles another go.
The third time is the charm!
I now have 6 months off to have fun, run in some smaller races, and to train very hard for my new extreme challenge... The Arizona 6 day race, where I will attempt to run 300 miles or more all while raising funds and awareness for A.L.S. aka Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Stay tuned for more details coming soon!
Life is awesome,
-Rick-

Post Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail was an overwhelming success.
We raised over $20,000 for A.L.S. and met 3 people along our route who had A.L.S.
All three people were in different stages of the disease... beginning, middle, and end.
We were very fortunate to have met so many kind and interesting people throughout our epic journey. Many people provided us a place to stay and supplies and we just wanted to say thank you again for all of your generosity.
We also would like to thank DryMax socks for helping Ben get through this 2,175 mile hike without a single blister.
Drymax sports socks are simply amazing, and we could not have had a better sponsor!
After we hit the finish line on top of Mt. Springer, we headed back to Ben's parent's house in Florida just in time to celebrate Thanksgiving. We had an awesome time hanging out with Ben's kind and loving family for a couple days. It was the ideal place to relax for a couple of days before getting back to our normal lives.
After Thanksgiving, Ben and I drove about 12 hours back to Virginia, where Ben lives.
We spent a couple of days moving Ben into his new apartment and we also spent some time with local friends.
Before I could even blink, it seams, my almost 3 month long Appalachian Trail adventure with Ben had ended and I was in the air on a flight back to California, where I would go back to work on the farm.
Life out on the Appalachian is just about as good as it gets.
I look forward to hiking the entire trail without a vehicle, sometime in the next couple of years before I am 30!
Life is awesome,
-Rick-

DryMax Running Socks Support The Fight Against ALS!!! Visit www.2175forALS.com For More Info!

On September 21st, 2008 Ben Davis, a 28 year old restaurant manager and ultra distance runner from the D.C. area, and I will be taking our first steps onto the Appalachian Trail.  

The Appalachian Trail is 2175 miles long, spanning from Maine to Georgia, with a total elevation gain of over 500,000 feet. 

That's just about 100 miles straight up in the air, high enough to reach outer space!

Along with a supportive crew, including A.L.S. community members, our mission is to raise awareness and funds for ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.  Every day we spend out on the trail will be dedicated to a different A.L.S. community member.  We will be publishing a new inspirational story online everyday @ www.2175forALS.com

The absolutely wonderful gentlemen at DryMax have graciously donated over $2000 in high performance running and trail running socks to help keep our feet extra dry and blister free as we venture into the unknown.  We are ever so grateful!

Check out this awesome video on how DryMax Socks really work!!! 

 

I wore DryMax socks for the first time 3 weeks ago when I ran in The Montana De Oro 50K in Los Osos, CA.  The fog was so incredibly thick in that race.  After only 5 minutes of racing, I found my entire body soaking wet.  

At no time did I worry about my feet getting trashed and destroyed because I have complete faith in DryMax socks.  If I had been wearing toe socks, or any other type of socks, I would have been very worried about my feet.  With DryMax, there is no need to worry.

After I finished the race, I took off my shoes and looked at my feet.  

I was not surprised at all to see them completely dry and blister free.  

Another great example of how wonderful DryMax Socks really are.

Ben, the entire crew, and I are all so very thankful for the kindness DryMax has displayed towards us as we fight the war on ALS.

Check out The DryMax Website

www.DryMaxSports.com

Check out The DryMax Blog that displays stories and testimonials from other Ultra Runners

www.DryMaxSports.BlogSpot.com

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP!

Simply log onto www.2175forALS.com and read the inspirational stories of the A.L.S. community members we will be running for and SPREAD THE WORD to everybody you know.  

You can also track our progress online from our website www.2175forALS.com

Life is absolutely amazing!!!

-Rick-             

Headlands Hundred Race Report!

Friday August 8th, 2008 I rented a car and drove to the San Francisco area. I stayed at a very modest motel for a whopping $80 bucks a night. It was managed by a very nice Indian fellow. The place reeked of curry and cigarette smoke. It was all I could afford so I took it. That night I ate a nice spaghetti dinner followed by a salad and a couple of beers. Standard pre-race fare. I eat the salad last so that it can digest the pasta faster. I drink a couple of beers because it relaxes me and helps me sleep. I have been up, literally all night before a race and it is no fun.
I was asleep by 9:00pm after watching the Olympics' Opening Ceremony on the small motel t.v.

Race morning!!!

I woke up at 4:45am. I consider this sleeping in as far as races are concerned.  I have had to get up at 2:30am before.  The race started at 7:00am. A much appreciated, later than normal start. I took a shower, put on my running shorts, running shirt, shoes, hat, glasses, grabbed my water bottle, and was on my way out the door to the race about 20 minutes away.
I took the wrong exit off of the freeway, there were 2 exits with the same name. I got lost and started to panic. Gee, Rick got lost because he took a wrong turn? Get out of here. Rick never goes off course. LOL...
The race was starting in 1 hour and I had no idea where I was. Luckily, I ran into a very nice police officer and he gave me good directions to the race. What a nice guy!
I got to the race with about 45 minutes to spare. I took this time to say hello to some friends and to just relax and meditate as I watched other runners do their pre-race rituals.
I put on a long sleeved running shirt and was ready to go. This would be the first race where I ran with only a water bottle and an I-Pod. No hip pack or back pack of any kind. I was very confident that I did not need anything but the bottle and music. I wanted to go as lite as possible. That would mean less work over 100 miles with about 18,000 feet of total elevation gain.
I was so very happy to see race directors and ATY family members, Sarah and Wendell. They are 2 awesome people who put on lots of sweet races. I really enjoy running in the races they put on. After gathering excitement nerves for 45 minutes, it was time to race!

We lined up at the start line, by the pacific ocean and bang... we were off.
Yeah!!!
I started off at a very slow pace. We started off by running in the sand, along the beach for a while and then we ended up running on a road that seamed to never stop going up. Once off the road we were on the trail running along the Marin Headlands Mountains. I achieved my goal of not going out to fast. A lesson that has taken me a very long time to learn. I did make the mistake of starting with a long sleeved pull over. I ended up taking it off after 30 minutes or so. I made the same mistake at Iron Horse 100. Instead, I should have worn arm sleeves or nothing at all. The arm sleeves can collapse into wrist bands or you can tuck them into your shorts. I ended up tying the pull over around my waist and lugging it about 13 miles to the Tennessee Valley Aid Station. I would run through this aid station 6 times throughout the race.
The first loop was a 50 mile loop ran only one time. The second loop was a 25 mile loop ran twice totaling 100 miles.
On the first 50 mile loop, we ran through what I called, tropical rain forest spots. This is where the water ran down the mountain when it rained. It was all the sudden very green and the ground was wet and muddy and it was literally like running through a tropical rain forest for about 30 seconds at a time. We must have ran through about 5 of these cool little 30 second rain forests. A very cool treat!
We climbed and ended up going over the fog line. It was so cool to see a big blanket of fog reaching as far as you could see. It was as if I was in heaven.
I ran into fellow blogger Catra Corbett. She was running in her 6th hundred so far this year. She is also a CrossFit instructor. She is absolutely crazy about both ultra running and living a positive and healthy life. I love her vibe. She was such a blast as we chatted for about an hour before she was off, never to be seen by me again. I struggled to make it to the 25 mile mark. At this point I knew it was going to be a very painful last 75 miles. In a 100 mile race, every mile hurts, except for the first 20 and the last 5.

I arrived to the 25 mile marker! My muscles felt very tight and cramped up. The first 25 miles always seem to take forever to get to, even though they are ran faster than the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th 25 mile segments. My calfs were especially tight. I was starting to feel the pain.
I started to slow down significantly as I arrived to the 50K point aid station. I consumed lots of salt. I actually believe that salt is magical in terms of how it loosens up tight and cramped muscles. I also consumed as many calories as I could. So far, nutrition was going perfectly. Everything was going perfectly...
This is were I did something I knew I was going to do before I even got started. (negative thinking is bad) I did something that I tend to do EVERY RACE...
I went off trail. I say this because I have literally gone off trail in my last, let's see... 6 races. Including a circular track race, and a 6 day race at a park on a 3/4 mile loop, but we won't talk about that.  he he he
I ran down hill, fast, for about 1/2 a mile. I was flying and feeling vibrant when all of the sudden I realized that I had gone off trail. I stopped seeing runners, and ribbons, and I ran into some hikers who said they hadn't seen any runners come down this way. I turned around and walked painfully uphill. I knew exactly where I had taken the wrong turn. This was the only time in the entire race where I felt negative. And although I was ticked off, the last thing I was thinking about was quitting.

I returned back to the trail. No big deal, it was now over with. "Ha, I now had something to talk about when I ran into other runners" I thought. Heading towards mile 50 was a never ending battle. I began to walk and began to feel the muscle pain starting to sink in. I had developed 2 very big blisters on each of my inner heals, along with about 5 or 6 smaller blisters. I remember wishing that someone out there would make a pair of socks out of some secret material that would prevent blisters. The famous big name toe socks that I wore, did not help my cause much at all. That's when out of nowhere, one of the big blisters on my inner heal POPPED. The pain was intense. The pain was sharp. Tears rolled down my cheek as I sucked it up. The worst thing that could happen? My heal could possibly get infected.  "Big deal" I thought. 
The race would be over in another 20 hours or so. I figured that was not a long enough time for a serious infection to occur. Without even thinking about stopping and taking off my shoes to check the damage, I continued on. Taking off your shoes in an ultra is not fun at all. Your feet swell up. You have very sensitive blisters that hurt when you touch them. You must drain the blisters with a needle, I use a lancet. And the worst part of all, you have to put your shoes BACK on. This process takes 15-30 minutes depending on how bad your feet are. However, if your feet are really really bad, this is something that must be done.
In longer races of 135-500 or more miles, you must fix your feet as soon as you can feel a blister forming, rather than gambling that everything is going to be OK, like I did. If you gamble, and your feet get really really bad, you will be lucky to travel at a 30-45 minute per mile pace, and in most cases, you end up with a big fat DNF. I did not want to waste time and loose momentum, so I gambled with my feet and pushed through the pain. I figured, out of sight, out of mind. What you don't know can't hurt you. Plus, it's always fun to see what your feet look like after you finish.  LOL.  I still had not taken ANY breaks.
As I approached the 50 mile aid station, I was traveling very slow and in a lot of pain. I just kept thinking one foot in front of the other. I had plenty of time to finish this race. It is very easy to say, "when I get to the 50 mile aid station, I am going to take a 15 minute break. And that 15 minute break always ends up taking 30 minutes or more. Once you sit down in that dreaded chair, it is next to impossible to get out of it. I kept telling myself that I was going to blow by the 50 mile aid station when I got there, grabbing what I needed and heading out as fast as possible. I wanted to get there as soon as possible so that I would have extra time to run the last 50 miles. I finished the first 50 miles in 13 hours. Not to bad. I continued quickly through the aid station, as planned, resisting the urge, with all that I had left, to sit down and take a break. I had 19 hours to run the last 50 miles. Very do-able. I still had not taken any breaks and I was very proud of myself for that. I had no idea how difficult my first 100 mile mountain trail run was going to be. At this point, I only knew one thing. I was going to have to transport my mind into another dimension, another completely different universe, in order to conquer this 100 mile monster known as The Headlands Hundred.

I began my 1st 25 mile loop, meaning that I was half way done. I had completed the easy half. Now it was time to complete the difficult half feeling much worse, naturally, than when I started the first half. I walked in the sand, along the ocean feeling terrible but knowing that this is how everyone feels right now wherever they are on the course. I can't help but wonder how I would have felt if I took a 15 minute break in the chair at mile 50. Probably much worse. I knew that I only had 13 miles to go until I would meet my pacer Orhan. I had one stop to make before arriving at the Tennessee Valley aid station where Orhan and my drop bag with my pullover were waiting. I was starting to get chilly, but it felt nice and refreshing. I experienced small gusts of wind every 15 minutes or so, blowing off of the ocean as I walked along side the mountain. This was refreshing in my short sleeved shirt. I was happy the gusts came and went and were not nagging at me. This would have made things even more uncomfortable than they already were. This 8 mile segment was the most difficult segment of the entire race. I climbed and climbed slowly into the pitch dark of the night. I could not see anything. Everything was covered in a thick fog. With my flashlight on, I could only see about 10 feet in front of me. To my left was a very steep drop. I was on the side of a very tall mountain and the last thing I wanted to do was take one wrong step to the left or trip over something and fall to the left.  It was a long way down. 

I walked and walked and walked some more, through the foggy night. I had no idea where I was going. I had to have faith in myself that I was still on trail. I had faith that God would protect me. I could feel his presence the entire time I was out there. In fact, this is one of the many places that I prayed. I prayed that God would be with me and that he would protect me. Whenever I am feeling bad and I need strength or am scared during an ultra, and during life in general, I simply ask God to help. Sometimes he gives me the strength I ask for and sometimes he makes me endure the pain. He is always watching over me. I even ask him to walk with me sometimes. I also thank him when things are great and I am feeling like a million bucks. It is because of him that I can do these crazy things. For through God, all things are possible. So far he had been with me the entire race, and I knew that he would stay with me until I was done, whether I finished or not. Sometimes when I am feeling lots of pain, I ask God to take away the pain from someone who is physically suffering from one thing or another, and place that pain on me instead. This helps me understand what some people go through on a daily basis and in turn I feel better. Some people have it so incredibly bad, somehow they manage to live their lives with such a positive attitude, it's amazing. Sometimes I think I have it really rough. It's moments like these that seem to clarify things for me. I do not have it bad at all and I feel terrible for thinking sometimes that I do. God is awesome and I believe that he is leading me down the right path in life.

Every 5-10 minutes I would see a glow stick hanging from a tree. This meant that I was still on trail. At one point, I remember scanning the area for a glow stick when I found one. It was way up in the air. This could only mean one thing. It was time for another big climb. Walking alone in the dark, in the middle of the mountains, having faith that everything was going to be OK but still staying on guard just in case... One of the most magical moments I have ever experienced. I began living in the moment and started to feel better. The aid station just could not come fast enough. It took me over 3 hours to travel the 8 miles. I kept telling myself just to hang in there and that this was a low I was going through and that things were eventually going to get better... Did they?

I finally arrived to the aid station at mile 58. Once again, I knew I had to get in and get out. I loaded up on calories in the form of energy gels, that was all my stomach could handle. I re-hydrated, took some (magic) salt, filled my bottle up with sports drink., and was off. I only had to travel 5 more miles and then I would meet my pacer Orhan. I was looking forward to meeting Orhan the entire race. Knowing Orhan would be there was very refreshing mentally!

I started to travel with a sense of urgency. I even ran a little on the down hills and flats. My legs hurt so bad but I knew that was part of the experience and I knew I could push through the pain. There were no other options. I knew that this would be the last segment in the dark that I would be running by myself, so I cherished every moment of it.

I made it to the mile 63 aid station and Orhan was no where to be found. I started to panic and asked frantically if anyone had seen him. No one had and I started to accept the fact that I was going to have to travel the rest of the way alone in the dark. However, I did not give up. There were a lot of cars parked in the parking lot and I knew that he must have been in one of them. I began to shine my bright flashlight into the windows of all the cars. Nothing... I began to yell Orhan's name at the top of my lungs. The people at the aid station must have thought I was crazy as I must have woken up everyone who had been resting in their cars. I felt bad but I really wanted to find Orhan. I loaded up on calories at the aid station. This was The Tennessee Valley aid station so I was able to access my drop bag. I drank 2 ensures. Each containing 350 calories. In my opinion, Ensure or Boost is THE BEST FUEL FOR ULTRA RUNNING HANDS DOWN. It goes down easy, has never upset my stomach, and provides a ton of calories per 8 oz serving. Salt and Ensure. Both Amazing. I was getting ready to head back out on the trail but I thought I would yell for Orhan one last time. All of the sudden a light from inside of a van turned on. IT WAS ORHAN!!!
This was one of the highlights of my race.  I was so excited to see him.   

We were off! Only 12 miles to go until I would reach the 75 mile mark, completing the first of two 25 mile loops.
We would travel 8 miles down to Muir Beach and then back up a very very big climb to Tennessee Valley.
I still felt tired and weak and had still not taken any breaks. We got down to Muir Beach OK. It was mostly downhill.
We could hear the waves crashing against the rocks but it was so dark, we couldn't see anything. The waves crashing against the rocks created a very calming and relaxing environment for us to run peacefully in.

Now it was time for us to travel back up the very steep mountain, back to Tennessee Valley.
This segment took forever. My legs were completely drained but I somehow found a way to make it up the mountain. I had to dig deep and just put one leg in front of the other. This was very difficult. Orhan did a wonderful job pushing hard to keep me going.
This segment was Brutal.
We finally arrived back to Tennessee Valley and I was completely trashed. My body had gone through more than enough. It was finally time for me to take my first break.
I laid on the ground and put my legs up over Orhan's shoulders as he massaged my calves. They were so tight. I thought they might explode they were so swollen.
Orhan put leg warmers on me and I grabbed my beanie. It was getting very cold. I drank 2 more ensures, consumed some more salt, took advil for the first time, and a caffeine pill.
Ensure, Salt, Advil, Caffeine. All of these products are amazing and work great while running ultras.
We had been resting for 15 minutes and now it was time to go.

Only 4 more miles till the 75 mile mark!
When I got up off of the ground, my legs felt wobbly and weak. It took me about 15 minutes to loosen up again as we started walking very slowly, eventually progressing to a nice 3-4 mile per hour walking pace. I still felt bad, but much better as we continued to walk. This is why I don't like to take breaks in an ultra. It is so hard to get moving again. We walked and chatted about many things as we approached mile 75. With about 1 mile to go, we walked through a very long tunnel that was pitch black. We turned off our flash lights and walked through the tunnel in pitch black. Yelling funny things at the top of our lungs, listening to the echos. I was starting to get tripped out. It was right then when Orhan scared the crap out of me by grabbing my shoulders and yelling boo. Now my adrenaline was sky high and I felt much more awake and fresh. We managed to make it out of the tunnel alive. I told Orhan that we were going to fly through the aid station grabbing only what we needed. That is exactly what we did. There was pizza at the aid station and it looked so yummy.  I wanted some very badly.  I tried to eat it but had no luck. The bread was just so hard to swallow. Sarah Spelt came to the rescue with a big cup of chicken noodle soup with rice. Oh my word. What an awesome person. She always takes care of all of the runner and that is why we all love her so much. Such a caring person. I now only had 25 miles to go and I had plenty of time to do it in as the cut off was 32 hours. It took me 22 1/2 hours to run 75 miles. The last 25 mile segment, miles 50-75, took me 9 1/2 hours to complete. I had exactly 9 1/2 hours to spare to do the last 25 miles.  I had paced myself perfectly.  This was still doable. I proceeded.

Now my energy level was as high as can be. Finally, I caught my second wind. I knew that I had to run this last segment as fast of faster than before. The sun was beginning to rise, it was beautiful to watch over the ocean with the mountains in the background. This pumped me up and I was able to jog again. We jogged most of the way, along the beach for the 3rd time, up the big asphalt hill where we could see the Golden Gate bridge popping up over the fog, and to that same aid station 8 miles away. We made it there an entire hour faster than the last time around. This was the most amazing segment of the race!!! (Remember last lap, miles 25-33 I said it was the worst segment of the race)  It is amazing that the same 8 mile segment was both the lowest, and the highest moments of my race. Orhan put Rocky on his i-pod for me to listen to. This was awesome.  I yelled at the top of my lungs, "There is no way in hell, I am going to let you beat me.  I am stronger than you and you simply will not win"  I was talking to the mountain.  I got so pumped up by this, we were practically flying down the trail through the early morning towards mile 83.
When we got there, it was business as usual. I had the same mind frame.  Grab what you need and go. There certainly was no time to rest or take a break.

Next stop, Tennessee Valley 5 miles away. We kept pushing forward and ended up making it there still on pace to finish within the 32 hour cut off.
Orhan made a call while we were on the trail to his wife who delivered us McDonald's for breakfast. This was so delicious and was perfect timing. I had regained my appetite. I loaded up on sausage Mc Muffins, hash browns, and my favorite... Orange Juice.
Orhan was done. He was just as trashed as I was. This is where Orhan and I would separate. Orhan had done his job of getting me safely through the night. And he had done it perfectly. Orhan was such a huge help and I am so thankful for him coming out and helping me.
We said good bye and I was off once again.

With only 12 miles to go till the finish, I started to get a little emotional. I knew that I was going to finish this race. I now had plenty of time to finish. I traveled down to Muir beach once again and traveled back up to Tennessee Valley for the last time. These 8 brutal miles took every last ounce of energy I had left. I drank another Ensure, thanked all of the aid station volunteers, and headed on out to run the last 4 miles of my first 100 mile mountain race.

This was awesome! I was so happy because I knew I was going to achieve my goal. 4 more miles to go!
I walked the first 2 miles, still struggling to make it up the hills. Now with only 2 miles to go, I was as happy as ever. There was nothing in this world that could have made me any happier at that point in time.... Or was there?

Out of nowhere, Arthur Webb appeared. The man I crewed for at Badwater. I thought I was hallucinating. My happiness was then taken to a whole new level. Arthur Webb is such an inspiration to me. I look up to him as he has taught me so much about ultra running. Next, Chris, Art's wife appeared. I was now on cloud 10, 1 step above cloud nine. Together, all 3 of us walked casually to the finish line. We joked and laughed and just had a good ole' time.  We passed through the long tunnel, this time it was light outside. We headed down the mountain for the very last time towards the ocean. It finally was time. Time for me to cross that finish line.

I crossed the finish line in 30:39:26. I had ran the last 25 mile segment 1 1/2 hours faster than the one before it. I only took one 15 minute break the entire time running and I never took my shoes off. I did not experience any stomach or nutritional problems. Everything went perfectly. I had executed the perfect race. Amazing!

Sarah was at the finish line to congratulate me. Arthur took some pictures of me crossing the finish line.
It was now time for me to take off my shoes and access the blister damage. I had 2 huge blisters on each of my inner heals. The blister that had popped, looked like a big gash. I had about 6 other blisters that were smaller. My feet were wet and looked like raisons.
I still felt good and it didn't even phase me.  I ate 2 bowls of Coveted Pacific Coast Trail Running Chili.  YUMMY!

 
Art and I decided to go and jump into the ocean. I did so. Bad Idea. My open blisters got small tiny rocks inside of them and there was no way to get them out. I would have to wait a couple of days for my blisters to harden up before I could get them out. And lets not even talk about the effects of the salt water on my chaffing. I had just added insult to injury. However, the ocean felt wonderful. I laughed and yelled and had fun watching Arthur do the same. Afterwards, the pain in my heals from the rocks was excruciating, but the fun I had was well worth it.
Arthur, Chris, and I had a fun time visiting and watching the other runners come in. I was so happy to see them at the finish line. They sure did surprise me.
We said our goodbyes, I gathered up my stuff, and I was off to the same modest motel.
I had such a hard time driving. I was so tired and my legs were getting tighter and tighter. My body was shutting down. I knew I had to make it to the motel as soon as possible.

When I got to the motel, I had to climb the steps in order to get into the office that smelt again like curry and cigarette smoke. It took me about 2 minutes to climb up 5 steps. People were looking at me funny. The man said the room was not ready yet. I gathered myself and calmly said, "OK" I will get some food and come back.
The Claim Jumper was right across the street. But I could not walk. So I drove. This time I was not as tired, but my legs still hurt a ton.

My endorphins were keeping me awake. I managed to inch my way into the restaurant. I ate egg rolls, the only thing that sounded good. I also drank a beer and instantly felt more relaxed. More, but not enough to make the pain in my legs go away.
I went back to the motel and the room was ready this time.
I had a room on the second floor all the way down the hall. Perfect! LOL

I inched, little by little, to my room and took a shower. This was a very painful shower as everything the water touched, stung. Especially my heals.
After the shower I slept, not very well, off and on up until 3:00am. I would wake up every hour or so in just so much pain. Moaning and groaning, i wished that I had someone with me. At 3:00am, I was so hungry. I knew I had to eat as much protein as possible in order to recover more quickly.   So I headed on out to Denny's just a mile down the road. One problem. My legs had no strength in them. I literally had to crawl down the hallway, and down the stairs to my rental car. I drove to Denny's and parked in the handicap spot. I was definitely handicapped at that point in time.  Plus it was 3:00am and the parking lot was empty.  I ate and life was so much better.
I went back to the motel and once again crawled up the stairs back to my room to sleep again. Thank goodness it was still dark out side and no one could see me.  I looked very foolish.  This time I slept well until check out at 11am.
I woke up feeling much better and was able to hobble, rather than crawl down the stairs to checkout.
I drove back to Paso Robles, CA (the place I was staying at the time) feeling OK.
I made it home OK and went directly to bed.

This amazing experience was such an adventure. I felt like I was really living life in the moment the entire time I was out there. I felt like time was frozen as I progressed 100 miles through 18,000 feet of elevation gain. This is what I live for and I am counting down the days until my next big race. I can't wait to get back out there.  

This definitely was an epic adventure. 
Life is Good!
-Rick-

Ultra Marathon Man 50 Marathons in 50 States in 50 Days. The Movie

On Thursday July, 31st I went to a one night only screening of Dean Karnazes' New movie. It is a documentary of him running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. I just happened to be staying at a hotel in Temecula, CA right across the street from where the movie was showing. The movie was showing at about 100 theaters across the USA but for one night only.  My friend Simon and I had a couple of drinks and walked across the street just in time to see it start.
I ran in Dean's 19th marathon in Surprise, AZ. It was awesome meating him for the first time. I also was able to wish him well before his Badwater Race in which he finished 4th. I ran the marathon in Surprise with my friend Pat Clawson who was running his first ever marathon. It was a wonderful experience running with both Pat and Dean.  The Arizona marathon was Dean's slowest Marathon, time wise, as temps soared to over 100 degrees in the Arizona desert.
The movie was great and watching the movie actually inspired me to sign up for Headlands Hundred. A 100 mile mountain run with about 18,000 feet of elevation gain. We will see how it goes as the race is only a week away.  I am in shape to run the race and was actually planning on running the 50 mile race, rather than the 100 miler.  But if I run the 50 mile race, I may not get into Badwater.  So I selected the hundred miler.
Life is good,
-Rick-

A Great Quote!!!

You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind
to do so. For remember, fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the
mind.
- Dale Carnegie-

Jamil and Nick Coury Each Have Great Races In July!

Jamil and Nick Coury have come such a long way in Ultra Running in the 4 years I have known them.
It is something short of amazing watching them grow and improve in the sport.
The Coury brothers have another brother named Nathan who also participates in ultra running events.
Nick, Nathan, and Jamil also have wonderful, supportive parents named Patti and Peter. Together as a family, they are a driving force not to be messed with. Their love, volunteerism, and kindness towards the sport of ultra running and all of it's participants is simply unparalleled. Patti and Peter often are seen working at Aid Stations or crewing for their sons and even other runners. Sometimes each parent will crew a different son, while 2 different events are going on at the same time.
I simply can not say enough about the Coury's. They are wonderful.

Recently...
Nick Coury placed 5th at the well known Hardrock 100 Mile Race held in the Colorado Mountains.
Jamil Coury placed 5th at a very difficult Tahoe Rim Trail 50 Mile Race held in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Nick paced Jamil at TRT50 and Jamil Paced Nick at HR100.

I am sure that in the future, we all will be hearing more about the Coury's.

Healthy Regards,
-Rick-

Martina "The Terminator" Hausmann and Glen "Zzzoomer" Turner Have Great Races In Sweden!

2 of my dearest ultra running friends traveled to Hallsberg, Sweden to compete in a 6 day race held July 20th - 26th. Martina "The Terminator" Hausmann lives in Germany and Glen "Zzzoomer" Turner lives in Colorado. Glen had to travel especially far to run in this race. The great Yiannis Kouros would also be racing in the spectacular event.
The race started out great, with Glen getting close to Yiannis on the first day. After 7 hours Yiannis pulled a muscle in his leg and would have to suffer extra hard for the remainder of the race. Glen ran great the first day but must have gone out to hard. His feet were just trashed and destroyed after just the first day of running. Glen would have to suffer for the last 5 days. Martina had a well paced race with no help from any type of personal handler. Martina was able to overcome 750Km for the first time in her life. "The Terminator" represented her name well as she battled with the struggling Yiannis. She was able to eat away at his lead all the way until the finish where he was just barely able to squeak by her by 2Km. Such a close race, I would have given anything to be there to help crew for Glen and Martina. Martina, Glen, and Yiannis, are all members of the ATY family.
The final standing are as follows:

1. Kouros, Yiannis Greece 758.8K
2. Hausmann, Martina Germany 756.4K
3. Ritella, Christian Vi Som Springer 701.6K
4. Hendriks, Tom AV Haarlemmermeer 652.4K
5. Turner Glen Colorado 637.6K

Glen,
Well done. It is so inspiring to see you finish in such a high place after blowing up the first day. I think it is just amazing how you can meditate for 5 days, while suffering and still put up high marks. Well Done.

Martina,
Congrats on overcoming 750K for the first time ever. You had an epic race and I am so happy for you. I know you will be able to overcome 756.4K in the near future. This is only the beginning for you. Nice work.

Yiannis,
You are not human.

Healthy Regards,
-Rick-

Pacing @ Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Mile Race

Saturday July 19th, 2008, only 3 days after my return from Badwater, I headed on up, about 6 hours to Lake Tahoe, in Nevada. There I would watch my friend Jamil Coury finish his 50 mile run at the Tahoe Rim Trail 50 and 100 mile races and I would pace someone (anyone) 50 miles.
When I arrived to the race site, I immediately went to the finish line to see where Jamil was and if he had come in yet. The guy said that only 5 runners had come in so I thought for sure Jamil was close to finishing. When I told the timer guy Jamil's name, he said that he had already finished. Wow, I thought. What a great race Jamil must have had. I finally located Jamil. He was hanging with his brother Nick who had paced Jamil the last 25 miles and who had just finished 5th at Hardrock a week earlier. We found out that jamil had placed 5th overall. Sweet. We hung out for a couple of hours eating burritos, telling jokes, and catching up while the other 50 mile runners came in one by one.
I found someone to pace 50 miles for the 100 mile race. Her name was Letha Cruthirds and she would be coming into the 50 mile check point any minute. I gathered up my running gear and said goodbye to Nick and Jamil who were on their way to a Boy Scout camp later that night. It sure is nice to see old friends who you have not seen in a while. I always have a blast when hanging out with the Coury's. They both have had an awesome year in terms of running.

Now it was time to focus on pacing Letha the last 50 miles of her 100 mile race.
I checked in, signed the waver, and put on my safety runner race bib. I think it is funny how strict the USATF are on there trail running rules. First off, you are not allowed to wear any headphones. That stinks when you are starting to get negative and your spirits are low. Music always helps me stay positive. Also, there are no Pacers, they call them safety runners who have to run behind the runner at all times rather than in front. 

So as Letha's safety runner I was ready for her to come in.
A lady matching Letha's description came into the 50 mile checkpoint start finish area. She looked tired as I introduced myself to her as her safety runner. She was only expecting a pacer for the last 25 miles. Needless to say, she was very happy to see me.
This was the first time I had ever met Letha.
We headed on out and ended up trekking all through the night and up until 2pm Sunday when we finished. We had a fun time walking up and down the mountain in the middle of the night. We managed to make it through the dreaded "Red House Loop" and pushed hard to the 75 mile mark just as the sun was coming up. Quite the experience. We pushed hard up the last brutal climb where we were served ice cold sorbet by the very nice boy scout troop manning the final aid station. We could smell the finish and suffered together the last 3 miles. The last 3 miles dragged on and on and finally, Letha crossed the finish line in under 33 hours.
We both were very tired. I hadn't slept since 6:00am Saturday morning, so I had been up for 32 hours. Man I was so tired. We took some pictures and headed on over to the awards reception. We had more burritos and had fun watching people collect their awards. I had an amazing time hanging with Letha for 50 miles and 18 hours. We trotted through the Tahoe Rim Trail in the middle of the night, experienced an amazing sun rise, and finished together. I will never forget that magical night Letha and I spent together. I am sure we will see each other again at another ultra.
Letha, thank you so much for allowing me to be your pacer. You are one tough cookie!
Healthy Regards,
-Rick-

Personal Thoughts Regarding Badwater 2009

After going out and crewing for Arthur Webb, I have decided to seriously pursue my dream of running Badwater in 2009. I simply fell in love with the course as I crewed for Art. Death Valley is absolutely magical and reminds me of a fairy tale land. The desert scenery is spectacular as it does change every couple of miles. Mount Whitney is also so beautiful and the perfect place to end such an epic run. I feel confident that I can complete the 135 mile course within the 60 hour time limit. After all, I have ran over twice as many miles over a 6 day period of time. I also feel confident in running through the heat. I learned so much from Art over the 5 days we spent together.
I am currently working on my application packet for 2009. I must complete 2, 100 mile races within the cut off. I have plans to run in 2, 100 miles races, Headlands Hundred and Javelina Jundred, before the application submission deadline. I know that upon successful completion of these 2, 100 mile races, I will be ready for Badwater. A letter of recommendation from someone you crewed for is also a requirement. Art has already promised he would do so for me.
I did actually apply for Badwater this year, 2008, knowing that I had a very small chance of getting in.
Wether or not I make it into Badwater 2009 is irrelevant. I will try my hardest to complete my 2, 100 mile trail runs. Right now, that is my primary focus.
Just know that either way, I will be at Badwater 2009. Whether it is as a crew person, a volunteer, or even a runner.
Badwater, Across The Years, and Javelina Jundred are so far, my 3 favorite races and I will try as hard as I can to run or simply attend them year after year. These races are like family reunions. I get to see my close friends who I have suffered and bonded with and who "get me" every time I go.
Life is awesome, and if I am unable to run at Badwater 2009, I will try again in 2010...
Healthy Regards,
-Rick-

Crewing Arthur Webb @ The 2008 Badwater Ultra Marathon

Badwater 2008 Crewing For Arthur Webb

Saturday morning July 12th 2008 I headed on out to Lone Pine, CA to meet Arthur Webb for the very first time. I met Arthur through the Badwater website where a forum is set up in hopes to help runners find crew members for the big race. I posted my ad looking for a runner to crew and within a week, I received an e-mail from Arthur, interested in having me crew for him. I told him about my racing experience and he agreed that having me on board would definitely benefit his cause. I only spoke to Arthur one time over the phone before meeting him for the first time. Needless to say I was very nervous driving the very short 4 1/2 hour drive.
My days leading up to Badwater were spent in the steam room of Kennedy Club Fitness Center as well as running outside in the middle of the afternoon when it was very hot outside. I had no idea what to expect. I was very excited to see what this Death Valley place was really like and very eager to meet Arthur Webb.
The Badwater Ultra Marathon is a 135 mile run through Death Valley starting at the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and ending near the top of Mount Whitney , the highest point in the continental US.
Arthur Webb is a 66-year-old man and this year’s oldest competitor. Art has finished Badwater 10 times, 9 times within the 60 hour time limit. This year, Art’s goal was to finish within 40 hours for his 10th official finish.
When I arrived to Lone Pine, it was very hot and I was already sweating. I thought, “man, this is going to be a long weekend.”
We met up at the famous Dow Villa Hotel. I met Chris, Art’s wife, Orhan, a 35 year old guy who manages Fusion Fitness Center in Santa Rosa , and the very peppy Lina, an Asian lady in her early 40’s. Together the 5 of us represented Team Arthur Webb.
I parked my car at Badwater Ben’s House around the corner form the Dow Villa Hotel in Lone Pine and got into one of the 2 mini vans. Next stop - Furnace Creek Hotel, only 17 miles from Badwater, where the race started. The over 100-mile drive to Furnace creek was very nice and scenic. Every mile we drove was part of the official Badwater course. I was so excited to be driving on the actual race course. To my surprise, the course was very scenic and beautiful. I had the idea that Death Valley was some scary place that was just so unforgiving. “ Death Valley is gorgeous. The scenery changes every couple of miles or so.”
We arrived to The Furnace Creek Hotel Saturday evening and we just kind of settled in and relaxed. Orhan and I shared a room and watch the movie “21” before heading to bed. Tomorrow would be a big day as we had to register Art and attend the pre race meeting.

Sunday July 13th.
Today is the day before the big race. Arthur is very excited to get going already. We went to the runner registration meeting and registered Art. This was quite a task and the last thing any runner wants to do before running 135 miles in the heat, on pavement. The entire crew had to sign a waiver and Art took an official “before” photo so people could keep track of him on the internet while the race was going on. Art bought the entire crew red Badwater hats. I love my new red Badwater hat, it is my favorite hat to-date.
After the runner registration was the official prerace meeting. We had to wait outside for over an hour and it was very hot. Everyone was sweating and we were sitting in the shade. It was hot! The meeting was awesome. I met some of my running friends and idols including: John Radich, Marshal Ulrich, David Goggins, Dean Karnazes, Pam Reed, Akos Konya, and Jorge Pacheco. I also saw 73 year old “Jack” from the running on the sun video. He has a goal to run Badwater in 2 years when he is 75. That is going to be amazing.
We headed back to the hotel and started getting the coolers and gear organized.
Orhan and I went for a short run on the actual course as the sun was setting. It was so awesome to be running on the actual course, I had chills the entire time, and it was so hot! After the run we took a dip in the hot pool.
Tomorrow, the race will start for Arthur at 10am.

Monday July 14th 2008
This morning was spent gathering over 35 bags of ice from the gas station down the street selling gas for $6.50 a gallon. We filled 6 coolers with ice and drinks. We had one designated cooler for extra, emergency, just in case ice. We actually dipped into this reserve of ice towards the end of the second day.
One cooler had just water and power aid, another had Starbucks frapachino, and of course, another had just ice. The last two coolers had ice cold water for dipping and spraying. Both mini vans were decorated with Art’s nickname, “the Grinder”.
Everything was organized by 9am. Chris, Art, and I were off to the start line.
When we got to the start line, everyone was so focused. There were cameras of all shapes and sizes everywhere interviewing and taking pictures of all of the elite athletes. Badwater has a pier that leads you out to the dry salt pits. Badwater is 288 feet below sea level and it is just gorgeous.

Everyone was just so excited and ready to go, the National Anthem played and then BOOM…they were off. Crewing for Badwater literally consists of this routine in which I became quite accustomed to over the 2 long days of racing:
Drive a quarter mile, sometimes more, sometimes less.
Pull over to the side of the highway.
Look for cars.
Get out of the mini van.
Open the back of the mini van.
Get the runner whatever they need. Most of the time we had to spray Art down with cold water and give him something cold to drink. We were constantly spraying Art down with ice-cold water in order to keep him cool. This was very taxing and exhausting.
Look both ways
Cross the street
Spray Down Art, give him stuff
Look both ways
Cross back over the street
Get back into the mini van
Repeat literally 500 or so times!
Crewing for Badwater was as much of a crazy experience for us crew members as it was for Arthur, the runner. He had the easy job:-)

The day just kept getting hotter and hotter. It had rained the night before so humidity was between 50-60%. Miserable! I was having so much fun I had forgotten about the misery. After 17 miles we were back at The Furnace Creek Hotel where the other 2 crew members, fresh, met us. Art just cruised on through, never even stopping. He knew that the hottest part of the day was right around the corner.
So we pushed and pushed to Stovepipe Wells, about 40 miles into the run. The entire stretch from Furnace Creek to Stovepipe Wells was excruciating. I have never been in a hotter environment. It was harsh, but very doable as long as you take care of your nutritional needs. The entire crew suffered through the heat. 
We arrived to Stovepipe wells right around 7pm and the sun was starting to set. We had made it past the hardest part of the race, as far as heat is concerned. Until out of nowhere the shit hit the fan.
We could not find Art's scale and than suddenly realized that we must have left it on the side of the road. Orhan went back to look for it and returned with no luck. Art was also having a hard time finding his change of clothes needed to survive the night. And in the middle of all this common stress that race day presents, Art’s wife, who had not eaten or drank much of anything the entire day, happened to pass out for the first time in her entire life. This was the craziest part of the entire race. All this crazy stuff was happening all at once. Ahhhh!!! Art’s wife simply said she felt dizzy. The next thing you know her eyes are closing slowly and she is as limp as a noodle. We laid her down on the ground and elevated her feet while calling for a medic.
Art was not going to continue on until he knew his wife was ok. We took her to the medical tent and after about a half an hour, she was doing much better and on the way to the hotel for the night with fellow crew member Lina.
So it was Orhan, Art, and myself for the rest of the entire night.
We had a blast and continued to have a successful race. Art did so well. He kept on grinding all night long. We had many laughs. Orhan and I both paced Art during the hot day and felt no need to pace Art at night. He was good to go. We also did not have to spray him down as much at night. It was still very hot, upper 90’s, but not as hot as earlier.
We had a system where Art would cross over the street and lean on the mini van driver window that was rolled down if he needed to rest or if he needed anything. When Art would lean on the van to rest, it was for 30 seconds and then he was off again. This was all the rest Arthur got as he ran through the night. Art needed much less at night and it was a chance for Orhan and I to rest a bit.
Orhan and I had such a crazy time in the van while Art was running. We started to loose our minds as the sleep deprivation set in, we started to laugh at every single little thing and would be giggling like little girls as the morning approached. At one point, Art asked for something and Orhan ran to him to deliver the object. Orhan was gone for a couple of minutes so I decided to drive the van up a little to pick him up. I pulled up next to Art and asked where’s Orhan? Art replied, “I though he was with you” Oh crap, we lost Orhan in the middle of The Death Valley Desert in middle of the pitch black night. So I turned the van around and backtracked until I found him. “What the heck man, I was starting to think you forgot about me”
We had a good laugh about that as it kept us amused for the remainder of the trip.

Finally, the morning was right around the corner and so was Paniment Springs, about 70 miles into the race, only 65 more miles to go.
When we arrived to Paniment Springs, Art sat in the chair for 15 minutes where he took a well deserved rest. A photographer named Luis Escobar, took some really good shots of us as we rested. What a great person to have in the ultra running community as a photographer. He does great work. Art rested in the chair, I rested on the road, and Orhan rested in the passenger seat of the van. It was a really cool moment that I will never forget.
After 15 minutes of rest, we were off to Keiler, about 100 miles into the race.
Chris and Lina joined us shortly after. It was so refreshing to know that Chris was OK, we were all so worried about her. We did not get any cell phone reception so we had no idea on how she was progressing. She was back to her energetic self as we began Day # 2.
Art kept his grind on as he pushed towards the 100 mile mark. Art climbed the 2nd of 3 big climbs each around 5,000 ft.
Orhan and I paced Art a lot today as Chris was not allowed to pace as much after she passed out yesterday, we wanted to keep her in working order. She still worked her butt off, just not by pacing as much. When we were waiting for Art at one point, we all began to act just plain silly. We were making jokes and doing funny things. We had been up for over 24 hours as the sun was starting to get to us. We were all laughing so hard, we were rolling around on the ground we were just laughing so hard, having so much fun.

Around noon something amazing happened. Clouds started to block the sun and rain was a possibility. I thought, "this is awesome to be happening at the hottest part of the day."
This was an opportunity to leave Art with the 2 girls, Chris and Lina while we took a much deserved break in order to rest up for the finish, a 13 mile climb up Mount Whitney .
Orhan and I drove 10 miles to the 100 mile mark and pulled over the van. We dozed off and caught some Zzzzz’s. It was nice. After about 90 minutes, we drove back to check on Art. He was Ok and the girls were doing great. We went back to the 100 mile mark and took another 45 minute rest. This was also nice. We both were so excited, we did not want to wait for Art to come to us at the 100 mile mark, so we came to him.
At this point everyone was tired and things just seemed twice as difficult for everyone. We pushed on and on.

Between miles 100 and 120 things were kind of a blur. We just kept on with the quarter mile routine over and over again. Ever see that movie Groundhog Day? It was like that.
Finally another new fresh person came to help out. His name was "John" and he had helped Art out at Badwater many other times. He stayed with me as Chris and Orhan went to McDonalds to get some ice cream. When Chris came back, Orhan was gone, she had dropped him off at the Dow Villa Hotel to get some rest for the finish. The ice cream she brought everyone was perfect. It hit the spot and gave us all some much needed calories for fuel.
Soon after, "John", the new fresh guy, noticed how terrible I looked after being up for over 30 hours, and suggested that I go back to the Hotel and wait for Art to get to the base of the mountain. That way I could have a short sleep break before pacing Art the last 13 miles up Mount Whitney . At first I said No way, I’m OK and I am staying with Art. After all I had been with him since the gun went off. But after much convincing, I agreed to go. It was hard for me to leave Arthur and go back to the hotel but I knew it was for the best and that it would help Arthur finish stronger. So we went back to the hotel, stopped at McDonalds for some burgers and then to bed around 6pm.
Orhan was at the hotel as well and he was also getting some sleep. I laid my head down on the pillow for what seemed like 30 seconds, the next thing I know, Knock Knock Knock, I am woken up. It was Lina and she was there to pick Orhan and I up to finish the race. She informed us that Art was only 15 miles from the finish line. There was an exciting panic in the hotel room. We were all so excited and focused on Art finishing Badwater, that a new fresh energy arose. We were all tired, but very determined to get back out on the course and push Arthur towards the finish line.
We piled in the van. Lina dropped me off about 1 mile from the mountain where Art was. Art and I walked to the base of the mountain. We had 4 1/2 hours to go 13 miles up a very steep and unforgiving mountain. We walked and walked and chatted and joked and Art and I both farted... a lot... :-)
This was a blast, (pardon the pun) Orhan kind of came and went throughout the entire climb. He helped pace 2 different sections of the climb. He was always spraying us down and bringing us drinks. It was so amazing to see the team work displayed over the 2 days. Every single one of us would do anything to help each other out and most importantly Arthur. I trusted these people with my life, we all were just so entirely committed to Art’s success.
We pushed and pushed in the middle of the night. There was a beautiful full moon and although I could not see the actual mountain, I could hear the waterfalls flowing so peacefully and calm the entire way, in the background. It was such a magical night that I will never ever forget.
Orhan joined us with about 3 miles to go and we pushed Art hard towards the finish. Right around 1:30am we started to get ready to cross the finish line. We changed into some fresh clothes and hats that were clad in Badwater logos. We turned the corner and saw 2 bright headlights shining in our faces. These were the lights at the finish line used to take pictures of the finish. We met with the other 3 crew members, there were 6 of us total.
We all locked arms and crossed the finish line in under 40 hours. It was so surreal Art finished 30th out of about 90 racers.
There were lots of people taking pictures as we crossed the finish line. After all the pictures, Art collapsed. It was awesome. He did not leave anything out there on the race course. He used every single last bit of energy, conserved perfectly, to cross that finish line. Inside, I was hoping the race was longer because I did not want the fun to end. But Art was sure glad it was over.
We headed back to The Dow Villa Hotel in Lone Pine and Celebrated. We sat in the pool and spa along with all the other people who had just finished. It was so much fun. We all slept like babies!

We woke up the next day and began to unload the vans. Holly Crap it looked like there was a war inside each van.
I collected lots of extra food and drink from not just Art, but other runners as well. I am now stocked up with enough Gatorade, Ensure, and Cliff Bars to last forever. Yeah!!! The strangest item a runner gave me was a bottle of hot sauce. I was not surprised to find it unopened. I am assuming it would be used to stimulate a person’s core temperature some how. Maybe to help someone sweat who was suffering from the sun and could not do so otherwise. Just a guess, anybody know? 

We said goodbye to Orhan, Lina, and 'John" as they needed to get back to their lives in Santa Rosa, CA. It was sad to see them go but we exchanged numbers and e-mails. I am sure we will see each other again sometime. Orhan is hoping to run 100 miles in a 24 hour relay for life race in Santa Rosa in September. I am looking forward to crewing for Orhan and seeing the rest of the gang then, if not sooner.

We ate breakfast at McDonalds and the jokes just kept coming. “Hey Art, guess what? They have poweraid here as a fountain drink. Want some?” Obviously, power-aid was the last thing any of us wanted.

Art, Chris, and I rested, hung out by the pool, and took a scenic drive up Mount Whitney. It was so nice to actually see what we were climbing in the daylight. Simply stunning. The awards dinner would take place at 6:00pm. It was such an honor to hang out with Art the day after he completed Badwater. He was on the phone with the radio station in Santa Rosa giving an interview. A lot of people in Santa Rosa know Art and were looking forward to hearing how he did. Art was just on cloud nine. He was quite popular with the ladies. We simply had a fun time waiting for the awards dinner to start.

The awards dinner was nice. Art was a social butterfly. Everyone knows Art at Badwater. We were able to enjoy some “real food” (pizza and salad). I especially enjoyed watching the race video. I got chills watching the video. I even fought back a couple of happy tears. I was just so proud of Art and the entire crew for simply being the best team ever.

I said my goodbyes and headed back 4 1/2 hours back to Paso Robles. I had such a fun time over this extremely challenging 5 days of excitement. Another successful race!
I am so excited for next year!
Healthy Regards,
-Rick-

My Battle with Post Race Depression

What is post race depression?
Post race depression is a common phenomenon Ultra Marathon runners of every experience level can experience. The excitement of the ultra marathon season is over and the intensity of preparation is behind them.

For some runners, there is a sense of relief and they welcome the opportunity to relax for a little while. For some, like myself, if there isn't something to replace all the hours on the road, the lull of TV boredom and unhealthy eating binges, sits upon them. The sense of focus and purpose in life is lost

Completing an ultra marathon is a very emotional and physical process. This is especially true if running an ultra marathon was used to overcome a difficult time in one's life, such as a divorce or loss of someone close. 

Post race depression is also very common when the runners accomplishment is the highlight of the runner's life. Running 276 miles in The Arizona 6 Day Race was the highlight of my racing career to date. I know I will accomplish other great running feats, but as of now, 276 miles in 6 days is my personal best. So what do you replace the physical activity with when you are taking a recovery break from running that typically lasts about 2 months?

According to Dr. Suzanne McAllister, a former member of the New York Marathon psych team and a marathoner herself, "runners get accustomed to the endorphins kicking in when they run. It helps them to be happy. When the endorphins are no longer released you have a greater chance of depression setting in. Runners need to find a replacement physical activity if they don't plan to continue running."

My replacement activity during these last 2 months has been eating junk food, drinking beer, watching t.v. all day long, wishing I had someone close to me in my life, and feeling sad about all kinds of things. Very destructive behavior. The feelings of sadness and loneliness were very hard for me to bare and endure. I wanted to just sleep all day and waste away every minute of every day. Life is about taking advantage of the little time we have on this earth, not the other way around. I recently chatted with some of my running friends and each one had stories of either themselves, or of a running friend's, similar experiences, in terms of post race depression. It was nice for me to hear these stories. I realized that I am not the only one who feels this weird way after big races.

Just to recap, I ran 188 miles at Across The Years Jan. 1st. Then, 2 months later to the day, I ran the Iron Horse 100 in Florida. And only 6 weeks after that, I ran 276 miles at The Arizona 6 Day Race.  It is very hard to run in these races where everyone's family and friends come out to support and encourage their runner. In some cases family members will fly all over the US to see their runners race in what may be the biggest races of their lives. In my case, I run alone, solo, without any cheering squad. After my 6 day race, I experienced the typical week long runners high, then, the dark, gloomy, lonely, destructive, and emotionally painful post race depression syndrome. This lasted for just about 2 entire months. Could I have simply snapped out of this depressive state? Sure, but it is a lot easier said than done, it is very hard to overcome.

Some runners move past the depressing let down by falling into what Dr. McAllister analogizes as the George Plimpton syndrome, "someone who pushes themselves for the experience and adventure. They then continue the process by doing one new thing after another so as not to feel depressed." I feel like this is the answer to my depression. When I have an event to train for, I feel motivated and driven. So I have made some plans to run in some great races this year and I am very excited to begin my training in order to succeed in them. I also have made plans to simply volunteer and pace at some big races in order to become more involved in the Ultra Running Scene. A scene that has been my saving grace in these recent unfamiliar times of sadness and sorrow.

Dr. McAllister puts it another way as well. "After completing the ultra marathon runners move from the unknown' to the 'known "Can I do this?" to "I've done it". They are different feelings entirely. From fantasy to reality, i.e. you see the woman across the room - then you hear her speak, find out a little about her the original mystery is somewhat over." This leaves me with the infamous question, what next? What's bigger, and harder than what I have previously done. Can I successfully complete a 10 day race? Can I run 200 miles at Across The Years, Can I run 100 miles under 24 hours, Can I run 300 miles at The Arizona 6 Day Race, Can I complete The Badwater Ultra Marathon. These questions linger in my mind and don't ever seem to dissipate. I feel the urge to find the answers to these questions in the near future and in turn, I will push myself very hard in hopes of obtaining the valued answer, "Yes, I can, and yes I will"

One week after an ultra marathon it becomes important to be aware of how you are feeling. Do you feel energized by the accomplishment or have your thoughts become negative? Do you become tearful or irritable easily? Have your sleeping patterns changed? Other signs of depression are low sex drive, anxiety, shortness of breath, loss of appetite and difficulty concentrating.

A slightly different aspect of post race depression could be derived from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, which affects moods especially in winter when darkness lasts longer. This disorder is four times likely to effect women. Many of the same depressive symptoms occur except increased sleep and daytime drowsiness are more likely. Also, increased appetite, especially for sweets and "comfort foods" such as carbohydrates, which may cause weight gain.

I've overcome my battle with post race depression this time, by focusing on the great things I have accomplished as a runner. I have overcome so much in my races, it seems silly not to be able to overcome depression. I've often discovered more about myself from bad races than the good ones. I spend my post race time running and collecting thoughts about what the experience was like and what I could have done differently. I often used those thoughts as reference to be used later when a similar situation presented itself.

In terms of the post race depression cycle, I understand it and I push hard to overcome it. Every runner must take a break of about 2 months sometime during the year, and all runners dread it. Sometimes an injury is the cause of this break and sometimes your body just needs time to rest and recover from a hard running season. When I am feeling sad and depressed, I remember this...

"For every high there is a low, for every low there is a high, as the lows get lower, the highs get higher"

Healthy Regards,
-Rick-

California or Arizona?

So I have been going back and forth trying to decide whether or not I want to stay here in California or head on back to Arizona.
Living in California has a lot of benefits but coming home to Arizona has its benefits as well. I basically feel "all alone" out here in California. I have lots of friends and familiar places to see in Arizona.
I have made the decision to stay out here in California and to focus on becoming a better runner. Achieving my running goals seems to be my only purpose on this planet right now. I am going through a difficult time, but I also know that for every high there is a low. In California, I don't have a single friend and I am trying very desperately to make new friends, but it seems that my desperation towards finding new friends and more importantly, women have been a turn off to anyone I try to meet, so I am trying my hardest to not act so needy towards the new people I meet in my life. This is hard for me because I am very needy and lonely. So I guess that is just one challenge I am pushing through.


So I joined a new gym, and I like it very much. It is called The Kennedy Club Fitness Center and it is by far the nicest gym I have ever been to. It is brand new and I pay $55 a month to be a member. Kind of steep but all the amenities make it well worth the money. There are spin classes, yoga classes, pilates classes, a full basketball court, a 50 Meter outdoor swimming pool w/ salt water that I love, a rock climbing wall, a steam room and tons of new cardio and weight equipment.
I am looking forward to attending this gym 3 times a week.
I have to drive 45 miles each way to get to the gym.
Today, I woke up at 4am and was out the door by 4:30am.
I took a spin class at 5:45 and ran on the treadmill afterwards. I also swam and took a yoga class. This is the type of place I could spend all day at!


So I guess you could call today, day 1 of getting myself back into shape.
This weekend I will be heading up to The Western States 100 Mile Run in Northern California. I will be pacing a runner from mile 60 to the finish. So I will be running 40 miles this weekend. I have never paced someone before but have been paced. Having a pacer was awesome for me so I am hoping to make someone else's experience as good as mine was back in the day. After all, Western States 100 is the KONA Iron Man of ultra distance running. I am looking forward to seeing some of my favorite runners up close and in person for the first time ever. This weekend will be a lot of fun!
Oh and BTW...Martina Hausmann ended up finishing 5th overall in The 6 Day race held in France! Well done Martina!
Healthy Regards,
-Rick-

The rest of my week.

So yeah, the rest of my week went well, I am feeling much better than I did last year around this time. Much stronger and happier. I have a new love interest in my life that may or may not be anything worth even mentioning, (I can't tell if she likes me back) so I guess that will unfold in time and at the least, she is providing me with plenty of fuel and motivation to train extra hard. See, she herself likes to run and is in great shape, so you can imagine how excited I am at the possibility of something sort of magically happening with this amazingly awesome person.


My training has been going well, very well. I love to run, running is so awesome and I just can not wait until my next intense run, running is so sweet. Everything (my body) is working properly and nothing seems sore, hurt, or even injured. With the exception of that nagging right foot injury I have had for a while now. The pain has been reduced tremendously, so I feel as if it is like 85% healed, the pain, very mild, kind of just comes and goes.


Life has been good I just got home from a visit to San Francisco for work!
Happy Training!


Oh yes! I forgot to mention that Martina "The Terminator" Hausmann is finishing up a 6 day race in France. She is so awesome, I really look up to her and consider her one of my biggest influences. She is a total hero to me! Go Martina Go! I am unable to access results so we will just have to wait and see how she finishes!

Take care out there,
-Rick-

Starting To Train Again Day # 1

It has been about 3 weeks since I have run and it has been nice taking a break. I ate a lot of junk and slept a lot of extra hours. Now, it is time to get my butt back into gear and start training for The Javelina Jundred that will take place in November. I have 5 months until the race so now is a good time to get started. I ran 8 miles today. I ran from Noon on till about 1:20pm or so. I like running in the heat, it feels like I am working just that much harder and I like that. I felt great running today and am looking forward to continuing my momentum tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will try to run another 4-8 miles. That should not be to hard, so I guess we will see how it goes. Life is kind of confusing for me at the moment, and for various reasons so it has been hard to focus on running. My goal this week is to run at least 4 miles all 7 days, so we will see how things go!
Day # 1 of training is never easy so I am looking forward to a bit of an easier time tomorrow.
Life is Confusing,
-Rick-

My only real exercise While in Flagstaff!

Flagstaff is home to Arizona's highest mountain. It is Mount Humphrey's Peak and it is only about 30 minutes from town. So I decided to give it a shot. I took with me a very excited new friend of mine named Edna! She is the coolest dog ever! She rode with me in the car with her head hanging out the window half the time. When we got to the trail, Edna, my friend's dog, was so excited, she jumped up and down and we were off! I ran about the first 1/2 mile and just felt so out of shape. So we walked the rest of the way. After about 2 miles of walking over and under trees, through the slushy snow, and past some beautiful forest scenery, we headed back to the car. There was a lot of snow on the mountain making the trail very hard to locate. Can you imagine, snow in June. Krazy! So we took a quick water break and headed down the slippery trail. I slipped on my rear a couple of times and slid down the path. It was a lot of fun and Edna always kept me on my toes! I look forward to the next time I am in Flagstaff to see Edna again and to give Mount Humphrey's Peak another try. It is 5 miles to the top! The trail starts at around 9,000 feet and rises up to around 13,500 feet! It is amazing from the top as I have been up there 4 times total. I hope to climb Humphrey's Peak many more times in this life time. One of my all time favorites!
Life is Very Very Good!
-Rick-

My Best Friend Adam's Wedding In Flagstaff, AZ

Adam's wedding in Flagstaff went very well. Love was in the air more than ever! I was the best man. The ceremony went great and there was not a dry eye in the entire crowd! After the ceremony was the reception. The reception was a lot of fun. I was the DJ and I even was able to sing "It's Your Love" to Adam and Amy as they danced. We had a very nice toast. The cake cutting and bouquet toss were very entertaining to say the least. I will never forget Adam's wedding, it was so beautiful and the couple just seemed so entirely happy. Now they are on their honey moon in Mexico!
Life sure is good!
-Rick-

DNF-ing Sycamore Canyon...

Simon and I left the house around 4am and ended up making it to the start line in L.A. with about an hour to go. I was very excited to start the race and had more than enough energy to do so.
The gun went off!
First task, climb a 3 mile hill. no problem, I did so with gusto!
Next task, descend 2 miles to the first aid station. No problemo Mi Amigo!
I started the race with no water. Knowing that I had pre-super-hydrated before the race and that I would have enough liquid inside of me to last until the first aid station. That was true, and I did!
I ran at a nice moderate pace up the mountain. When I got to the top, I thanked God for he gave me this absolutely wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean. I wanted to stop and just take in the view but I was having the run of my life and decided to push onwards.
When I arrived to the first aid station, well within the top 15 runners, I could not see or find my crew man Simon. I had gotten there early and apparently, my crew man Simon was very hungry and decided to go to Mc Donald's before meeting me at Aid Station # 1. I got to aid station # 1 before he did and was very flustered.
I need to carry a water bottle with me for this next section. But, I don't have one. I searched high and low for a used plastic water bottle and could not find one. Finally, someone waiting for there runner gave me a small 20 oz bottle he had been saving for his runner. What a nice person and this just goes to show you what type of people are involved in this sport. Wonderful and Kind, generous people! Thank God. I had 20oz instead of the 30oz I was hoping for, but hey, I was having a great race and simply could not wait for my crew guy, so I headed out on the longest loop of the course 12K or about 8 miles.
I ran this section very well and had a blast. There were times where I was running on a 6 inch wide trail surrounded by plants and bushes and just bushes and brush on top of even more brush. This equation equated out to "Itch"
I started to itch from head to toe because of my body coming into contact with the brush.
Holy Crap was I itching. My biceps had hives all over them after running through the shoulder high brush. However....
It was awesome and amazing. I loved every minute of it. It's kind of like, "you can't get paid unless you do the work."
It was such an adventurous experience, although itchy, I wouldn't have it any other way!
I made it back to the same aid station feeling great. Simon was at the aid station this time and gave me my bottle. Ahh, I felt like a baby, getting his bottle for the first time. It was wonderful. I drank an additional 4-5 cups of sports drink in order to catch my body up. Still in the top 15 and having a great run. Now it was time to head up the big hill one more time, and down the big hill back to the base camp parking lot, where I would be well over 1/2 way done. (30K out of 50K)
I climbed up the hill a little slower than the first hill I climbed up, none the less fast. Fast enough that no one passed me and I passed a couple of people.
I worked so hard climbing this hill. In fact, I pushed myself so hard that I started to loose my focus. The heat was starting to get to me and I just took it like a soldier and pushed on, loosing my sense of perception. When I got to the top of the hill, I continued on the trail. I should have turned right on the less viewable trail. However, I took the route that seemed most logical. This turned out to be the wrong route. I made a wrong turn and didn't even know it. I ran at least 1 1/2 miles off trail and finally ran into 2 male hikers. They said that everyone with numbers turned way back where the flags were. After continuing for 5 minutes or so, I turned back, hoping to find some runners heading towards me. I found nothing. I knew I had made a wrong turn and headed back to the trail. When I got to the intersection that I made a wrong turn on. I had no way to know witch direction to turn. So I took a right. This seemed logical. I ran and ran and ran, mostly downhill, with some ups. I finally ended up right where I started out at. the aid station I just came from. What a disaster. I knew my race was over. I had suffered enough.
I stopped and told the guy at the aid station what had happened and he was sympathetic. Next task was to find a ride back to base camp.. I sat in a chair for about 5 minutes recovering, and than I set out to find a ride. I found Carol. She was leaving and heading back to base camp. She was like an angel. I was so thankful that she was there and willing to give me a ride. I accepted.
I arrived back to base camp.
I told the race directors Sarah and Wendell that I had dropped out.
I ate 2 bowls of The Pacific Coast Trail Runs Special Legendary Chili. It tasted awesome.
I bid farewell to Sarah and Wendell, such amazing people. I love them so much!
Washed off my dirt legs with my bandana, and got into the truck to head on back to Santa Margarita, about 4 hours away.
I had a great race, despite my DNF status.
The day after the race, my legs felt very sore. More sore than they felt after doing the AZ 6 Day race, if you can imagine that.
2 days later, my legs are finally loosening up. I do believe that I have another day or so until my legs feel loose again.
What an awesome run (while it lasted)
Fun Fun Fun, none the less!
Healthy Regards,
-Rick-

13 Hours Till The Gun Goes Off @ Sycamore Canyon 50K (The Night Before)

So here I am! Sitting down after a nice dinner part 1. I cooked a very big bowl of spaghetti with celery, carrots, mushrooms, swiss cheese, tomatoes, and a lot of garlic. The meal tasted wonderful around 6:30pm. However, I only ate half of my dinner and I will eat the rest before I go to bed around 9 or 9:30. Gotta have those very important carbs. Oh yes, and I also had two pieces of whole grain bread to boot!
I will eat part 2 of dinner (the rest of the yummy food) right before bed.
I feel absolutely wonderful the night before my big 50K race. However, I must admit that my back muscles are very tense and sore. My lower and middle back feel fine. My upper back and shoulders are tense. Everything else is perfect. I feel like I can finish this race tomorrow. Tomorrows 50K race with 5,000 Feet Elevation Gain would be considered, "an easy" trail race by many. however, I must admit that I am preparing for a very long 1/2 of a day with a very high amount of effort in 6-7 hours.
I also must admit that I have been drinking a couple of guinness beers while watching Tony Mangan and Martina "The Terminator" Hausmann race in The 48 Hour Surgeres, France Race. Check out www.TonyMangan.Com for information on how to keep track of Tony and Martina's Progress! Go ATY Family!
The Leader From Japan Had 155 Miles after 24 hours.
Tony had 118 Miles after 24 hours.
Martina had 97 miles after 24 hours!
Still 24 hours to go!
I will go to bed around 9 or 9:30pm.
Tomorrow I will wake up around 3:30am
Get ready, and drive 4 hours or less to the L.A. Area (Malibu, CA)
The race starts at 8:30am!
Check out www.pctrailruns.com/Sycamore_Canyon.htm for more details!
I run up and down the same mountain 4 times, with a 10K loop over a different mountain in between!
I plan to go up and over the 4 times mountain the first time... very slow and conservative.
Next, I will treat the single 10K loop as a common every day morning 10K trail run.
After the 10K loop, it's back to business. 3 more times over the same mountain I ran over at first.
I plan to run each of the remaining 3 laps up and over the mountain, progressively faster.
I plan to try my hardest and to simply finish this 31 mile trail run within the 8 1/2 hour time limit.
I am also very, very excited to see Race Directors Wendell and Sarah! They are both such awesome people so lucky to be doing what they just love to death for a living!
I know I will have a great time and tons of fun no matter what happens.
That is what I am looking forward to the most! Tons of Fun!
Yeah!
I am oh so excited!
-Rick-

Getting Settled Into Central California!

After arriving here in California, my body just took a dump on me and apparently forced me to take a break. So I did. I sat around the house in my free time, watching T.V. and eating like a caveman. My body simply needed to take a break and after the 6 day race, I was unable to do so. My back ached and my energy level was just very low. After about 5 or 6 days of that. I finally felt like giving running a shot. My body ached, but I still ran 5 miles on the treadmill at a 10% grade. (This is 10% on top of the 2x4 placed underneath the treadmill to provide for a steeper grade.:-)
It took me 81:14 to run 5 miles completely up hill. Not to bad. That was Saturday or Day 1
Sunday, Day 2, I lounged around all day and just relaxed and was lazy.
Monday, Day 3, I drove to Pismo Beach for the first time ever in my life. It was awesome. I only live 60 Minutes from the beach so now that I know this, and I know how freaking awesome it is, I will go back once a week, or so.
I basically ran about 5 miles down the soft beach near the water. Turned around, took my shoes off, and ran 5 miles back to the pier where I started. I ran alongside the water and even in the cold water when the water washed up on the shore. It was so much fun. When I got to the pier, I put my shoes back on and ran to the end of the pier. The view was magnificent. I cant wait to go back next week.
I bought some Dorito's and A Pickle and headed on down to the water. I took a quick dip into the ocean and man was it cold. But the cold refreshing water felt ever so nice on my tired body. I could only stay in for a couple of minutes because it was very cold.
I stopped by Subway and took advantage of the $5 foot long special. Yum!! Yum!!! Chicken Teriyaki!!
Today, Day 4, I ran the same 5 mile uphill 10%+ grade and ran it in 67:37. I felt great afterwards! I cleaned the entire kitchen and living room. This place looks a lot better now that it is clean! Yee-Haw!!!
Day 1-5 Miles Steep Uphill Run 81:14
Day 2-Rest
Day 3-10 Mile Beach Run!
Day 4-5 Mile Steep Uphill Run 67:37 (13:38 faster than the first time)
Day 5,6,7,8...???
Day 9 Sunday Sycamore Canyon 50K Race!
We shall see how everything goes.
I have 4 days to work with here.
I will try to do some more treadmill work, on the steep incline. There is a treadmill in the gym I will be staying at in San Francisco for Thursday's Morning Workout.
Stay Tuned!
-Rick-

Martina Hausmann Achieves Dream in Athens!

Until March of 2007, Martina Hausmann held the German 6 day road record with 727km or 452 Miles,
ran in 2001 within the 1300 miles she ran in The 1300 Mile Race in New York. Last year, fellow German competitor
Cornelia Bullig bumped the 6 day road record mark up to 740km or 460 miles! She did this within The Athens 7 day race.
This year, Martina (The Terminator) Hausmann was able to get the record back!!!
Martina ran 743K recapturing her German 6 Day Road Record!
Despite terrible weather, a hooligan biker group, and no personal handler!
Martina is amazing!
Martina's new record is good for
4th place on the all time world's best for Women 6 Day Road Racers.
Martina holds every German 6 Day Race Record (Road, Track, Indoor)
The German record for 1000km and 1000 Mile (road and track) along with the
1300 miles on a road record. Well done Martina! It has been such a pleasure learning about all of the amazing things you have done. There are much more achievements well within your grasp. I simply can not wait to spend time with Martina again this Christmas and New Year's for The Across The Years Race!


Wolfgang Schwerk, a German Running Legend was looking to better the 6 Day World Record of 1,028Km or 638 miles, set by The Great Yiannis Kouros.
Unfortunately, Wolfgang was unable to do so due to ugly weather conditions.
Wolfgang did win The Athens 7 Day Race with 912Km or 566 Miles after 6 days.


Life is good and someday, I hope to meet The Great Wolfgang Schwerk!
Healthy Regards,
-Rick-

The Athens 7 Day Race!!! March 21-28, 2008!

Enjoy this video showing some of the highlights from The Athens 7 Day Race!

Last 5 Times Around T-Bird!

Monday-Friday of this week I ran around Thunderbird Park in Glendale, AZ.
Monday when I ran, it was hard to make it all the way through the 4 mile trail. I must admit that I am not very experienced when it comes to trail running. The first couple of hills were not to bad. But the last couple of hills were brutal. I slowed way down in order to continue a very slow jog that would probably be slower than a medium paced walk. After reaching the top of the mountain, it was time for me to go down. Running down hill on a very rocky trail is hard. If you step on a rock the wrong way, you might hurt your foot so you always have to be "on guard" when running down hill. The more rocks there are, the slower you go. Less rocks=more speed! Needless to say I ran very slow down the rocky trail.
Finally, the final straight away. Back to the parking lot where there is a drinking fountain and into the "no ac" car!
Tuesday, when I ran I had an easier time running through the 4 mile trail. I still slowed way down in a couple of spots, but not as much as Monday.
When I ran, I listened to KLOVE, the christian radio station. Such positive music definitely helps me get through the pain. When I ran uphill I would ask God to "Make it hurt more" and to "take the pain away from others and place it on me" I feel that if I can bear the pain without over doing it, my muscles will get the ultimate and ideal workout despite my slow pace. Eventually, my pace will get faster.
Wednesday, that's exactly what happened. I ran the same 4 mile trail a little quicker. NICE!
Thursday, the same thing happened! SWEET!
Friday was my fastest day out of the 5 days. I actually was running a little too fast with about 1/2 a mile to go. I tripped over a rock and split open my knee. I instantly was taken back to Woodside 50K when I did the same thing. I quickly got up and assessed the damages. Semi-deep. "Well, I might as well keep running, I have to get back to my car somehow. So I did.
The pain was excruciating. A stinging pain. I finished, drank some water, and was on my way home for a shower and nap before work at 3.
Went to work at Subway for the last time.
I just don't fit in with "normal, average people." I must be around people who are driven and motivated.
So back to California I go.
I am now here and settling in.
Training starts tomorrow for Sycamore Canyon 50K Saturday, May 18th in Malibu, CA
Life is good back in California, where I am much closer to nature and God's beautiful earth.
I can now train focus on running 100%
Although, I will miss the Desert Scenery quite much, I will have The Javelina Jundred in November to look forward to!
Healthy Regards,
-Rick-

Some Pictures From The AZ 6 Day Race!

The Week After The 6 Day Race!

Today marks the 9th day after the AZ 6 day race and let me tell you that my life has been one huge roller coaster ride since I have gotten back from Douglas, AZ.
First of all I would like to say that strangely, I actually felt and still do feel better after the race than before. Going into the 6 day race, my back was very sore and tight. My back loosened up during the 6 day race.
I also would like to say that my right foot was very sore and a cause for concern going into the 6 day race. Now that the race has ended, I feel zero pain in my right foot.
I sustained no injuries and had zero blisters during the 6 day race and I feel as if my body is stronger now, than before the 6 day race. Amazing!
Every night before going to bed during the 6 day race, my legs would feel so tight, just miserable. I would pray every night for the Lord to heal my tired and aching body. And sure enough, every morning I would wake up feeling fresh and ready to go hard for another 16-20 hours for 6 entire days.
Since I have been back, I have ran Thunderbird Mountain 3 Times! Each time I go just about 4 miles.
I hiked up Squaw Peak, swam 500 meters twice. And even hiked 20 miles in and out of the Grand Canyon Havasupai Waterfalls!
I never really experienced an endorphin high after the race. Rather, I enjoyed an endorphin high during the race, but not after like I did after completing 188 miles in the 3 day @ ATY!
I felt like I could have done way more miles than just 276. I know that sounds weird but it's true. I really want to do this race again next year and run 300 plus miles, I know I can do it.
When I got back to work at Snappy's Car Wash, my fellow employees mocked me and made fun of me for getting 2nd place rather than 1st. This made me feel terrible and sad. Business is so very slow at Snappy's, I find myself standing around in the sun doing absolutely nothing but wasting my day. This negative environment was very bad for me and so I ended my employment with Snappy's.
The way I see it, I only live once and I sure as heck am not going to spend my life standing around being unproductive in a negative environment where everyone complains about how little they make.
So, I am working at Subway for the next 2-4 weeks while I search for a permanent job.
I will be going to a job fair May 15th to find a good quality job.
I had to sacrifice a lot in order to run in The 6 day race and I feel that all of my sacrifices were well worth it.
When I ended my employment at Snappy's I was sent into a very deep depression where I was sad and lonely and after I got back from the Grand Canyon, I slept for just about 3 straight days feeling just completely worthless.
I know I am worth a lot, but I just felt so crappy.
Within 2 hours of my employment ending at Snappy's, I was off to the Grand Canyon to do some thinking and to spend some quality time with myself. My best friend Adam just happened to be there and I was able to spend a little time with him and that made me feel better.
I finally feel like my life in is order once again and even though I am broke as a joke, I feel good and I feel like I am living with a purpose and a plan.
Everything is going to work out for me because I have faith that it will. I believe God has a plan for me and that I am in his hands right now. Please pray for me as I journey through life not knowing what will pop up next.
For now, I will continue running Thunderbird mountain as much as possible and I will also try to stay as positive as possible.
Life is good as long as you remember, "For every high there is a low, for every low there is a high, as the lows get lower, the highs get higher!
Hanging in there,
-Rick-

The AZ 6 Day Race Report!

Hello, my name is Rick Cheever and this is my race report for The Arizona 6 Day Race held in Douglas, AZ just 5 minutes from the Mexican border. First off I would like to thank everyone for donating all of the wonderful clothing items, shoes, blankets, stuffed animals, and toiletries for the clothing drive. We actually had so many items that we could not bring them all down to Douglas, AZ. All of these items are being donated locally here in Glendale, AZ and will definitely make a difference in our very own Glendale community.
Thank You once again and I look forward to next years drive that will be focused mostly on shoes, stuffed animals, and blankets!
I finished packing everything into my car Saturday night as I drove 15 minutes from Vistancia to my mother's house in Sun City. I took a nice warm bath and headed to bed.
I woke up Sunday morning at 4-am, took a hot shower and headed over to The Coury's house about 20 minutes away, in Glendale.
I arrived to The Coury's house and unloaded all of my stuff out of my car to be placed into the Suburban we would drive down in.
Peter Coury, Nick and Jamil's father, told me to go inside and relax, while he packed my gear into the Suburban.
I came inside and greeted Nick and his very kind and loving mother, Pati.
They were finishing up breakfast and getting ready.
Within 15 minutes, we were off.
Right before we left, Jamil came out and said hello.
Jamil is currently hiking the Arizona trail, 800 miles from Mexico to Utah through all of Arizona. I wish him luck as he has the time of his life this next entire month.
We were off and within 4 1//2 hours, we were in Douglas!
We arrived in Douglas with about 2 1/2 hours to set up camp. I set up my tent, blew up my queen sized air mattress, and set up my table where I would sit to look after my feet and to eat during the race.
I ran into Gary Cross, the race director and said hello. I told him how excited I was to be there and was looking forward to a wonderful race.
He wished me well as we approached the start of the race.
I was starting to get nervous. Gary held a pre race meeting explaining the rules, the course, and we took some pre race pictures.
Bang, and we were off on our 6 day journey.
The race started off with about 15 different 6 day racers.
Many of the racers would come and go as they pleased and rack up as many miles as they could.
4 racers including myself, would run over 200 miles and 4 racers would end the 6 days around the 100-120 mile mark.
Very Respectable!
The course was very nice and challenging. Perfect for a 6 day race!
The course consisted of grass, concrete sidewalks, and even some black top pavement. A 3/4 mile loop that changed directions every 4 hours. The 3/4 mile loop would wind around baseball diamonds that would be packed every night with fans cheering loudly for their team to win. Douglas is a big baseball town and they take their baseball very seriously. It was fun watching 2-3 baseball games every night! Very uplifting to see the entire town come together to celebrate our nations pastime!
The first day of the race Nick Coury and John Raddich were competing in a 100 mile fun run. After 50 miles Nick would throw in the towel and John would win the 100 mile race in 25 hours and 25 minutes. Nick would be running a very tough and challenging 50 mile race 2 weeks later so he was saving himself for that!
John Raddich is an Ultra Runner from California who has done many great things through ultra running. He would stick around and help out with the race. What a great guy!
I ran a little the first day and would pay for it later on the first night.
After 1 day I had 59 miles and that would be my biggest day of the 6.
I ended up sleeping from 8-pm till 4-am on the first day.
I slept way to long as I could have gained a couple extra miles instead of sleeping so long.
I had decided to quit the first night in my tent, so sleeping an extra 4 hours felt good. When I woke up at 4-am, I had no other option than to just keep going. I had gone through an extreme low that night and just felt like crap. As I walked into the early morning sun rise, things started to loosen up and my legs felt better.
I would walk most of day 2. I ended up running every now and and then to gain miles on the person in first place. Jerry Schuster would have a lead on me the entire race. I know I lost it that first night by oversleeping 4 hours. The 2nd day his lead on me was 15 miles and I got it down to about 10 miles by sunset, but Jerry would never get tired and stop. When I finally turned in for the night around 10pm the 2nd day. Jerry would run another 5 miles to get his lead back up to 15 miles, then he slept.
I slept for another 8 hours the 2nd night and once again, wanted to quit so bad that I slept an extra 4 hours again. I figured that my body would recover better if it had a couple extra hours of sleep.
When I woke up around 6-am, I started walking up until Noon, ending the first 2 days with 105 miles and still within 15-20 miles of the race leader.
The second day was the hardest day by far. My legs felt so bad. They were cramped up and tight and heavy. My feet felt like mush and I just wanted to quit when I went to bed.
The 3rd day would be much better. I took a lot of breaks and ended the day with 150 miles. Still on pace to hit my 300 mile goal.
The 4th day would be the most relaxed day of all. In the morning I took a shower at the nearby aquatic center and even went out to breakfast at The Hungry Bear with fellow racers Mark Zappata and Bill Dickey. We had a blast not being on the track and enjoyed every second of relaxation for once we got back to the track it was back to business.
That night, I took another shower and ate a nice dinner at Denny's. This once again took tons of time away from the race, but I felt it necessary to relax and have an easy day. I slept well that night and ended day 4 with 188 miles. 188 miles was my total at Across The Years 3 Day race. I was 12 miles off pace with reaching my 300 mile goal but was not to concerned. At this point, I just wanted to survive and finish the race. By this point, Jerry Schuster had gained a 30 plus mile lead on me. This is when I gave up on winning the race, and just started to focus on finishing.
My best friend Adam, arrived to the race around 10pm Thursday night, Day 5. He would be around the last day and a half to help me with finishing the race. It was so nice to have him there as he helped me out so much. He would grab items for me so I didn't have to stop. He would go and get food from the nearby food places, and he would even help me get in and out of bed. He massaged my feet and helped me with just about everything you can imagine. Life is so much better when you have a crew member or handler helping you out.
At the end of day 5 I had just about 230 miles.
With about 24 hours to go in the race, Adam and I decided to drive to Taco Bell to get some food. The entire car ride I was being very negative. Being overly concerned with wether or not all the gear would fit in the car on the way home and even the price of our lunch. When we got back to the race, I wanted to quit for the 3rd time. This time, I was really going through a very tough low. The lowest point in the entire race. I was all cramped and tight and every muscle in my body was begging for mercy. I told the timer guy that we were going to pack up our stuff and leave. I even told John Raddich that I wanted to throw in the towel.
John Raddich is someone I really look up to. He had ran Badwater many times, he has even done a double Badwater run before. He has even ran 1000 miles in Europe. I really look up to the guy and valued what he had to say.
He told me that I could reach 250 miles. At this point, 250 miles was all I could even imagine doing. I was feeling terrible.
He said some very encouraging words to me and made me believe that I could do it. He even told me that he thought that I could run 262 witch is 10 marathons. He was very positive and uplifting and he changed my attitude from negative to positive. He made the difference in my race and I am so thankful to him for doing so!
I started right back up again and walked all through the night, up until about 10pm.
My legs were just begging for mercy so I had Adam massage them. I slept from 10pm till 3-am knowing that when I woke up, I would be on my last push until the race was finished. I woke up at 3-am and walked hard until about 9-am. I then knew that there was only 3 more hours left in this race and that I would finish in one piece. I started to run and jog portions of each lap. By the last hour, I was running most of each lap, walking only to recover. I felt amazing. It felt so good running and I was so happy I was going to finish. I felt great and ran with no real pain. I pushed and pushed and ended up finishing with 276 miles. I finished only 30 miles behind the race winner Jerry and about 55 miles ahead of 3rd place Mark from Mexico. I was only 24 miles from reaching my goal.
When I finished my final lap, I became very emotional. I gave every racer a hug and told everyone thanks for all the help. I am going to miss my new friends, but I know I will see them again!
We had a little awards ceremony where John Raddich was awarded his 100 mile Fun Run Trophy. And Jerry Schuster was awarded the Big 6 Day Cup. I was so happy for him and Jerry even called me up during his speach and told everyone to "watch out for this young man for he sure does have a future in multi-day racing." I told Jerry thanks and congratulated him once again for an amazing race. We packed everything up and headed out. We took tons of pictures and even signed each others race numbers!
It turns out that I am pretty good at this multi-day running stuff and I will be back for next years race, in June. The temperature will be much hotter but I am certainly up for the challenge. Every third year the race is held in June, they call it the "Hot" year.
Next year I would like to run over 300 miles and I think that I can do that. I just need to not sleep as long, and to not leave the course as much.
The race was full of extreme ups and extreme downs and I managed to get through the downs.
There were times when I would be walking with race director Gary Cross and we would just laugh and laugh and laugh so hard that I could hardly breathe. Gary and I had a great time together and time seamed to just fly by when I would walk with another racer and chat. I got to know so many great people I can't wait to see them all again next year.
My legs seamed to hurt the most after walking all day right before I would head on off to bed. Every day of the 6 days, my legs were screaming for mercy. There was no such thing as an easy day, even the day I took easy.
The bottoms of my feet seamed to hurt the most. They just felt like mush pretty much the entire time. The nerves on the bottoms of my feet hurt so bad. It felt like my feet were being pealed off.
Out of all the running and walking I did over 6 days, I can say proudly that my feet were blister free. I simply took great care of my feet to prevent blisters. Amazing, 6 days of walking and running and no blisters. I also suffered zero injuries. Nothing hurt after the race except my lower left shin. Every day the shin feels a bit better.
Today is my 4th day back.
The day after I got back, I went to church, went to the Diamondbacks game, went and had coffee, had a nice steak dinner, and even saw a movie.
The second day back I worked all day long at Snappy's.
The 3rd day back, I hiked Squaw Peak with my buddy Athens, went and swam 500 meters, and played some pool. I even watched the Sun's payoff game with Craig. I felt great.
Today, I ran around Thunderbird Mountain for about an hour and just felt great.
I will take it easy the next couple of days and I will start training again on Monday.
I plan to take my training to the next level. I know I can do so much better in these races if I train harder, and I will.
My next event will probably be The Javelina Jundred in November, about 200 days away.
There is a slight possibility that I will be able to run in Leadville, CO mid August for the Leadville 100 Mile trail run. My dad lives about 30 minutes from there so that is also a slight possibility.
I am also looking to help crew for The Badwater 135 mile race through Death Valley mid July.
So lots of great things are going on for me and I am so very excited to see where all of this ultra running takes me!
Life is good and I hope you have enjoyed reading this race report. Lots more fun and exciting things as well as bad and painful things happened but since the race was 6 entire days long, it was hard to remember everything and the time it happened. I am so thankful that I survived without any injuries or blisters and I am so excited for my next race, whenever it may be!
Healthy Regards,
-Rick-
p.s.
"For every high there is a low, for every low there is a high, as the lows get lower, the highs get higher"

AZ 6 Day race was a success!

I ended up running 276 miles in 6 days and placing 2nd overall!
All in all I had a very good race full of ups and downs!
I am doing OK right now, with only a sore shin!
I will be writing a full race report soon complete with pictures from the race so stay tuned in for the exciting story of my AZ 6 day race!
I just wanted to update everyone so no one would be worried!
I survived!
Tonight, I will be sleeping like a baby!
More to come!
-Rick-

Friday Night!

It is Friday night at 10pm and I am less than 2 days away from the most challenging task I have ever taken on. I started my day out very nervously as I went to Subway to get the sleeping timer I borrowed from Lori who is the Manager there. She is a good fried of mine!
I then went to work for the last day till after my race at Snappy's!
I was just so anxious today at work.
At work my boss told me he was proud of me before we closed and that meant the world to me. The entire crew at Snappy's is so supportive.
I went to Craig's house after work and watched the Suns play while enjoying a nice hot plate of spaghetti and Meatballs! Yum Yum!
Now I am home and ready for bed.
Tomorrow I will shop for some food and drinks with my Mom at 10am.
I then will pack!
Packing always is very stressful for me because I am always so worried that I will forget something!
I will be waking up around 4am Sunday morning to head on down to Douglas, AZ with Nick Coury and his Mom!
Life is good!
Keep me in your thoughts and prayers!
-Rick-

8 Days Till The 6 Day Race Begins!

With only 8 days remaining I am so excited for the race to just start! I have made a pretty long list of everything I need and I plan to gather the items tomorrow after church @ 9:15!
Other than that I have taken the entire week off from running or doing anything physical other than work. My body feels great and I think I will try to start loosening up on Monday by going to the gym, and doing my standard, never fails 4 day taper!
I ride the bike for 40 minutes and run for 20 minutes, on Monday.
I ride the bike for 30 minutes and run for 15 minutes, on Tuesday.
I ride the bike for 20 minutes and run for 10 minutes on Thursday and Friday.
When I ride the Bike, I ride as hard as I can, while still feeling some what comfortable. I don't want to wear my muscles out, just loosen them up.
When I run I run as hard as I can at a 10 minute per mile pace. When running is not challenging enough, I simply increase the grade. If you can run 10 minute miles while going up a 15% grade for a long period of time, you rock! I am still working on it!
After each bike/run workout, I go to the pool area and swim about 10 laps, and then sit in the steam room for as long as my body can take it. I can sit in a dry sauna that goes up to 160 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. When it comes to a steam room that reaches about 130 degrees, I can only stay in for 5-10 minutes. Despite the temperature being 30 degrees less. Heat should not be a problem in Douglas, AZ over the 6 days. The temps reach around 80 degrees and dip down into the 40's at night.
So that's my taper plan for this next week. I will also be working at Snappy's Monday through Friday. I am on my feet all day and I plan to take it as easy as possible in order to save myself for the race. I also will be sleeping as much as possible Monday through Friday.
I ended up finding a ride down to Douglas and back up to Phoenix when the race is over.
The Coury Family is really awesome and has offered to give me a ride down to Douglas. We leave Glendale at 5am Sunday morning!
Nick Coury will be running in the 100 mile race that is also offered as an option to this 6 day madness I have chosen.
Nick has developed so much in the short 3 years I have known him. And the really awesome thing is that there is so much still to see from him in the very near future! I have a really good feeling about Nick and his success in Ultra Running!
Jamil Coury is also doing amazing things! Jamil will be hiking the 800 mile long "Arizona Trail" This trail winds 800 miles from Mexico to Utah going directly through the Grand Canyon! Jamil starts his journey a couple days after the 6 day race and the 100 mile race begin! Jamil has done some very amazing things in the 3 years I have known him. Finishing Angeles Crest 100 in under 24 hours along with his brother Nick is just one out of many examples! The Coury Brothers have amazing, kind and loving parents that provide much support for there endeavors!
My best friend Adam, has decided to drive 8 hours down to Douglas to help deliver all of the clothing, shoes, blankets, and toys I have collected from many friends and families. I am so happy that Adam will be bringing down an entire carload of donations that we will be donating to the people from Mexico who helped out in the race. They can have all they want and the rest, we will have delivered to the first church we can find! I would guess that we have about 20 big trash bags full of items. Adam's car is going to be full to the brim!
Adam will be down in Douglas, AZ Thursday night and will stay till the end of the race. I will be riding back to Glendale with Adam!
Nick Coury and his Mother Patti will be at the race the first day!
The second, third, and fourth day I will be venturing alone.
Adam will be there the second part of the 5th day and the entire 6th Day!!!
Having Adam crew for me will give me something to look forward to. When he arrives, I will know that the race is almost over and it's all downhill from there!
Watching Nick tear up the track the first day will also help keep my mind busy keeping track of him.
Life is oh so good!
-Rick-

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Some New Pics From IH100!

24 Mile Run From Vistancia to church back to Vistancia!

Last night I came home and spent the entire evening alone in my room just surfing the internet. I found a 5K race going on in the morning and really wanted to run in it but it cost around $30 so I decided that would be fun to go to and help out, but I would not be able to run in it. I went to bed early and woke up around 7am wondering what type of adventure I was going to embark on today! I knew I wanted to go to church and I knew I wanted to run so that is exactly what I did.
I ran about 12 miles to church and this took me about 2 hours. I felt great running at a nice slow ultra distance running pace. My body felt great. When I got to church I was about an hour early so I decided to go and grab a smoothy from the church's coffee house. While I was there the lady making my smoothy was a delight to chat with. I felt out of place in my running attire, but hey, God does not care what you look like when you are in his house and I love that! The subject of singing came up and I told her that I loved to sing and that I was in the choir a while back. She told me that the worship team was looking for some new people and that I should come to a rehearsal Thursday night. She said she would be sending me an e-mail. The rehearsal is at 6:45 and I get off work at 6:30! Perfect timing!
After I drank my strawberry smoothy and suffered from a couple bouts of Brain Freeze...LOL I headed into the church. I sat next to a very nice lady and ate 4 ginger cookies. They tasted great and provided me with some good calories. We chatted about my 6 day race and had a nice time. I filled up my water bottle with coffee and headed into the service. I sat in the 3rd row and ran into some old friends Patty and Liz. We sang some really awesome worship songs and then heard from a man who helps people in Africa by building wells and churches and helps buy supplies like school uniforms and mattresses. This man was very passionate about what he did.
After church was over, I prayed with one of the pastors about my 6 day race. I really want to use this opportunity running the 6 day race to spread joy and happiness to others through Christ. I am doing this buy collecting clothing, shoes, blankets, and toiletries and bringing them down to the race to help the less fortunate people living in poverty in Mexico. I also love to chat with people while I am running and encourage people who are having a hard time. When I encourage someone, it makes me feel good!
After church was over, I decided to run 12 miles back home, rather than get a ride from a friend. I felt good the entire way home as I listened to powerful worship songs on my i-pod.
The sun was out on the way home and I started to get a little tired but I hung in there and made it to the grocery store where I bought some Orange Juice and a Banana. I was craving orange juice like crazy so I just had to stop and get some. The last 2 miles were tough but as I got closer to home, I started feeling better and better.
I know that running 24 miles less than 2 weeks before a 6 day race, may not be the smartest thing to do but I just felt like running and I felt great the entire time. My body has been recovering very quickly lately. I may do one more long run of about 10 miles in the next week. I have about 7 more days to train. I plan on spending a lot of time in the steam room and in Yoga classes! About an hour after I got home, I went and played basketball with one of my roommates for about 30 minutes. That's about all I could take.
After basketball both my roommates, their girlfriends, and I all had a very nice dinner. We held hands and said a prayer. It was nice!
Now I am getting ready for tomorrow. I work at Snappy's from 10-6:30! I think I will try to find a Yoga class to take after work! Life is great! My body feels great! God is Great!
-Rick-

A Wonderful Training Day!

Yesterday was another great day for me! I started off my day by going for a long run. Now that I know I will be running in the AZ 6 day race, it is important that I provide myself with a proper taper. I like to work really hard up until about 8-10 days before a big race like this in order to be properly prepared both physically and mentally. If I am running in a race where time is an issue like a 50K or less, I will provide myself with a longer period of time for a taper. I want to go into this 6 day race with my body feeling like "business as usual" Not like, "Ok, now its time to wake up and start something new" I know it's kind of complicated, but it makes sense to me. LOL
I ended up going on a long 3 hour run totaling just about 15 miles. I ran all the way from my house in Vistancia all the way down to where I work at Subway. I said hello to everybody and then headed another 4 miles or so to my buddy Craig's house. I hung out for about 15 minutes while he got ready to go to school at NAU. While Craig was getting ready, I went outside and hung upside-down on this cool device that flips upside-down and you hang suspended in mid air. This felt great! I could feel my back straightening out and this also helped drain the blood from my legs! I think I will be using Craig's device more often. You can also do some pretty cool ab exercises on it as well.
So off we went, up to Flagstaff so Craig could go to his 1 class and so that I could go for another run. Craig drives very fast and he scares the heck out of me some times. LOL
When we got to NAU in Flagstaff, I ran to the track. I ran laps for about 30 minutes. I started off running effortlessly but after a couple of laps, I was suffering big time. I suffered for about 20 minutes and then I had just had enough. I ran back to Craig's car to wait for him to get out of class. I found a nice bench to take a much needed nap on and looked up at the crystal clear sky, thinking about the 6 day race. I just can not wait for the race to begin!
We drove home and went and saw the movie Drill Bit Taylor. This was a very funny movie that I liked a lot. I went home and slept like a baby. Yesterday was a very long and productive day for me!
Today I am working at Snappy Auto Spa helping them get ready to open tomorrow or Saturday. I got a free car wash. My car had bird poop all over it and now it is gone! Yeah! Life is good as I finish my lunch break!
-Rick-

An Article About The Iron Horse 100 Mile Run!

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/030808/nec_254539345.shtml


Copy and paste the link above to access the article. When the article talks about the last finisher, they are talking about me!


Never give up because success is just around the corner!


-Rick-

I'm just sitting out here watching airplanes! Video!

I'm just sitting out here watching airplanes!

There is a new song out by Gary Allen called I'm Just Sitting Out here watching Airplanes!
The song is a great song that describes how a man has lost the one he loves and want's to have her back more than anything in the world. I can relate this song to my 6 Day race that I literally gave up on about a week ago. Now, I am making plans to do the race. I am going to do the race and nothing can stop me. Not a lack of money, not a lack of support or love, not a right foot injury, and certainly not a lack of desire to WIN period.


Here are the lyrics to the song and how they relate to my 6 day race!


Sittin Out here on the hood of this truck looking up
at a caramel colored sunset sky (I'm thinking about this 6 day race)
checkin my watch doin the math in my head
counting back words to when you said goodbye (making excuses as to why I can't do this 6 day race)
well those runway lights are gettin brighter (the excuses are starting to make sense to me)

Im just sittin' out here watching airplanes
take off and fly ((I'm just sitting back and watching my friends (Martina, Tony, Nick, Glen, and Jamil) succeed in their ultra distance endeavors.)
tryin to figure out which one you might be on (trying to figure out where I belong in the equation)
and why you dont love me anymore (and why I don't love myself enough to get out there and just do it)
right now im sittin' out here watching airplanes (I'm just watching my friends succeed and feeling sorry for myself)

I would've lied could've cried should've tried harder (I need to be trying as hard as I can to do this race)
done anything to make you stay (I will regret not doing it)
i wonder what you'd do if you looked out your window (how will people feel when they see me succeed?)
saw me runnin down the runway just like i was crazy (People think running 6 days is Crazy)
that fence is too high so am i (The race is to difficult and I am crazy to think I can do it)

yeah im just sittin' out here watching airplanes (I'm letting an opportunity pass me by)
go by, by, by
im just sittin' out here watching airplanes
baby bye, bye, bye

This song makes me realize that If you love something, be surrounded by it, and don't pass on an opportunity to be involved in it. If you take your love for granted, it will pass you by and you will be without it, wishing you would have done more to stay involved with it.

I will not let this once in a lifetime opportunity pass me by.


When you want something so bad you can taste it! Grab it by the horns and go for the ride of your life!
Healthy Regards,
-Rick-

Challenges Associated with running The 6 Day Race!

First of all I would like to say that I do enjoy a challenge. The more extreme the better. The challenges I am going through in order to run in the Arizona 6 day race are tough for me to overcome, but I know I can overcome them. Plus, these challenges are nothing compared to the challenge I will face April 13th-19th while running for 6 straight days. I can only imagine what it is going to be like.


Challenge #1...
I must be able to have time off of work in order to run in the 6 day race. I have 2 jobs, one at Subway, and one at Snappy Auto Spa. Subway agreed to give me the time off and I am about 75% sure the guys from Snappy will agree to let me have the time off as well.


Challenge #2...
$$$
Money is always a challenge. I will be receiving a big check from Cuesta Community College, but not until after my rent is due. I am in the process of obtaining the money before the rent is due in order to stay in Vistancia. I believe this to be the easiest challenge to overcome. I have been working my butt off and am still waiting to get paid. When you start work it normally takes about 3 weeks or so to get your first check. So I have plenty of money to do what I need to do, it has been earned, now I am just waiting to receive it.


Challenge #3...
Getting to and from the race.
I am currently waiting to hear about a possible ride to and from the race. If I can get a ride, I will save enough money to pay for my entry fee and that would help out so much. If for some reason the ride does not work out, it is totally OK, I am going to make it down to Douglas one way or another.


I always say, "Getting to the Start Line of a race, is the hardest thing to do, even harder than finishing the race"
I honestly do think that I have a realistic, mathematical chance of achieving my goal 300+ miles!


My body feels great and I am so pumped up for what's to come 18 days from now.


I almost forgot to mention that my good friend Martina Hausmann from Germany, is currently 1st among women in The Athens 7 day race, after 4 days. She is about 15 miles ahead of her competition! Go Martina!!! Hang in there and finish strong! Terminate the competition!


Also, my friend Tony Mangan from Ireland, will be attempting to break his own world record in the 48 hour race in Brno March 28. Just a couple of days away! Best of luck Tony! Kick some major butt dude! Remember... Defying Gravity!!!


And last but not least. Another friend, Glen Turner will be finishing his across the USA Zzzooming Journey! He has traveled across the entire USA by himself, with no support and he will be finishing today! Way to go Glen!


Life is good!
-Rick-

1st Week In New Place!

The new place has been working out well for me. I must say that I trust one of my roommates. The other roommate I have concerns about. He seems like a very aggressive and violent person. I must watch out for him. He seems to be carrying around a lot of hurt and in turn, he lashes out and takes out his aggression on other people, like his sister. I am friends with his sister. We work together. This has created a lot of tension between me and his sister and I am just hoping we can all be mature and move on. The challenge living and working with younger people is that they tend to be immature and unable to deal or cope with life's setbacks that we are all bound to face. My goal is to stay away from Brandon, when he is in a negative mood, and hang around him and encourage him, when he is in a positive mood.


My job at Subway is going well. I am trying my hardest to be a good example and a great leader to the high school aged people I work with. I like working with high schoolers because it makes me feel young.


I ended up getting another job right next to Subway at a place called Snappy's Auto Spa. It is a brand new car wash and lube place that hasn't even opened up yet! I am very excited to be working there full time. Today I go in for some more training. The place should be open for business by the end of the week!
I am praying that I will be able to make some good money working there and that I will be able to live off of what I make there! I am trying my hardest to continue working at Subway. Subway is a great place for a person like me to work. It requires a lot of positive energy and it is a very humbling place to work! Plus the free subs are awesome!


As far as running is concerned...
The chances of me being able to run in the 6 day race are very slim. But there is still a small chance I will be able to. My financial situation is the worst it has ever been. I am having a very hard time coming up with the money to do the race and I don't know if my new job will let me have the time off for the race.
I will know if I can do the race, right before the race actually takes place.
At least I can say my life is very exciting right now. I never know what is going to happen next, I just go with the flow. I feel like I am being led by God right now in my life. He is in control and he will decide what to do with me!
Just another exciting element in my life!
-Rick-

A great week for me! 4 Weeks Till "THE AZ 6 DAY RACE!"

I ended up finding a place to stay at a brand new town called Vistancia! The house is brand new and I will be moving in on Sunday. The rent is cheap and the house is very new and nice! I am so happy that I was able to find such a great deal!
I will be living with two other guys I don't know very well. So I am trusting my gut feeling on this one. I met the two guys when I looked at the place on Friday. They seemed very laid back and cool. so we will just have to see! Stay tuned!


Work has been going well! I have been working almost every day. Working at a fast paced job where you are always moving around and doing technical and detailed things very fast while maintaining focus is perfect for multi-day training. I work out in the morning and am entirely sore and spent. I then go to work. I work my butt off. Then if I have any energy left, I can go work-out again. Working at Subway is only temporary as I am only 4 weeks away from my race. I will find a permanent job after the 6 day race, mid April. Till then it's Subway!


I have been working out just about every day this week. I decided to take a run early in the week. My right calf tightened up after about the 1st mile. I probably tore or stretched out my calf at IH100. I ran at a slow pace another 2 miles back home hoping the tightness would go away. I decided that I would wait a couple of days until I would try running again.
So now what do I do if I can't run?
I decided to take some classes at LA Fitness. I took a couple of Yoga classes, a pilates class, a spin class, and a new class I had never taken before called body works. Taking classes like these is a perfect way to get a good 1 hour cardio workout! You are with a group of people and you have a friendly instructor helping you and motivating you along the way!
There's no better way to switch it up. I like doing a variety of exercises and routines. This helps keep working out fun!!!
I also lifted a lot of leg weights this week. I even worked a lot on my upper body! Good things to do when you can't run. Twice this week, I did the rowing machine. Once for 15 minutes and once for 20 minutes. This felt good and I will be incorporating it into my workout. It is a great way to warm up!
And of course, I sat in the steam room many times this week. It feels so good to sit in there and relax! I love it so much!


My right foot has been hurting all week long. It's sort of like a nagging pain that comes and goes. I had this pain before the 100 mile race in Florida and it did OK. After the race it hurt very bad for about a week. Now it feels like it felt before the race. In fact, it feels a little bit better than it felt before the race. It's just bugging me because I thing I might have broken my foot. If this is the case, I actually feel that my foot will heal itself. But that takes time. I feel like I can still run on it just fine. But I just need to watch it and maybe give it a nice ice bath. The pain from an ice bath is worse than the pain you feel in an Ultra...LOL!!!


Today I woke up and went to the gym to do a Yoga Class. When I got there I did not feel like doing another class. I ended up leaving the gym and driving to a nearby mountain called Thunderbird Mountain. I laced up my running shoes and ran up and down, and then around the mountain. I ran about 5 miles total, lasting about an hour. The first part of the run was the hardest, by far!
My legs got so tight as I ran uphill. I was running so slow at one point, but I managed to keep going. My legs were just full of lactic acid and that hurts.
When I got to the top of the mountain, I took a quick look at the gorgeous view. Spectacular! I then stretched by bending over and reaching towards the ground. Then I was off. I flew down the mountain. Running down a mountain trail is so much fun. It's like mountain biking for your feet! When I got to the bottom, I felt so good, I decided to run around the mountain! I had a fun time and I am glad I ran instead of doing Yoga. My calfs were fine the entire time. No tightness at all. I ended up playing basketball two days ago at the Gym. My friend Craig and I played for about 3 hours. I got a great workout running up and down the court. When I woke up the next day, and today... My legs felt so sore and tight. I worked some leg muscles that I don't really ever work while playing basketball. After my run today, they were so tight and heavy. After the run I went home and pulled weeds for an hour. Everyone loves pulling weeds!
Next, I went to work and worked 8 hours. My legs hurt the entire time I was working, Tomorrow, I am moving in to my new house!
After church, I will be meeting with one of my roommates to sign the lease!
Then, my friend Sally is going to help me move.
I should be sleeping in my new house tomorrow night!


It's about midnight and I have had a very long, yet fun day!
Tomorrow is a big day!
-Healthy Regards-
-Rick-

Starting A New Job, Returning To An Old One...

As an ultra distance runner, or just a runner in general, I tend to be very passionate about what I do. I am very passionate about running. I know this because running seems to dictate my next move in life. My life has been lived this way for the past 3 - 4 years I would say. I work so that I can race. In a race, I work very hard in order to achieve a very difficult goal. This all started with my first Iron Man Arizona. The couple of months leading up to the race were just so special to me. I knew I would be attempting to accomplish something very difficult and I knew it was going to be a very long day full of hard work that would pay off once I crossed the finish line. However, the finish line was not guaranteed and I was going to have to take a chance and throw myself out there in the wild, so to speak, to find out if I could do an Iron Man Triathlon. I was so nervous leading up to the race and more so the night before. I showed up to the starting line in the Water of Tempe Town Lake praying that God would find someway to get me through the day. I ended up having the time of my life, and I finished about 45 minutes from the cut-off. It was then that I knew I could do anything I put my mind to.
I quickly ventured out to see what other types of races were out there. I stumbled across The Across The Years 24 Hour Race. I did the race and finished pretty well with 87 miles. I was hooked. I ended up doing 3 Total Iron Man Arizona Races, 2, 24 Hour Races and 1, 100 Mile race that turned into a 100K after loosing a battle with the unforgiving sun. Add to the list many marathons, tons of smaller triathlons, about a hundred 5K runs and a grip of 10K's. All of these races were done in order to help me build up and prepare for something bigger. Something I didn't even know I was going to do. MULTI-DAY-RACING!!!
I always wanted to run 100 miles. I wanted to run 100 miles so bad. I never wanted anything more in my entire life. My first 3 attempts came close but did not hit the 100 mile mark. I felt like a failure the first time. The second time, I felt over confident and was not in the right mental state of mind. The third time I thought was the charm. I ended up being under trained and lost a winnable battle with the sun.
Little did I know that all of this DNFing (Did Not Finish"ing") was preparing me for races I would have never imagined myself doing. In Ultra Distance Running, you can't just go out and run 100 miles, having never done it before. You must train, train, and then train some more. Running in all of these races would be my training, and I didn't even know it.
December 29th, 2007 I would embark on the type of journey one can only dream of.
I would be running in the 48 hour race over New Year's.
48 Hours I thought would be very difficult yet doable.
2 days before the race, I accepted an invitation to run in the 72 hour race, rather than the 48 hour race I was planning on doing. I was very nervous and scared. But for the most part, I was excited to test my limits.
I ended up doing pretty well, placing 10th amongst some of Multi-Day-Running's Finest.
When I crossed that finish line after 72 hours. I no longer thought running 72 hours straight was impossible. In fact, I quickly made plans to run in a race twice as long. A 6 day race!
I felt like this would be the next chapter in my running life.
The experience I had at Across The Years was simply magical and I wanted more than anything to experience that magic again and again, as soon as possible.
I decided to attempt to run 100 miles, just 2 months after running 188 miles at Across The Years.
I was successful. I was very amazed that my body held up the way it did, especially after running 188 miles 2 months earlier. My next challenge, running in The Arizona 6 Day Race, will be my biggest challenge to date and possibly the biggest challenge I will attempt for another entire year.
I BETTER MAKE EVERY MOMENT COUNT!
Some things in life you have no say in. You are guided a certain direction and not knowing any better, or not wanting to know any better, you follow the path you are being led down. The path is so amazing, the last thing you want to do is stop traveling. Even when modern day society tells you about how wrong you are to be following the path. You have faith in the path you are being led down, and you defy what society thinks is normal and ideal, in order to pursue your very own, customized dream.
Only a very select few individuals know what it is like to finish a 100 mile race, a 3 day race, and even a 6 day race. I don't mean to sound inferior to others because I do honestly believe that every human can go for 6 days straight. But being able to do something and actually doing it are 2 different things.
Sacrifices must be made in order to be happy.
With all of that being said...
I have moved back to Arizona for now.
I have moved away from an extremely negative environment, where I was rich.
Now I am living in a positive environment close to friends who care about me, where I am extremely poor.
The bible says that he who is rich shall be poor and he who is poor shall be rich.
I am beginning to understand that God will provide us with all that we need. And we may be surprised to find out that we really don't need a lot. The things we really do need in our life are provided to us free of charge.
Energy, Love, and a positive attitude. Helping others is free of charge most of the time and being kind to another soul requires no money.
I will be working at Subway for 1 month, in order to save up some money for The Arizona 6 Day Race being held April 13th-19th.

I feel so much love from my friends and an even larger amount of love from God. I am so thankful for the little, non-possessional things that God has given me. God has made me who I am. A kind, loving, positive, energetic young man who strives very hard to create and instill happiness in others who are less fortunate.  God has been with me all along. He has gotten me out of trouble and has even saved my life many times. So why would I not look up to him. He has proven himself to me time and time again.  I have learned to accept God's love and I am trying to live a life led by the light of the Lord. We can all roll our eyes, but remember how you felt when you gave birth for the first time. Remember your wedding day? Or think about how you recovered from that illness or how you got that check in the mail at the perfect time of your life when you needed it the most. Remember crossing that finish line to your 1st 100 Miler or Marathon? God is all around us in everything we do. You can be stubborn and deny God's existence, or you can celebrate his love by spreading it to others. He doesn't care, in fact denying him makes him try extra hard to love you. That's why I love God so much. He is the soul definition of love. I need love.  
There is lots more to life than making money and then spending it on big T.V.'s and possessional items that will have no value once you have moved on from this earth. The things people remember the most are the kind things you do to help others and the amazing things you have achieved and the amazing things you have helped other achieve.
The memory of a kind man lives on forever.
The memory of a greedy man will only last a moment or two (if your lucky)
I Love Writing In My Blog, it helps me release my feelings!
Healthy Regards,
-Rick-

More Pics From IH100!

The Iron Horse 100 Mile Run Race Report!

                        






















































Hello,
My name is Rick Cheever, AKA EnergeticRick!!! And this is my race report for The Iron Horse 100 Mile Running Race held in Orange Park, FL on March 1st, 2008. Orange Park is very close to Jacksonville, on the North East corner of Florida!

Traveling for Iron Horse was a very long process that allowed very little sleep for me and my head crew guy Simon.

Wednesday February, 27th
Simon and I traveled from Santa Margarita to San Francisco delivering dog food along the way. This was a 9 hour drive including all the dog food stops. We arrived in San Francisco around 10pm and ate a big pasta dinner and a beer at Gordon Biersch, yum yum. After dinner, we crashed at the hotel.

Thursday February, 28th
Simon and I woke up around 8am, ate a good breakfast at the Hotel, and were off by 9am to deliver the last of the dog food order. We finished delivering and were back at the Hotel in San Francisco by 1pm. We ate a nice big lunch. I had Fajita’s and 2 Guinness Beers! Yum Yum.
We went back to the hotel and just relaxed for the rest of the evening. I took a nice hot bath and ate a light dinner. We both went to bed early knowing that the next day, we had to wake up at 3am to catch our early morning plane from San Francisco to Dallas, and then on to Florida.
The Flight was really cool. We sat in the First Class Section. They served us free Food and Drinks the entire flight. We even got to see the movie Dan In Reel Life, with Steve Carrel. They gave us hot towels to put on our face as we arrived in Dallas. We got right on the next flight heading towards Florida, and there we were, just about to our final destination. We had fresh Salmon for lunch and another hot towel on the face made for a quick second flight. WE WERE THERE IN FLORIDA!!!
Next we got our luggage and rental car and headed to the host Hotel, The Howard Johnson or HOJO!!!

Our First Stop was the local Convenient Store where we loaded up the Ford Excursion rental car with liquids for the race. Cranberry Juice, Orange Juice, Red Bull, Star Bucks Double Shot Drink, Gatorade, and Water.

Next Stop Pre Race Meeting at The HOJO!!!
When I arrived to the pre-race meeting, the room was full. I walked nervously through the crowded room and met for the first time Race Director, Chris Rodatz. We had spoken over the phone numerous times, it was nice to finally meet him.
I received my packet full of goodies including a really cool race running shirt, and lots of cool stuff from the Marines.
So far, so good!
After registering and receiving my race packet, I headed on back to the crowd to find a seat!
I looked at my Race Number and as I looked at the number, my eyes widened. I was in shock. I always have positive experiences when I get a number that has meaning to me.
All of you who read my Across The Years 3 Day Race Report know that the 3 day race was a race of 3’s for me.
3 Days of Running
303 KM Ran over 3 days
Got “Chicked” 3 Times
Ran my first 100 miles ever in 33:33
Met a really cool guy named Ray K. who’s e-mail address is RayK33
That was the 3rd time I had done Across The Years
So I don’t even need to tell all of you that my number for Iron Horse was…..
#3!!!

I knew deep down inside that I would have an awesome race experience because I got race #3.

I didn’t even have a chance to find a seat before random people started coming up to me and asking me if I was Rick Cheever.

I said, “Yes, Why?”

They replied, “I have been reading your blog and I love reading what you have to say!”

I had 2 people recognize me from my blog. And here I thought that nobody reads these silly race reports and stories about running I do so passionately write about!
Needless to say, I was wrong.

The meeting went well.

I met for the first time Marc Griffin, a runner from Virginia. Marc ran across my blog and e-mailed me a couple of times before the race. It was nice to chat over e-mail with a fellow runner. We encouraged each other!!!
You will hear more about Marc later on!

After the pre-race meeting, Simon and I went to Carrabba’s to eat dinner before heading off to bed.
We had a very nice dinner. We sat outside. I liked sitting outside because I wanted to get a feel for the weather I would be running in the next day. It was so nice out. Not to cold and not hot at all. I had fresh bread dipped in olive oil, a big bowl of Spaghetti and meat sauce pasta, and I finished with a salad. I like to finish with a salad because it sits on top of what you just ate, allowing for faster digestion.

While we were eating dinner, a random person asked if I was Rick Cheever. I said yes and he said he was Glen and that he would be running in the race tomorrow as well! He knew me from my blog as well. We wished each other luck and he was off. It feels so good to know that people read my blog. I know that as I progress in my running, more people will read my blog and be encouraged and inspired by it!

We ended our dinner after hearing from the server. He told us about his sprint triathlon accomplishments. I was very happy for him and encouraged him to do an ironman someday. I bet he will do an ironman within the next couple of years. I planted the seed, so to speak!

We arrived back to the Hotel around 8:30pm, and were asleep by 9pm! Yee-Haw…
For about an hour and a half, I slept like a baby.
I woke up around 10pm and felt wide awake. I was so pumped up for the race the next morning, it was very hard to sleep.
I laid in bed for about 45 minutes and just thought about the race.
I just could not sleep, so I had to come up with a way to get to sleep.

I decided to take a hot bath in complete darkness. I sat in the steaming hot water, meditating and praying to God. I was so relaxed, it felt so good.
I got out of the hot water and walked outside to sit on a curb outside in the semi cold Orange Park, FL night. The steam poured off of my steaming hot body. It looked like I was smoking or on fire. Kind of neat to watch myself steam up in the reflection of the window. I sat outside for about 15 minutes cooling down. I felt even more relaxed.
Next, I went inside of the hotel and turned on the TV and watched the local news. This was nice and another way for me to connect, mentally with Orange Park, FL.
Finally, around Midnight, I was able to fall asleep for good…
Unlit, the alarm went off around 4am. 1am California Time!!!

Today was the day! Race Day! I was so excited yet, calm and focused, ready for an unpredictable day full of ups and downs!

I took a nice hot shower and began my pre race morning ritual.
I dried off and began lubricating my inner legs, arm pits, and feet. I do this with Vaseline and baby powder! (Simple)
Next I put on my running shorts and long sleeved ATY72 heat shirt. Then, I put on my socks and shoes. Last, I put on my jersey that Irishman Tony Mangan from ATY72 gave me! It would prove to be a very magic jersey!

I gathered up all of my gear and loaded it into the Ford Excursion. I was so extremely focused as we headed 10 miles down the road to the race start in Black Creak Park.
We got to the race 1 hour early, perfect!
First I checked in and took a picture of The Race Director, Chris Rodatz and I together. (Pre-Race)
People started showing up little by little.
Although there were only 11 of us brave enough to take on the 100 mile challenge, there were about 100 runners from all over Florida running in the 50K, 50 Mile, and 100K races! This would provide a nice buzz of energy in the early miles of the race.

Marc arrived and we took a pre race picture together. He was just as pumped, yet focused as I was. There was a nice fire going and we seamed to gravitate towards its warmth.

Scott, another 100 mile runner would show up and we would exchange pleasantries before the race began. This would be Scott’s very first 100 mile race ever ran. For Marc, this was his 3rd or 4th time at the distance. And for me, my 5th go at the distance, after 3 painful DNF’s over the last 2 years, and 1 successful attempt over New Year’s at ATY72!

I drank Gatorade all the way up until the gun went off, I knew it would be hot later on and I wanted to load up on Electrolytes.

The Race Director, Chris, said a nice prayer before we started and next thing you know…. BANG!

The race was underway!

I started the race wearing my ATY fleece pullover…. A mistake, but hey, that would be my only big mistake for the rest of the race. Not a big deal.
After a mile, I was sweating bullets and so I took off the pull over and ran with it in my hands. I was in no hurry, but running with a bulky pull over was no fun. Around mile 3 near the Wal-Mart, I noticed 2 people taking pictures. Sweet! I gave them my pull over and asked them to return it to the start, they did and life was good!
I continued to run at a nice slow pace up until the 6 mile aid station. The race winner from last year Hung Kwon, who ran the race in under 20 hours last year, passed by me as I was taking an early walking break. He said hello as he ran past looking great!
If I have learned anything from these races it is to NOT go out to fast in the beginning of the race. You will have plenty of time to warm up first, then you can run…. Slowly!
I ran through the first 6 mile aid station grabbing bananas, potatoes, and Gatorade. I wanted to spend as little time there as possible. I was in and out in less than a minute.
My legs were starting to ache already, I knew this was going to be a long day, and I said a prayer for the pain to go away. I continued on at a slow pace.

The course was a 12 1/2 mile out and 12 1/2 mile back.

The mile 6-7 is very nice. You go over a very big bridge that overlooks a gorgeous bay. I would walk up this only hill in the race. Marveling at the bay’s beauty. It was truly a site to see. I thanked God for the beautiful scenery and once I got to the top of the bridge, mile 7, I began running again.
The next 2 miles were ran through a neighborhood. I liked this part of the route because there was no traffic and my crew guy could be accessed.
Mile 9 1/2 till Mile 12 1/2 were ran next to a rail road track where the train was running and provided a very loud whistle or horn as we ran. Later on in the race, the train’s whistle would “Scare The Heck out of ME!”
At mile 9 I began to run effortlessly without any pain.
Yeah! I was finally warmed up after 9 miles, it was about time!
I ran smoothly to the mile 12 1/2 aid station, passing Hung Kwon along the way. He looked determined and it was cool to see him.
He was in second place at the time and I could care less where I was.
I turned around after a quick aid station stop. I ate the same things, Bananas, Potatoes, Gatorade, and Salt Tablets.
I ran back to the 6 mile aid station strong and quick, I felt great. When I arrived to the mile 6 aid station (Mile 18)
I was feeling tired and cramped.
I ended up hobbling through the next 6 miles to the finish of my first 25 mile lap. I chatted with Scott, the guy running his first 100, for the last 4 miles of this challenging journey to mile 25. All I could think was please God, help me finish this first 25 miles. I was hurting bad with lots of cramps in my legs and hips.
Talking with Scott helped me get to mile 25. We talked about his adventure racing.
We both were hurting as we ran into the Mile 25 aid Base Camp Aid Station.
I went to my Crew Guy Simon at The Ford Excursion.
I took some pills, drank some liquids, and ate some more potatoes and bananas. I felt like pure CRAP but I knew I had no choice but to keep going.
I put my legs up in the air while Simon massaged and pounded the lactic acid out of them. This felt good. I took about a 15 minute break overall and I gathered up my gear and headed back out to what would be the most challenging lap of the day! The HOT lap. My shorts were dripping wet as I started the second lap, from the morning humidity. I remember thinking that I hoped the humidity would go away before the sun came out, and it would….. Thank God!
As I headed out, Marc headed in. He had no crew guy so I told him he could have anything he wanted from my crew guy Simon. Marc looked just worked from the first 25 miles, just as I did.
My first 25 miles took me only 4 1/2 Hours to complete!
On my way out after about a 1/2 of a mile, I saw Scott again and he looked Mentally Defeated. He was limping and he had a negative attitude. I was trying my hardest to encourage him but it seamed as if he had already given up on the 100 miles. He said he would be going for the 50 mile finish, and that was so good to hear. He was hurting and still going to go for a secondary goal of 50 miles,. That is what this sport is all about. Just being out there, even if you are not going to make your original goal. Way to go Scott. This would be the last I saw of Scott and to this day I still have no idea if he finished his 50 miles or not. I am willing to bet big money that he did. Scott, if you’re reading this… Let me know!
I made it to the 6 mile aid station (mile 31) after a rough 6 miles. I loaded up on Potatoes and Salt, bananas, salt tablets, and lots of Gatorade and water!
I felt like crap but kept going, knowing that the beautiful Bay Bridge was coming up. I would walk up the bridge and marvel once again in its beauty. I decided to give running a try once I got to the top of the bridge!
I felt refreshed, I had gotten over a very bad low and was able to run again. I felt great, I ran all the way to the 12 1/2 mile turn around (Mile 36)
I once again loaded up on bananas, potatoes dipped in salt, salt tablets, Gatorade and water.
I was able to continue running all the way to the 6 mile aid station (Mile 44)
At this point I was completely spent. The sun had gotten to me and I was starting to experience the early signs of heat exhaustion. I had plenty of water and just basically needed to make it another 6 miles to the Base Camp Aid Station, where I could take a nice long break at mile 50.
The next 6 miles would be the HARDEST 6 miles of the entire race. I felt light headed, dizzy, and just drained. My legs felt fine, but my head and body were suffering. I honestly felt like I was going to pass out. Every step was a challenging task, trying to stay conscience in the hot Florida Sun. After about an hour of just hanging in there, I stumbled into Base camp!
I had arrived at mile 50! At this point Marc had passed me and I was so happy for him. I was excited that he was still looking so strong! He was very inspiring to me!
I loaded up on bananas, potatoes, and liquids before heading into the excursion for a 30 minute rest. I felt so weak. Weaker than I had ever felt. I did however, still have a very positive attitude. I called Sally, and my Mom, while I was resting and updated them. I called Glen Turner, who is running (Zzzooming) across the USA. He provided many words of encouragement to me. He was so positive and he helped me keep a positive attitude. I had survived the hardest lap of the race. The heat lap. It took me 6 hours to run my 2nd 25 mile lap!
My 50 Mile time split was 10:30 and I headed out at 11 hours with 13 hours to go to do my final 50 miles.

I felt very fresh heading out on lap 3. I ran to the first aid station, just happy to be alive, and feeling fresh.
There was a nice 1 mile flat wooden bridge leading to the aid station. It was so nice to run on and I found myself in a trance as I passed all the wooden posts arranged perfectly in order for an entire mile. When I got to the aid station, every one was clapping for me. It was wonderful. The young military men and women ran up to me before I could even get to the table and took my bottle and filled it up for me. Answering every question with yes sir and no sir. It was very cool. I loaded up on the usual. Potatoes, Bananas, Salt, and liquids. I was on my way. Towards the next aid station, Mile 62.
I basically took my time getting there. Mixing up jogging and walking. Sometimes I thought that my jog was slower than a walk, but it just felt good to jog, so I continued to do so!
My crew guy was meeting me every mile to help re-fill my bottles, this was awesome and a big help.
I finally hobbled into the mile 62 aid station feeling tired but still very positive. I needed something other than the bananas and potatoes that I ended up loading up on.
I continued on down the 2nd half of lap 3 and was able to jog again. The balls of my feet were beginning to hurt. I pushed through the pain. It was starting to get dark as the sun was going down just as I passed the Big Bay Bridge. I was in awe of the Amazing Sun Set as I walked over the only hill on the entire course.
I stumbled into the 68 mile aid station and felt relieved to know that I was almost to mile 75! I was getting close.
The military personnel were gone and replaced by A group of Fraternity guys. This was a nice change of scenery, as they provided some comic relief.
The next 6 miles leading into mile 75 would be just nuts!
I continued to walk towards mile 75 when a familiar girl ran by me, she was doing the 100K I think. We had been encouraging each other the entire race and at this point I needed her encouragement more than ever! She smiled as she passed and told me how awesome I looked, I must have looked terrible, but she made me feel so good by telling me that. I began to pray for strength to run again. As I was praying, I saw her life her arm up like you would see at a church when someone receives the holly spirit. I knew at this point she was praying for me and asking God to help me. At this point I felt something amazing… Strength! I began running again. I caught up to her and ran behind her. She kept her hand out and I continued to pray. We ran together for about 15 minutes. It was amazing. I truly felt the power from Above. It was just remarkable. I felt an extreme connection between me and the girl runner. I know she felt it to and it was just something amazing that I will never ever forget.
I still had about 4 miles to go and I was drained. I was running on empty and needed some calories badly.
I prayed for some way to receive calories. Not to far after I said a prayer, I lady from the race rode by me on a bike and asked me if I needed anything. I said, “do you have any calories or water” She looked around in her fanny pack and all she had were 2 ginger chews. My favorite Running Snack. What are the chances! And she filled my bottle up with water! The ginger tasted heavenly. I told myself that this girl was an angel sent to me from above. After all I asked for help from above, and she came Zzzooming to my rescue. The ginger chews settled my stomach and provided me with just enough calories to make it to the 3 mile mark (mile 72) were I met my crew guy Simon. I told Simon to get me some Macaroni and Cheese and Some Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and a Dr. Pepper from KFC nearby. Within 15 minutes, I was able to stop and eat the very necessary meal providing my system with the perfect amount of carbs and calories to keep going. If I had to wait any longer, I would have had to suffer more and more. The meal came at the perfect time. This was another 15 minute break I took. It was dark by now and I was 2 miles from the mile 75 base camp turn around.
I was chatting on the phone with a headset to my dear friend Sally as I headed into Mile 75 at 12:30 am,.
My 3rd 25 mile lap had taken me 7 1/2 hours to complete.
I crossed the mark and headed to the aid station table to eat something new… oranges! It’s about time, I love oranges, and the city we were in was called Orange Park, I was wondering when they were going to bust out the oranges. I was planning on filling my water bottle and taking a 15 minute break. While filling my water bottle the Race Director, Chris Rodatz, came up to me, keep in mind my friend Sally was on the line and could hear what he was saying.
Chris told me, “I’m sorry I have to do this to you Rick, but I am going to have to pull you from the course. There is no way you can make it to the turn around point in time.”
I quickly said, “Yes I CAN!”
He said, “I’m sorry but no you can’t”
I said again very loud, “YES I CAN and I will”
We argued for a minute and he finally said, “Fine, get going now and hurry up”
I was so excited he would let me continue. I had no time to take my 15 minute break. I immediately headed right back out on the course heading towards the mile 6 aid station witch would be mile 81. I had no time to wake up my crew guy Simon and tell him I was there. He ended up sleeping for the next couple of hours with his phone off and I had no way to contact him. I knew everything would be OK. I had the aid station to look forward to and I could technically do it without him. Plus I still had Sally on the line.
Sally said that was BULL-CRAP about the race director trying to make me stop. I vented a lot to her, and I thank her for listening to me vent. Chris telling me I could not finish provided me with a fire inside that would fuel my next 6 miles to the aid station.

Sally was wonderful to me, she calmed me down and basically was there for me when I needed someone very badly. Thank you Sally.
I hung up with Sally with about 3 miles to go until the mile 6 aid station (mile 81)
I was so tired, I walked most of the way to the aid station.
I arrived to the 1 mile bridge before the aid station and something really scared me. I began running again. I knew I only had 1 mile to run before the aid station.
Wanna know what motivated me to run this time?
I was totally tripping out. When I entered the 1 mile bridge, I imagined that there were alligators underneath it in the swampy waters. I had no flashlight at this point. My lithium batteries had died. I could just barely see my next step. I heard splashing and moving underneath me. After all, I was running in Florida, home of the Gators!
I was engulfed in the experience! This was so scary yet exciting for me. Were the Gators really there or not? There is a strong possibility that they were there. But, I did not want to find out. So I ran the next mile to the aid station.
When I arrived to the aid station the aid station supervisor told me once again, “Rick, I just got a call from Chris Rodatz, and he told me to pull you from the race.”
Messing with a runner at mile 81 of a 100 mile race is not a very smart thing to do.
I basically told the guy he would have to physically remove me from the course because I was not going to stop until I crossed that final finish line. They agreed to let me go and they agreed to keep the next aid station Mile 88 open until I came through!
I was so happy!
As I headed to the aid station, in the pitch black night, without a flashlight, a truck came towards me with his brights on. I though, “Hello, turn your lights down, your killing me here”
Guess who it was? The race director Chris Rodatz. His attitude had taken a compete 180 and all the sudden he was very kind and supportive towards me. He said that he was making the aid station volunteers stay until I got there and to “hurry up” I thanked him and continued down the course.
As I came within’ 3 miles of the aid station at mile 88, I was scared half to death. The train was coming through in the pitch black and it let out a huge loud whistle noise. I jumped just about 6 feet up in the air, it startled me. I continued in the black of night towards mile 88. When I got there, they were all clapping for me and they were all very supportive. I sat down and went to the bathroom, (That felt wonderful) loaded up on, yup, you guessed it…Potatoes and Bananas and Gatorade. Then, I said thank you so much for waiting for me, and headed out on my final 12 miles towards 100 miles!

I was able to jog happily as I listened to “Wicked” my favorite musical. It was such happy music in a very painful time for me. My legs were begging for mercy but more than that, the balls of my feet felt like they were bleeding and just trashed. I did not want to take my shoes off to look, I was afraid of what I might have found. The last lap seemed to drag on and on. But it was nice, I enjoyed running in the complete dark. The train showed up one more time and scared the heck out of me.
Chris Rodatz also stopped by again and made sure I was doing OK. He told me the mile 6 aid station guys had packed up and gone home and he asked me what I need from there so he could leave it out for me when I came through. That was very kind of him to do. I don’t even need to tell you what I asked him for… Potatoes and Bananas!!! And GATORade!

Life was good! My feet were still killing me!
My crew guy would meet me every 1/2 mile as I headed towards the final aid station!
It was a very peaceful and serene zombie death march as I still had not slept or taken a break longer than 30 minutes.
I was at peace even though my body was being pushed to it’s limits. I thanked God so many times and even broke down and cried a couple of times. I was very emotional. This was the hardest thing I had ever done and I was almost done. I was so thankful!
I got to the 93 mile mark when the 24 hour mark hit. The 93 mile mark was on top of the bay bridge, just one mile from the final aid station. It was the perfect spot for me to celebrate my new 24 hour PR of 93 miles. I broke down and cried once again! I was so very thankful, I knew I was going to finish at this point. The only thing bugging me, were the balls of my feet. I was hoping they would still be there when I took of my shoes! I did not change socks the entire time! Since I never changed my socks, I was worried that my feet would be trashed, but more than anything, I needed to finish.
I got to the 6 mile to go aid station and the items I had requested from Chris were sitting out waiting for me to consume! Chris turned out to be such a nice guy and a great race director. Chris truly understands the spirit of Ultra Running, as he is also a 100 mile runner himself!
I ate the food and headed out for my final 6 miles. I walked and walked and walked. Enjoying every step, I didn’t want this amazing adventure to end.
Around mile 3 I called my best friend Adam and chatted with him. I began to throw up but it didn’t even phase me. Nothing mattered but finishing. My friend Adam later told me that I sounded worse than I had ever sounded to him before. He said I was talking so very slow and slurring my words. He also said that I would cut my self off in the middle of a sentence and start a new one. He told me a joke and I missed the punch line. I laughed my butt of even though I didn’t get the joke. I provided Adam with a nice courtesy laugh. It felt so good talking to him. Remember, always provide your friends and loved ones with a “courtesy laugh” when ever appropriate! They will love you for it! LOL
I called a couple other people to let them know I was 2 miles away! I called Sally, My Mom, Glen Turner, and Jamil! They were all so happy for me! It was awesome, I was going to finish.
I finally got 1 mile away from the finish and I called my crew guy Simon to let him know I was only 1 mile away! He was so excited for me! Simon and Chris were the only people left waiting for little ole me!
I ran the last mile and finished with a big smile on my face!
I had done it! I ran 100 miles in 26 hours and 37 minutes. Not a bad time. I shook Chris’s hand and thanked him so much for allowing me to finish. I was an official finisher and my name will be in Ultra Running Magazine. I placed 5th out of 11. Marc Finished 3rd just under 24 hours! Well done! And we all got “chicked” The 1st place overall woman finished in under 18 hours, AMAZING!
Chris’s kindness didn’t stop there, he apologized for not being able to give me a 100 mile belt buckle, because it had to be done under 24 hours, but he did give me a very nice 100K belt buckle, that I will cherish forever. And if that was not enough, Chris gave me a nice ice cold beer to drink. We toasted and said our goodbyes.
Simon and I got into the Ford Excursion that was completely trashed with stinky running clothes and empty Gatorade bottles scattered all over the back portion of the vehicle.
I had done it and we were off to Orlando, a 3 hour drive from Orange Park!
We arrived and I crashed for about 2 hours. I woke up and sat in the hot tub, it was heavenly! I loved it. I made some phone calls and e-mails and had a nice taco salad dinner. I stayed up till about 10pm and then crashed for the night. We would be flying home the next day!
I know you all are wondering what my feet looked like after I took my socks off…
I had one medium sized blister and a couple very small blisters and that was it! Praise God! My feet and legs both held up and I was able to walk the day of and the next day. My legs were very tight but they felt good. NO INJURIES! PRAISE GOD!!!
The flight went well!
I am now sitting in Star Bucks 5 days after the race in Arizona and I feel great!
I will be running 6 miles tonight with The Scottsdale Running Company and will be taking it easy.
Tomorrow I will be hiking to the highest point in Arizona, Mt. Humphries Peak in Flagstaff with my best friend Adam. I can’t wait to spend time with him and the mountain! It will be a nice slow recovery pace!
Life is so amazing! Don’t ever miss out on an opportunity to experience something amazing and new! Love as much as you possibly can! Your body is an amazing thing that can do anything with the right mental state of mind.
As I leave you remember this…
For every high there is a low, for every low there is a high. As the lows get lower, the highs get higher!
Next Stop…
The Douglas Arizona 6 Day race April 13th-19th where I will attempt to run 300 miles in 6 days…
Stay Tuned!
Healthy Regards,
-EnergeticRick!!!-

2 weeks Till Iron Horse 100 Mile run!

I am very excited about the up coming Iron Horse race in Florida.
I ran on the treadmill today while watching the movie Disurbia. I rigged up my computer so that I can now watch movies while I run. This will help the time pass by much faster.
I am now back in California and have just gotten back from a Dog Food Delivery to and from San Francisco. It was a long trip but I did get to see some very nice scenery.
I talked to my friend Glen Turner. Glen is running across the USA unsupported starting tomorrow. He is attempting to break a world record. I am very excited because when I go to Arizona next week, I will get to run with him. I can't wait. I am going to bring him a gift but I don't quite know what yet.
So other than that, my day has been uneventful.
I am dieting just a tad bit to drop a couple of pounds before IH100. My legs, ankles, and feet all feel great after my long run today. I feel like I am in good shape. Good enough shape to complete a 100 mile race.
There has been a lot of pressure on me to try and win this race.
When I read Pam Reed's Book, she says...
Don't worry about getting first place. Just get to the finish line as fast as you can and if you just happen to come across the line in first place, well that's just an extra added bonus. I would like to officially say that I will not be attempting to win the race, or to even place well. I plan to finish under 24 hours period. I want to keep my body fresh for The Douglas AZ 6 day race April 13th-19th. that is my A race and I want to be as fresh as possible for it!
Hope all is well!
Google Glen turner and check out his web-cite!
-Rick-
p.s. here is a link to Glens Page...
http://grtrunning.com/

Scottsdale Running Company!

Last night I decided to swing by an old familiar place I used to run at every Tuesday and Thursday night. It is a very awesome running store called "Scottsdale Running Company" I ended up going on a 6 mile run with about 10 other people. We all raced and at the 3 mile mark, I was tied for second. After we turned around, I turned on the after burners and finished in first, well ahead of the other finishers. Right now, I am running better than I have ever ran before and with less than 4 weeks till The Iron Horse 100 Mile Run, I am very excited.
Today I will be traveling up to Flagstaff with my friend Craig. While I am there I will be visiting with my best friend, head crew chief, and partner....Adam!
I am so excited to see my best friend. He is getting married in May to a very nice lady named Amy!
Life is good (and cold)
-Rick-

Tom Brady!

So I heard that a "Brady" was coming into the airport, so I investigated and found out that it was in fact Tom Brady!
I waited till his limo showed up and ran right up to where his jet was staged. Tom got out and looked so sad. He looked very beat up. He gave a couple hugs and was up onto the aircraft. I took one of Tom Brady's bags!!! It was so exciting to see one of the greatest football players of all time!
I saw David spade again last night and Paula Abdul. The Super Bowl was amazing. I actually got to watch the last quarter. It was awesome to see Eli Manning Win!
Life is freakin' sweet!
I am running into all of my heros!
-Rick-

Super Bowl XLII

Since Wednesday, I have been working many hours at The Scottsdale Air Center. This is a private airport for people who own private jets. Since the Super Bowl has been going on in Glendale, a lot of high profile celebrities have come through. I have seen David Spade, Cindy Crawford, Tommy Lee, Reggie Bush, Katt Williams and more. I missed Puff Daddy, Justin Timberlake, and Paris Hilton. I basically am helping clients get there luggage from their private jets to there limos. It is a lot of fun but I am working tons of hours. I was able to go to the gym after work yesterday. I felt awesome running on the treadmill. I am very excited about The race in Florida Coming up!
I have moved back to AZ in order to make more money so that I can run more races. I am basically living out of my car. My good friend Craig is letting me sleep at his house. So thats nice. I am so thankful for his help. I am taking showers at the gym. I am actually being forced to go to the gym in a way and it works. It is very easy and convenient to do.
I am kind of just taking things day by day. So keep me in your thoughts as I am trying to find a place to stay.
Life is still Amazing and the super bowl is or so exciting!
-Rick-

24 Mile Training Run!!!

Today, my goal was to run 20 miles to help my body train for The Woodside 50K in San Francisco, CA one week from today on Feb. 2nd, The Day Before The Super Bowl!
I started at 9am and ran for 4 hours and 20 minutes. Along the route I witnessed some cool things. First off, I saw a dead pig on the side of the road and a dead skunk, just a couple feet from the pig. I admit, this is not very cool, but it was something to witness. I was worried that the skunk was still alive and that it was going to spray. That would not have been any fun. I have never been sprayed by a skunk and I don't want to ever be.
Next, as I was running...
5 cows came running up behind me, to my left, completely out of nowhere.
There were 3 white cows and 2 tan cows.
They ran in a single file line and slowly passed me. They slowly gained ground on me little by little and after about 10 minutes the cows had passed and were out of site.
They kind of trotted along, not really at a fast pace.
At one point they were running in a straight line laterally. But most of the time they were in a single file line. It was a very cool experience. I felt like I was running with the COWS!!!
I also came across 2 people who were picking up trash on the road. I ran into them twice!
The first time I ran by the couple, they were picking up trash on the side of the road! Go Them!
When I passed them, they asked me how far I was running. I said 20 miles. They said they passed me a while ago and that they would probably pass me again.
Later on down the road, about 2 hours later. I ran into them again. This time my water was completely gone and I asked them If they had any water. They did have water and they filled one of my bottles for me! I was so happy they gave me water!
I continued to run!
I finally arrived to my destination. There was one problem. My ride had not gotten there yet. so I kept running. I ended up running an extra 3 mile. So my total for the day was 24 miles in 4 hours and 20 minutes.
This was only the 2nd time I had run over 20 miles in a training run. I feel great right now. This means that my body is slowly progressing towards being able to run more miles more often. This is why I am training.
Next week I will run 31 miles or 50K at woodside 50K in San Francisco, CA!
Life is good!
-Rick-
More to come soon!

The Story of "Lucky" The Miracle Baby Goat!

The most amazing thing happened to me Wednesday night and Thursday morning!
Wednesday Night, my partner Simon and I came home from a very long day of cold, wet, and just plain "Nasty" weather, to find 2 new born baby goats in the cold
wet rainy pasture.
Upon arrival, the first baby was
frozen solid and had passed away. I was so sad because it was almost certain, the other baby who had been born just a few minutes earlier, would also be dead.
The other baby goat laying next to the frozen one was literally half frozen and just barely able
to struggle for a breath.
Her belly was rising very slowly and her eyes were wide open. Her eyelids had frozen to her eyes. But technically, she was still alive. Just barely.
I immediately took her
inside the garage to heat her up by laying her down by
the heater.
I said many prayers.
Simon and I both agreed that she had about a 5% chance or less
of making it through the night into the next morning.
We let her lay in front of the heater,
still, not moving very much and ice cold.
Later when she heated up
a bit and was still hanging in there, Simon and I
milked another momma goat (we had no idea where the real mother was)
and fed the baby milk from
the bottle, using a dropper.
Just a couple drops. I knew deep down in
my heart that if the baby would drink some milk, it
would give her nourishment until morning and could possibly survive.
I said another prayer!
The baby
drank the milk and Simon and I went to bed.
All logic would indicate that we would have a dead baby the next morning.
I would be happy to just have prolonged her life.
I woke up in the morning and went downstairs to see what happened overnight.
The storm we had and are still having was very harsh and
cold as I walked downstairs to check out the baby goat.
I said another prayer before going into the room with the
goats.
I walked in and the baby was not in sight. I immediately started to worry.
The other older and bigger baby goats were crowded by the heater
and I thought the baby was dead underneath the bigger
babies, thinking the bigger babies were laying right on top of her.
Then, out of nowhere, the new born baby goat walks
right up to me! Last night the new born could not
come even close to standing. Her legs were so weak and
fragile. When we would try to get her to stand, there was no hope, she was very week. When we found her in the pasture, she was limp like a wet dish towel.
The newborn baby goat had survived the entire night off of just a couple drops of milk! If the baby would not have had the couple drops of (Magic) Milk, she would have died for sure.
I am so completely amazed that it brings tears to my
eyes.
I saved a baby goats life and it feels wonderful.
I will never forget this experience! It was very
scary and sad and also happy and amazing! The miracle
of life is something to truly value.
Let's not forget about the power of prayer.
I have began to pray a lot more recently and I believe prayer
works. I felt the spirit so incredibly much at Across
The Years and I got that same feeling Thursday, right
before going to see if the baby was still alive!
I am so thankful for what I have and my talents.
The Lord our God, is unfathomable!
Have a safe and warm day!
Much Love!
-Rick-

Day 4 with Right Foot Problem. Heal Foot Heal!!!

My body needs to heal itself!
I am so sad that my right foot still hurts very much when I walk on it. The good news is that my right foot hurts less and less every day. I am guessing that on day 10, I should be able to run without pain, but I am willing to wait even longer if that is how long it takes to heal. I do start school tomorrow and part of my school is a Hour and 1/2 Advanced Swim class. I would consider myself an intermediate swimmer, so this class is going to be very challenging and very physical. So by swimming on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I will get to have a nice intense cardio workout in the pool! This will make sure I get at least 2 good cardio workouts every week. The other good news it that the injury is on the top of my foot, towards the middle of the foot, where all those small bodes are. I hope I did not break anything and I hope that if I did, it does not affect my March 1st, race in Florida and that is heals as fast as can be!
Heal body Heal!!!!!
-Rick-

1st Week Back Training!

I started running on Sunday on a long road near Paso Robles, I felt great running on the very scenic road. I only ran about 5 miles because my ride came and got me a little to early.
Monday through Friday, I woke up very early, Around 4:30am and ran for about an hour each day on the treadmill and I also did about 20 minutes of Ab exercises. This has been a great week full of lots of energy and anticipation for school to start 2 days from today.
Saturday, I did hurt my right foot when I banged it really hard on the door, leaving the hotel room to run on the treadmill. I ended up running fine on the treadmill but after about an hour after running, my foot started to hurt very badly. The pain was still there yesterday and even today. This makes me very sad, because I love to run so much and now I feel like I can't run for a while. I hope this heals soon and I hope nothing is broken.
I plan to run Woodside 50K in 2 weeks so I am hoping I recover quickly from this foot injury.
I do start swimming on Tuesday and Thursday so that will allow me to stay active and i will also keep doing my ab exercises and since I can't run, I will kick my ab exercises up a notch! I will also try to do more soft weights to make up for no running. Sometimes an injury is a blessing in disguise because sometimes the body needs to rest a bit, but the runner does not want to rest. This injury is forcing me to take a break from running and I guess thats a good thing right now. I always try to stay as positive as possible.
On a lighter note.... I sent in my race registration and fee to Iron Horse 100 Mile Run. The race will be ran March 1st in Orange Park, Florida and I am excited to attempt finishing 100 miles in under 24 hours. I have never done it before but I am positive about this attempt. I just need to recover from this foot injury. I have plane reservations and am sitting in 1st class. The plane ride will be very relaxing!
Also....
I have sent in my application for Badwater 135 in Death Valley, CA.
No, I don't actually think I am going to be selected, but I will be ready to race if I am selected. It is very hard to get into Badwater 135 so I am applying this year and I will be pacing as well! When next year rolls around, I will have an even better chance of making it into the race, plus I will have tons more experience.
Remember, I was not expecting to get into ATY72, it just kind of happened! So I am hoping the running gods will be on my side as my application is being reviewed! Either way, I will be running at Badwater 135! Either as a runner or a pacer/crew member!
I am very excited about what's to come and about my foot healing!
2 Weeks Till Woodside 50K in San Francisco, CA!
-Rick-
p.s. The picture above is of someone else's foot, not mine, mine is not swollen at all, it just hurts bad when I walk on it! It will go away, no worries!

Some Pics From ATY72!!!

The Across The Years 72 Hour Race Report!!!

The Across The Years 72 Hour Race Report Dec. 24th 2007-Jan. 7th 2008

Dec. 24th

I picked up Martina Hausmann, A very well known Multi-Day runner in Europe, from the airport today around 11pm. This marks the start of my Across The Year’s Journey! I am so excited to begin! Christmas is tomorrow!

Dec. 25th

Martina and I headed out to Vistancia to hike the AZ trail, early on Christmas Morning, The scenery was beautiful and Martina was very excited to see some Cacti!
Martina from Germany spent Christmas with my Family. I saw both my Brother’s and my Sister. I also saw all 5 nieces. They are such beautiful girls, it is so much fun watching them grow. My sister and brother Geoff were very quiet and shy and I was not able to visit with them much, this made me sad. I did spend quite a lot of time with my Mom and my brother Paul! It was very nice to see all the children.
The dinner was very nice and afterwards, Martina and I saw a very colorful, drive through light display at The Community Church of Joy!
All in all, a very nice Christmas!

Dec. 26th

Martina and I went to Sedona today. We hiked the very beautiful and scenic Airport Loop! We saw lots of nice red rock formations.
After our hike, we visited a very nice art gallery and saw some great pieces of ART.
We then went to a souvenir shop and had fun buying gifts for our friends.
We ate at the Javelina Café. A Mexican restaurant. Martina had a fun time trying to figure out what the items on the menu were!
We had a nice drive home and stopped at the shoe store where Martina bought 5 pairs of shoes. Shoes in America are way less than shoes in Germany, so Martina Stocked Up!

Dec. 27th

I checked my e-mail today and saw a message from the race director. He asked if I would like to be bumped up from the 48-hour race to the 72-hour race. I did not even have to think about it, I graciously accepted. I wanted to run the 72 Hour race all along. I was planning on running the 48-hour because the lottery told me so. Now, I would be running the 72-hour race! My Dream!!!
Today I hosted a Pre-Race Pasta Dinner at my mother’s house in Sun City.
In attendance were, Jamil and Nathan Coury, Tony Mangan, Martina Hausmann, Carrie Sauter and her significant other Craig, David Elsbernd and his brother Roy, my Mother and my best friend, the chef, Craig!
We ate Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce along with Salad and Prime Rib. Chef Craig did a wonderful job making the food. We also enjoyed a wide variety of deserts and wine. A wonderful time was had by all! We were able to meet each other and share stories and advice from past races. Carrie Sauter was in the same boat as I was. She had never run a 72-hour race before either. We immediately bonded in this regard. Carrie and Craig are such nice people, they make a perfect couple! I was so happy to know that I was not the only one attempting this for the first time!
It was nice having runners over for dinner 2 nights before the big race!

Dec. 28th

I left my house with Martina Hausmann for Nardini Manor around 2pm. We would stop for gas and a sandwich at Subway for tonight’s dinner and stay at Nardini Manor.
We arrived to Nardini Manor in Litchfield Park, AZ around 3:30pm and immediately began unloading the fully loaded car. I mean this car was packed as tight as can be. I first set up my bed in the heated tent, right next to Martina. It was cold in the tent, but we were not to worry, the tent would be heated during the race, just not this first night, before the race. In the middle of unloading my gear, I felt very light headed. I was seeing spots and felt like I was going to pass out. I quickly lay down in my bed I just set up. It was very cold and I was sweating bullets, and I felt very dizzy and light headed. This was scary; it almost felt like I was having an anxiety attack. This passed after about 15 minutes. I felt it was a good idea to eat my Subway sandwich, so I did and it made me feel better. I guess I was just so nervous and excited, my body was freaking out on me. My body had to of known what was to come.
After I ate my sandwich, I took a 2-hour nap.
When I woke up I felt great and was able to wonder around the manor a bit and I also continued to set everything up for tomorrow morning when the race would start.
I ran into a very nice fellow named Glen Turner who was very pleasant to chat with. He invited me to dinner with him, Tony Mangan, brothers Brian, David, and Roy Elsbernd, and some family members of the Elsbernd brothers!
We decided to go eat at The Olive Garden. This is the place I used to work at. At a different location but the same place!
Tony decided not to go with us, he would stay back at Nardini Manor and sleep instead.
Dinner was amazing! I ate spaghetti and meat sauce!
Glen Turner was very inspiring to listen to. He answered all of our questions and told us about his upcoming trip across the USA. He plans to run across the USA unsupported. He is a true inspiration and I feel very honored to have been able to eat dinner with him.
We arrived back to the race cite around 9:30pm. The race would start in less than 12 hours. We were all so very excited.
I had a very hard time sleeping this night. I was tossing and turning all night it seamed. I got up to go to the bathroom about 5 times. I must have slept 4 hours total, but I was lying down and resting for about 7 total hours total.

Dec. 29th RACEDAY
At 4:45am, I just could not take it anymore. I was cold and I wanted to go and sit in my car with the heat on and listen to music. So I did. I listened to the musical “Wicked” while my head crew guy, Simon, was about 1 hour away. When Simon would arrive, we would go to Mc Donald’s and have breakfast before the race! We arrived to Mc. Donald’s and I ate some hash browns and OJ only. I was not very hungry, but I knew I needed something in my stomach. I was amazed, This was by far, the nicest Mc Donald’s I have ever eaten at. I felt so comfortable sitting in a recliner and watching the news on a flat screen TV. (Seriously)
After breakfast, we headed back to the race.
I gathered up all my gear and started getting ready. I lubed up my feet, armpits, and groin area and began getting dressed. I was running a little behind and ended up missing the pre race meeting. Lucky for me, I had my other crew guy, “Adam” at the race, and he sat through the meeting for me. What a great guy! It helps having a crew!
I arrived to the starting line with my I-Pod as the race was starting.
I had done it! I made it to the starting line. I have a little joke I always say. “Getting to the starting line is the hardest part, running the race is the easy part!”
We were off!!!
I walked through the starting line to begin my first 500 Meter lap. Tears of joy flowed down my cheeks as I was overcome with emotion. It was such a happy moment for me. I was here, living out my dream. This is what I had been waiting to do for such a long time.
I walked the entire first day. I always go out to hard and this time I vowed not to. I specifically told my crew to watch out for me, as I tend to go out to fast. I told them to only let me walk and to not let me jog or run.
I began to jog and my crew was there to tell me to walk. I got a bit angry because I had a ton of energy but Adam and Simon were right, walking was best.
As the night grew longer it grew colder as well. I was freezing, layering jackets upon jackets just to keep warm. This used a lot of energy and was frustrating. This also added an extra challenge to the race!
I lasted from 9am until about 5am or so. I would then take my first sleep break. I told Adam to wake me up in 1 hour. He did and I was still very tired so I told him to let me sleep just one more hour only. And he did. I slept for 2 hours and was back on the track around 7am to face the new day. I remember that is was so cold when I was sleeping. The heated tent did not seam very heated at all. It was very hard to get up and out the tent door simply because it was so cold. No one wants to leave behind a nice warm bed, especially when you are freezing cold and sore. With Adam’s help, I made it back onto the track! Having a crew helped me out so much. Adam even walked the first couple laps with me. We were walking about 1 mile an hour, and that’s if we were lucky. Having someone to walk with the first mile or so after you wake up helps so much!
The sun was just about up and it brought me new energy. The sun is amazing; it really brings life and energy to me after a long, cold, and dark night.
2 Hours to go and there would be fresh runners with fresh energy to look forward to. There is one 72-hour run, 2 48-hour runs, and 3 24-hour runs so each day fresh runners start at 9am!
I was still very tired from the first day so I would run until about 10am so that I could experience the fresh runners. Then, I would take another short nap.

Dec. 30th Day # 2

Fresh runners were all I could think about as I pushed through the first 24 hours! I ended up running around 75 miles in the first 24 hours. Not to bad for walking most the time!
The Fresh runners came and man were they flying. I laughed inside. I knew they would slow down in a couple of hours. I was still very tired so after watching the fresh speedsters, I took another short nap around 10am.
This nap only lasted about an hour but it was very necessary and it felt wonderful. This time I was not as cold, as the sun had risen.
It was much easier to wake up and get back out on the track!
I was back running around 11am.
I walked and walked and walked some more.
My feet started to swell, so I got them looked at and re-taped. I had very small blisters but all in all my feet looked great. Something I was amazed to see. (Good feet) My crew still would not let me run. I remember that the first day took forever to pass. I mean forever. The second day just flew by. Next thing I knew, I was approaching 100 miles. I had never run 100 miles before, ever. This was an exciting part of the race for me!
I decided to walk the 100-mile lap with my crew. I told them that this is a celebration for all of us. We are a team and nothing is possible without your teammates. Without my team, I don’t know what would have happened. I still could have managed, but it would have been much more difficult…
Right before I crossed the line that would mark 100 miles for me, I noticed that the time was 33 hours and 32 minutes. I thought to myself, why not wait 1 minute and cross at 33:33:33 so I did. Just as I was waiting to cross, my good friend Chef Craig showed up. Perfect timing. I crossed at exactly 33:33:33 and it felt so good to finally do it! We took lots of pictures and cheered! I was now a member of the 100-mile club.
We sat down and had a champagne toast celebration.
I didn’t even finish my glass of Champagne before I was off again.
It was very cold, so I put on a very thick coverall suit and walked fast with that on. It was very warm and I was no longer suffering from the cold. I looked like a ghost buster wearing all black with white hands and feet! I did look kind of silly but hey, I was not cold. Running my first 100 miles had given me lots of energy and I wanted to be back out on the track. I began a nice surge. I walked very fast for a couple of hours and put in some good miles.
At midnight, I took a 15-minute break. 24 hours till New Year’s!
After my break, I felt so good!
I ran for the first time and it was amazing. I ran for 5 miles at a sub 10 minute per mile pace. I felt wonderful, like I was running effortlessly. I felt like I was flying. It was quite the experience!
I ended up taking my second sleep at around 1:30am
I ended up getting my feet fixed before heading to bed. I went into the Kachina Rescue Tent and they did such a wonderful job with keeping my feet well tended to. I am so thankful for them being at ATY!
I fell asleep around 1:45 and slept till about 4:15am. This was my longest, most needed sleep. When Adam woke me up, I did not want to get up. I was very cold, sleeping in spandex shorts and a long sleeved spandex top. I was freezing.
I did not want to get out of the warm covers. Adam told me that there was a big space heater close by and all I had to do was get there and I would be warm and we could put my gear on over there.
This was the hardest obstacle I had to overcome at ATY72!
I grunted and got up and hobbled my frozen self over to the heater.
The heater was hot and there was one problem. The heat was pouring out on the ground by my feet. My ankles had been rubbed raw from my shoes, socks, and gaiters. The heat on my raw and tender ankles burnt and did not feel good at all.
This did however, raise my adrenaline level and allowed me to wake up just the slightest bit more. Adam helped me put on the coveralls as my body shivered and shook.
Next were my tightly fitting shoes. My feet were slightly swollen so I had to put them on as loose as possible.
Adam and I joked that the “Warm, Heated Tent” was more like a death trap J
Once people went inside, they tended to not come out for a long time. It was very comfortable once you laid down and got warm, a smart person would never want to leave!
After getting dressed in the cold Adam got me out of the tent and back onto the course where I would begin my slow wake up walk!
It was 4:30am and I only had another 4 1/2 hours till fresh meat would be arriving on the track. Fresh energy was worth looking forward to. And so was the finish to day # 2.
I would pass my 200K mark around 6am! Another milestone!
I walked all the way up to the 9am mark!
The 30 minutes before the sun came out, I got out my lap top computer and turned some music on. I walked for while holding my computer. I listened to some very motivating songs as I watch the visualizer on my screen produce many bright colors. This was very stimulating to me and helped me push on towards 9am. Day # 2 was just about complete and Adam was on his way with some Mc Donald’s for me heading into day # 3!

Dec. 31st New Year’s Eve Day # 3 FINAL 24 HOURS!!!

Fresh Energy was all around me as the new runners started the final day of running. Lots of 24-hour runners would run today. Wendell Doman, one of my running buddies would be running his 24-hour race today, along with Daniel Larson and Paul DeWitt. I was looking forward to seeing Paul DeWitt run. He would attempt a 24-hour record of 166 miles. He did not meet his goal but it was super exciting to see him run, fast and try for it. I really look up to him for that.
I enjoyed 1 lap of watching the fresh runners sprint around the track. I always got a good laugh when a new start happened. I knew the runners would be hurting 4-6 hours later. At least they would be going much slower.
I was still very tired from the last two days. At 9am, I decided to take a short 45-minute nap. This felt very nice and I had no trouble getting back on the track afterwards!
I walked another hour and stopped just in time for breakfast. I had coffee, OJ, hash browns and some sausage. This tasted great!
This break lasted about a 1/2 hour. I walked again after that yummy breakfast.
In fact, I walked hard from 11am till 2pm for about 3 hours. I had a nice little surge. It was warming up so I took advantage of being a boy and took my shirt off. My body felt great without a shirt on, I was able to air out my upper body, plus the suns heat felt incredible against my naked upper body. I even got a little sunburn. It felt great. Running with no shirt became a trend as I followed Ray, and in turn, Craig followed me!
At 2pm, I took a nap in the grass. It was great! I had stayed on a fairly consistent sleep schedule until now. This would be my first afternoon nap. I knew the race was coming to a finish and I wanted to finish strong. I ate a double cheeseburger and slept for a good 40 minutes. While I was sleeping, I could hear runners pass by on the track and it made me mad. I wished I was out there on the track and just could not sleep. I felt so guilty not running. I got up feeling refreshed and was ready for the 9-hour push towards New Year’s! My mother was at the race and she had come to visit me every day of the race including the finish! I was so happy to have her at the race. She made me feel so good!
I hit 150 miles at 5pm and took a 45-minute break. I don’t remember taking this break, I must have changed and had my feet looked at to push towards New Year’s. The balls of my feet were burning. This was the most pain I experienced ever. It felt like I needed 10 times more padding in my shoes to prevent this. The balls of my feet were taking the biggest beating out of any part of my body! They were begging for mercy!
I ended up taking another Hour long break leading up to New Year’s I don’t remember this at all. Looking at my splits, the hours leading up to New Year’s were very, very slow for me. I ran 2 miles from 11pm to 1am.
I was just trying to make it to Midnight.
Finally, it was here! 11:55pm and time to celebrate New Year’s!!!
We all gathered by the timing mats and dressed ourselves in Funny New Year’s Hats and fluffy colorful wreaths. We also grabbed some noisemakers and a glass of Apple Cider! We counted down and then it hit!!!
Happy New Year’s!!!! This was the best New Year’s Ever.
Everyone took a lap together as we watched fireworks for about 15 minutes. The colors were wonderful!
After the celebration, I would take another 60-minute rest. This time, I would sleep in the heated pickup truck. This felt great. I was able to change easily and I was able to stay warm.
I felt great after this rest and was off once more with only 8 hours or so to go until the big finish.

New Year’s Day The Finish!!!

I ended up putting in some good laps for a couple hours. I did, however want to try to push hard the last 4 hours of the race. So I ended up taking my final rest break around 3am to prepare for the last 4 hours. I was not to tired, but I knew I wanted to push hard the last 4 hours so I forced myself to sleep in the heated truck. I felt so good and refreshed after the 2-hour break. It was 4:45am and I knew this race was just about over. That’s when I got back out on the track and it just happened. I felt like me body had been over taken. I was so excited that the finish was only 4 hours away and that I would finish, period! I would run 20 miles the last 4 hours. I felt like I was just flying. I felt like I was running so smooth, effortless. There were points along the way when I ran with Wendell. This was an amazing experience in itself. I look up to Wendell very much and to be able to run next to him for what seemed like close to an hour was very exciting for me. I simply imagined that Wendell and I were on a nice early morning run in the park. The visualization seemed so real to me. I was no longer at ATY, I was in a park running with Wendell. I was also able to see Sarah Spelt every lap. She was cheering me on and shouting words of encouragement. I would grab my water or Gatorade from the aid station and drink it while standing next to her space heater she had set up outside. I came to realize that the heater was not even plugged in. I imagined being heated up and it felt great even though it was not even on. This meant so much to me and so did seeing Sarah, as her encouraging words helped keep me motivated to run. I also remember running by the aid station many times and seeing Nick and Jamil. They had looks of dis-belief on their faces. This was also very motivating for me. I just kept on running. I was adding miles with little effort. The sun eventually came up and it felt great. I remember looking at the sun coming over the mountains and saying to myself, “Thank You Lord for giving me this amazing day” I had tears rolling down my face. It was a very emotional moment. When I started running at 4:45 I had on short shorts in the freezing cold. I could not feel the cold. I kept my upper body warm with a sweater and gloves. Around. 6am, I changed into a Pacific Coast Trail Runs Shirt, because it reminded me of Wendell and Sarah. I would finish in that special shirt. While I was running past Sarah and Wendell, they shouted out, “your shirt is on backwards” I said,” What do you expect, I’ve been running for 3 straight days” I switched the shirt around only to notice that I had it on the right way all along, they were playing around and joking with me. This made me laugh and was a fun addition to my final 4 hour experience! I just ran and ran, passing many people, all the people I passed said great job, and this meant a lot to me. I seemed to be the only one running at this point. I still felt amazing.
When the sun came up, people started setting up their cameras and would take pictures of me as I ran by. I felt so amazing. I finally reached 300KM with plenty of time left to run some more. I ended up running 606 laps, or 303KM. (188 Miles) My final lap was my fastest lap of the 3 days. I ran it at a 6:42 minute per mile pace! Finishing with 3 seconds to spare.
I felt so wonderful; I did not want to stop!
I wished there were 3 more hours so I could get to 200 miles!
What an amazing race!
I wound down and ate/drank a bit by the aid station.
I was sitting by the aid station when John Geesler came over and sat by me. This was a very special moment for me. I was able to capture the moment with a picture.
Finally…I felt like a real ultra distance runner for the first time in my entire life!
I had finally accomplished something I consider difficult and extreme!
I headed towards the tent and began taking off my foot bandages. My feet did not look to bad.
We ate sandwiches and drank non-alcoholic beer!
I sat next to race winner Tony Mangan and we had a nice time chatting together.
I also got a picture with John and Tony. I will cherish this picture forever!
We received our awards, I got 10th place overall and 7th out of the men. Everyone ahead of me, place wise, made 200 miles. Next year I will try very hard to make 200 miles. 188 is not bad for my first race over 24 hours in length.
I ended up making so many new friends at this race. Ray K, Carrie S, Andy L, Glen T, Dave E., 24 Hour Todd, and Mike Melton were some of the just absolutely amazing people I enjoyed meeting!

After the race, The Men’s Race Winner, Tony Mangan from Ireland, and the Female Race Winner, Martina Hausmann from Germany, both came home with me and stayed in my house. Tony and I slept from 11:30 to 6:30pm.
Martina slept all night long.
When we woke up, we hung out. This was the most meaningful part of my entire race experience. I was hanging out with one of my idols. We chatted about multi-day racing while enjoying double bacon cheeseburgers and both alcoholic and non alcoholic beer. I was celebrating with an amazing person!
We ended up watching the Yiannis Kouros documentary. This was very exciting to watch. Tony answered a lot of questions I had and he even game me a tank top and a short-sleeved jersey with The Ireland Racing Logo on them. I will treasure these running tops forever; they are very special to me!
We went to bed around 11:30pm.

Jan. 2nd The Day After

Tony and I woke up at 6:30am today and I was very surprised with how I felt. I had no real pain anywhere. I was amazed. I said, “Thank You Lord, for giving me the strength to complete a race like this” My feet were a little tender but all in all, I felt wonderful. I felt worse after my first marathon.
Tony and I would go sit in the steam room before I took him to the airport.
The steam room felt so nice, like heaven.
After the steam room, we headed to the airport.
I let Tony listen to the song I had on repeat as I was flying the last 4 hours of the race. It is a song from the musical Wicked called Defying Gravity, it is a wonderful song and Tony loved it.
I literally listened to this song for 3 hours as I ran effortlessly. Almost like an out of body experience.
The Security Guards at the airport started coming towards Tony and I, (we were pulled over on the curb listening to the song) they had big guns and were coming towards us…
We decided to cut the song short and get out of car to progress towards the luggage place. Security guards don’t like it when people sit still in there cars at the airport…LOL
We had a nice laugh and then said our goodbyes. It was very sad to see Tony go, but I am sure I will see him again!
I had so much energy today. I was completely high off of endorphins and wanted to visit all my friends. My first stop…MOM.
We had a nice time visiting, she made me breakfast!!!
My next stop, Bradley.
I showed him my 100 mile buckle and pictures. It is always nice to visit Bradley. I know he is proud of me!
Next, Chef Craig.
Craig and I chatted a bit before he had to go to work.
I got home around 5pm and was tired.
Martina had finally gotten up from a very, very long sleep. We chatted a bit. She was so excited from her race win.
Within the hour, I received a call from my friend Bradley. Bradley had some extra tickets to the Fiesta Bowl Football game and wanted to know if I wanted them. I said OK. I ended up going with Craig’s DAD Tom. Tom is a very fun guy to be around. We were treated like VIP. We were picked up by a golf cart and taken directly to the entrance. We had great seats, 20th row in the corner.
I was laughing at everything and felt amazing. Man, I was high off of endorphins and I was wishing the feeling would never go away.
I got home around midnight. What a long and exciting day.
I did make one mistake, I did not eat before bed, I went to bed hungry.

Day # 2 After The Race Jan. 3rd
Martina and I would go to the steam room and sit around 11am. I had a big glass of coffee but no breakfast, bad decision.
I started to feel sick in the steam room, and was looking forward to eating afterwards so I would feel better.
No food before bed, coffee in the morning (dehydrating), no breakfast, steam room (dehydrating)
Now it was time for lunch at the sushi place.
I was having stomach pains.
I was so thirsty, I drank a huge glass of water and 2 glasses of warm green tea, long with some cucumber salad.
My stomach felt so bad. I wanted to throw-up.
I got up to do so and barely made it outside.
I emptied all the water out of my stomach and everything else that was still inside.
I could not eat at all, I had no appetite. I would take my food togo.
When we got home, I went straight to bed. I felt so crappy.
I slept all day and woke up around 8pm.
When Craig got off work we hung out.
First stop, Subway, I had to force myself to eat something. I ate a sandwich and had some power aid. I felt 100 times better.
I believe that if I would have eaten the night before, before bed, and breakfast the next morning, I would have not had this problem. It is so important to eat after a long race like this. We ended up playing video games with friends (Guitar Hero) and drinking some beers!
I felt good again, but my endorphin high was gone!

Day # 3 after the race! Jan 4th!

Today, I went to the gym for 3 hours while Martina hiked the nearby mountain.
I rode the bike at the gym for an hour and ran on the treadmill for 30 min. This felt so good. I loosened up quite a bit and flushed out a lot of lactic acid.
I swam a couple laps in the pool and sat in the steam room.
I grabbed some taco bell and picked up Martina from the Mountain!
We hung out at home the rest of the night and just relaxed.

Day # 4 after the race! Jan 5th!!!
Martina went to see the Sonora Desert with her friend Gerry. I had the entire day to myself!!!
I first went on a hike with my brother Paul. We hiked Squaw Peak. I got to the mountain 20 minutes after my brother started. I ended up running up the entire mountain and caught him on the way down. This is the first time I have ever ran up this mountain. It just felt so great running something that was not flat…LOL
Paul was amazed, as was I. I can’t believe I could run so strongly just after a 72 hour race were I did not run much, mostly walked. Maybe 30 miles out of the 188 miles were ran.
My Brother Paul and I went to “In and Out Burger” after the hike to hang out.
I stopped by the steam room on the way home.
Later that night, I had dinner with my Mom and her fiancé Mike.
We ate at Red Robin and then saw the movie Enchanted.
A storybook romance story with a fairy tail ending. A great movie. Such a happy theme!

Day # 5 after the race! Jan 6th!!!

Today, I said goodbye to Martina!
I had so much fun with Martina, she was such a joy to have around. I was very sad to see her leave but I know I will see her again!
I stopped by the steam room on the way home from the airport.
After the steam room, I decided to see 2 movies.
Juno and Water Horse.
Both movies were very good.
Juno was a love story, and I just love to watch a good romantic love story.
Water Horse was about the Loch Ness Monster. This reminded me of my childhood, 2 very good movies.
When I got home, Craig came over and we watched playoff football and drank beer! Ahhh, life is good! I ended up falling asleep watching American Gladiators!

Day # 6 After The Race Jan.7th

I woke up at 4:30am and packed up my car to head back to California. I started out driving in the rain, in the dark. This cleared up and the sun came out and my drive to California was quite nice. The cloudy mountains with lots of green and other colors stood out as very scenic and enjoyable as I drove 9 hours back to my home in Santa Margarita, close to San Luis Obispo! When I got home, I started working just where I left off. Now Life is back to normal and I will never, ever forget the amazing experience I had over New Year’s!!!

Thank You so much for reading this long story!
Please add a comment or ask me a question!

Healthy Regards,
-Rick Cheever-

P.S. I will post pics as well!

The Across The Years 72 Hour Race Report!!!

COMING SOON!
STAY TUNED!!!
-Rick-
p.s.
This has been an amazing adventure!
p.s.s.
And you thought the Woodside 50K race report was long.
Just wait until you read this epic tale!

1 DAY TILL ATY 72 Hour Race!!!

I am so excited to start!
I can't wait!
I am now packing up my gear!
We will be arriving at Nardini Manor today around 4pm to set up camp and to settle in for the night before the race!
We will be spending the night at the race cite!
Please go to AcrossTheYears.com
For...
Directions to the race
Live Race updates every 5 seconds!
Live Video Updates!
To send me a message or two while I am actually running.
Please go to this website during the race and send me as many messages as possible!
The messages you send me will help me to keep going strong!
Thank you all for being so supportive!
I plan to have The Greatest Adventure Ever!!!
-Rick-

2 days till ATY!

I woke up this morning and checked my e-mail.
I had an e-mail from ATY.
The race director invited me to run the 72 hour because one of the runners was not coming.
I said Heck Yes!
I am now running in the 72 hour race.
Tonight we had a pre race past dinner open house and about 12 people came!
We had a great time and it was nice meeting other runners.
2 More Days till ATY72!!!
I am so excited!
-Rick-

Wednesday in Sedona with Martina! 3 days before Race!

Today Martina and I drove up to Sedona! It was absolutely beautiful there! The red rocks were amazing as always and the weather was perfect. We started out on a trail that ended about a 1/2 mile after we started. This was odd so we kept going to see if we could find the trail. We ended up going cross country for about 10 min. After about 10 minutes we had enough and we headed back to the trail head to try another trail.
We decided to try the 5 mile airport loop. It was nice. Breathtaking views and a chance to just relax and think about the upcoming race.
After the 5 mile loop, we went to a very nice art gallery. We had a great time looking at over priced art! I love looking at ART. It relaxes me!
After the art gallery, we ate Lunch at a Mexican Restaurant,
Martina is from Germany and will be running the 72 hour race at ATY.
Martina did not know what all the food on the Mexican Food Menu was, so I had to coach her a bit. We ended up having a wonderful time in Sedona.
When we got into town, we looked at running shoes. The prices in USA are about half of what they are in Germany, so Martina bought 5 pairs of shoes to bring back to Germany with her!
Martina is such a wonderful Lady and I am excited to see how she does in the 72 hour race!
3 more DAYS!!!!
-Rick-

Introducing Super Secret Agent Orange!!!

Last night, as I was working on the Bio-Diesel Fuel, I found another visiter. A bob-tail cat. this cat has no tail and is half orange and half black. (A Very Pretty Kitty)
As I did my work, the cat stuck around so I decided to give her a little piece of turkey lunch meat. She was very hungry and ate the meat very quickly. I finished my work, said goodbye, and headed up stairs for a steak dinner. After dinner, I took the bones and scraps down for Super Secret Agent Orange, no knowing if she would still be there.
To my surprise, she was still there!
I gave her the steak scraps and she was in heaven. I said goodbye once again and headed back up stairs for bed.
When I woke up this morning, I had to go downstairs to do some more work with the diesel around 6am.
First of all, I rained hard all day yesterday and all night. Thats probably why the cat was hanging around, to stay out of the cold. I am thinking the cat will run away, after it warms up and dries up a bit.
When I walked outside this morning, I was standing in a big cloud. it was so incredibly cloudy. So hard to see!
But very neat none the less.
I walked downstairs with some left over chicken bones in hopes that S.S.A.O. would be down in the garage waiting for me.
To my surprise, she was!!!
I was so happy to see her. And she was happy to see me. I gave her the bones and did my work.
I petted her and am now up stais getting ready to go to San Francisco to deliver lots and lots of "Hard-Core" Dog Food. Today is going to be a very busy day. I will be driving the van all day today and will arrive to San Francisco tonight between 8-10pm.
I will eat dinner at the Embassy Suites, go to bed, wake up early and run on the bad ass treadmills the hotel has, then it's back to work delivering more "Hardcore" dog food, then it's back to town, where I will stock up on items needed for the race, get a hairut, and then head on back to The House to pack and get ready for AZ.
I will be leaving to go to back to AZ on Friday, very early morning like 5am.
I am looking forward to seeing my Mother and some of my friends again.
My friend from Germany will be in town on Mon. (Christmas Eve) so I wil be getting ready for her as well!
Life is great, especially when you have a new friend named Super Secret Agent Orange!
10 more days till ATY48!!!
-Rick-
p.s. I like Super Secret Agent Orange so much because she has no tail, is colorful, is very small, and loves to be pet!

Friday Morning in San Diego!

I woke up today in San Diego around 6am and went for a quick 30 min. run in the gym at the Hotel I was staying at. This little gym was so awesome. this gym had the coolest treadmills I have ever seen. The treadmill had headphones and a T.V. attached to it. Not to mention all the different data it spit out at me. I ran and watch music videos as I pushed hard. Knowing that I am only going to run for 30 min. allows me to push my hardest. In a multi-day race, I run much , much, much, slower. After the nice gym workout, I ate a complementary breakfast. Bacon, fruit, OJ, Coffee, and yogurt.
Outside the Hotel, i met a very nice Police Officer who had a harmonica around his neck, a little tiny baby one. We chatted about music, (we both like Jazz) and then he played a couple notes for me on his itty bitty harmonica. Police officers are so nice, they often get a bad rap.
Then, I was off to deliver some more "hard-core dog food" before heading back to home in Santa Margarita, CA.
Later on, back at home....
I decided to go for another run.
A night run!
I ran up and down Simon's property for a while, this was neat. Simon has a nice out and back dirt path on his property that is exactly 1 mile.
You have to carry a flashlight because it is pitch black out side, only the moon and stars to light your path.
This is a new discovery for me.
Since I broke the treadmill....LOL
I am so happy because now I can keep track of my running miles a bit easier, without feeling like a hamster!.
It is also great because, I always have aid within a 1/2 mile. It is also easier to run how I feel. If my body doesn't feel like running many miles, I can stop at only a few. If my body wants to keep going, I can go until my body tells me to stop.
You never know how many miles your body wants to run, until you get out and start running.
This technique is especially good to implement, directly before a big race. It's hard to run to much, and accidentally get hurt, when you are always 1/2 mile away from home! Kind of like running laps on a track, only 1 mile tracks!!!!
Anyway.....
In addition, to the new 1 mile loop I have discovered.
The highway connected to Simon's house is a great place to run at night.
It is pitch black.....
I, once again have to carry a flashlight, just the moon and stars to light your way. If the moon is not bright, it is hard to see where you are going.
I run on the opposite side of the road, if a car happens to pass by, I am able to see it coming a mile away....Literally.
At one point in my run down the pitch black freeway, I turned off my light and ran in total blackness.
IT WAS AWESOME.
I could not see a thing, except the stars and the not so bright moon.
It was such an amazing experience, only lasting about a minute or so.
I had no idea what I was stepping on or what was in front of me.
VERY AWESOME.
Lets not forget the fact that there are lots of animals out by where I live. That just adds to the excitement (nervousness)
As I run more and more in total darkness, I will be able to go for longer periods of time in the dark, without fear of being eaten....LOL
I have to trust that I wil not step on any holes or bumps etc. in the dark as well.
This will come with time and sooner or later, I will be able to run a long way in the complete darkness!
I can't wait to run in total darkness again!
Healthy Regards,
EnergeticRick!!!
p.s. Have not seen Boomer since Wednesday.... :-(

Introducing BOOMER!!!

Today I ran on the treadmill for the first time with my new Nike shoes. I like these shoes very much! They have way more cushioning and support than the last pair I received. Some people (including myself) would say that cushioning and support are for wimps. It is true that your feet muscles develop better when you wear shoes with little or no support, however, you have to run carefully in them, not taking any chances in fear of possibly getting hurt. These new Nike shoes will be perfect for ATY48.
I ran on the treadmill hard for about 45 minutes until I heard a big "CRACK"
WTF?
The board that the belt goes around cracked. I was so surprised and pissed at the same time. The treadmill still works and I can still run (softly) but no more hard running in which I pound on the treadmill.
The board I split is made of wood so I should be able to take the treadmill apart and screw on a piece of wood to help support the crack so it does spread and so that I can run hard again.
The crack is about 8 inches long so its not huge and it is on the front part of the treadmill, so I should be able to run towards to back (careful not to fall off) and still get in a good workout.
Looks like I will be doing a lot of slow, up-hill treadmill work (suffering LOL)
After my treadmill experience, I went outside to check on the animals, Emu's, Goats, and Cows. and to water the plants.
At the bottom of the stairs I saw a little dog wagging his cute little tail.
This dog was small and looked a lot like Toto from The Wizard of Oz.
The dog just kind of followed me around while I did my work. I looked at his collar to see who he belonged to and there was no info on it, just a blank collar (stupid owners)
I still had my running shorts on so I decided to go for another short run since the broken treadmill cut my workout short.
The little dog followed me as I ran through our huge backyard. I ran about 1 mile to a big hill, very steep, Kind of reminded me of "A Mountain" at ASU (All you AZ people)
I have wanted to explore this hill for quite some time now but have never had the time to go.
The dog, who I was now calling BOOMER, was leading the way the entire time. We had to go under and over some barbed wire fences.
At the top of the hill, I saw something that made me very happy....
Two separate trails leading to the same place, across the hill, down it, and out to the highway. The 2 trails are about 6 miles and 9 miles or so (I have not yet measured the distance)
I decided to try the trails another time, I had no water and was a bit tired from the treadmill run earlier.
BOOMER and I ran down the hill with some good speed. I love running down hill and feel as if it my strength.
We arrived back to the house and ran around our lake a couple times.
BOOMER and I went up stairs to the deck and hung out on the porch swing.
BOMMER was smiling and cuddled up to me as I pet him.
Man BOOMER was one stinky dog.
I knew he was one of the neighbors dogs that was just out wondering on an adventure, like I would do if I was a dog.
I tried to give Boomer some water but he would not drink any.
I said goodbye to my new friend BOOMER and went inside.
When I came back out, 30 minutes later, BOOMER was gone.
I made a new friend today and we had a great time "playing" together.
I am looking forward to getting a dog for the farm in January, after ATY48.
Maybe a Golden Retriever!
Today was a very adventurous day!
-Rick-

22 Days Till ATY48!!!

I blogged and my-spaced for litterally 6 hours this morning!!!
I finally got to run when I was done.
I ran 3 sets of 8 min. on the treadmill.
I would start off running 4 min. at 10% incline at 5mph, then I would run 1 mph faster at a 2% grade for the last 4 min. for a total of 8 min. I did 3 sets of 8 min. increasing my numbers each time. This will help build up my leg muscles for going up hills and running in general. I want to be able to run the entire 31 miles at Woodside my second time around come early Feb.
I addition to the 3 sets of 8 min. hill work...
I ran at a steady incline for 46 min...
for a total of 70 min. ran today!!!!
I am so happy that I am getting the ball going.
I ran in my red saucony shoes at Woodside 50K and even today on the tread mill.
I am however, a NIKE shoe tester and I will be receiving a new pair of NIKE shoes today any min. now!!!
If I like the way the shoes feel, and I'm sure I will, I will be training in them up to the 48 hour race, and I will wear them in the 48 hour race, with my saucony shoes as a back-up.
Life is grand with 22 more days till ATY48!!!
Healthy Regards,
-Rick-

Pacific Coast Trail Runs!!!

Check out Pacific Coast Trail Runs...


copy and paste this link into your browser...


http://www.pctrailruns.com


A great selection of races to choose from in California!!!

Pictures From Woodside 50K

Woodside 50K

So, I have been back in Santa Margarita, CA!!! Today is my 10th Day Back and let me tell you I have been driving around California like a mad man. I guess you could say that I am really driven.
Lets start out on
Wed. Nov. 28th... I drove 550 Miles From AZ To Santa Margarita, it took me about 9 Hours.

Thursday Nov. 29th... Simon (My Partner) and I delivered Dog Food all day long and drove around down by San Diego and ended up driving close to 400 miles for the day. We delivered what I like to call "hard-core" dog food because it is basically "scraps" (sorry Catra) from animals like cows, pigs, lambs, ostridges (Go JD), llamas, and anything else you could imagine. The bad thing about this delivery job is that the food comes from real animals, and I don't like the fact that animals have been killed and used for dog food. However, The "Scraps" (Speed-Goat would like) would be thrown away, had we not gathered them and made dog food. So I guess everybody wins, the environment, simon and I, and of course, the "Lucky Dogs"
Dogs deserve to eat meat just like humans do. In fact, most dogs don't get enough meat protein in their diets. This may cause your dog to "not be as strong and healthy as it could be"
Dogs are carnivorous animals and technically should be eating meat like Simon and I deliver.
If by chance you have a very special dog who deserves (a nice big bone) to be eating properly, check out this website and feel free to place an order. (We deliver to most of California only)
Just cut and paste the address below!


http://crestonvalleymeats.com/shop_dogfood.html


Friday Nov. 30th... Simon and I drove from San Diego, back to Santa Margarita, and then up to San Francisco for a total of about 600 miles, we literally drove all day long and arrived to the hotel in San Francisco around 10pm, just in time to eat before they closed the restaurant for the night.
Sat. Dec. 1st... I arrived to woodside around 8:15 with the race starting around 8:30.
I registered and got ready to race, I had just finished getting ready in the truck when I heard the gun go off. "Holly Shit" I was all ready to go, but not at the start line. I calmly jogged to the start line and started the 50K race!!! This was "no big deal" in fact I am glad I started in last place because this forced me to start off slow and not go out to fast, witch is a major problem I have run into in my first few ultras.
I was off and running and feeling great, the weather was perfect, the trail was hard and nice as I ran with my red road shoes.
The first 7 miles were about the hardest 7 miles of the race, they were all just about up-hill.
I tried my hardest to walk all the uphills for the first 7 miles, my goal was to save myself. I passed 3 people and that was only because I was naturally moving faster then they were, this was not a competition for me, I just wanted to finish. Since JJ100, about a month ago, I have not ran much at all. Maybe 30 miles at the most total. This would be a major training run for Across The Years 48 hour run, just about a month from Woodside 50k.
I arrived to the first aid station feeling very sore, but good.
I refueled and was off.
The next section of the course was down hill and mostly flat. This was awesome, I felt so good as I ran fast through the green forest trails. I was in awe of the huge redwood trees and just tons of green everywhere you look. I ran hard and fast, still not passing anyone, but feeling great knowing that I was getting back time I had lost while walking up hill.
I running hard and fast, going down hill when the next thing I know.....
I am flying through the air...
"Oh F*CK, this could possibly hurt" I hit the ground hard, with most of the impact on my right knee, I tucked and rolled while my water bottle flew through the air. I landed and immediately got up to start running again, without even thinking twice. I stepped with my right foot to get up and it slipped in the thick dry leaf covered soil on the side of the trail, I fell again. Instinct took over and I just simply tried the step again, this time I was able to get up and keep moving. "Son of a bitch" I said out loud as I kept on running. I had a runner right behind me and I managed to fall and get up so fast, he didn't even see me (or catch me)
I kept running in only slight pain. I knew my skin had been broken because of the stinging I was feeling. I decided it was best not to look at my knee unlit I got to the next aid station. About 5 minutes later, I could not resist, I took a look.
What I saw almost caused me to go into shock. My knee had a huge gash in it and had not filled up with blood yet so I could see how deep it was and this caused me to worry. I knew I would be fine as long as I didn't loose a lot of blood. I continued to run and as I ran further, the blood began to come out and all over my leg. I was feeling fine, the gash was not affecting my run, It was however, causing everyone who passed me, to say something about it. The blood was running all the way down, into my gaiters. This got annoying but I do have to admit, I liked the attention!
I made it to the halfway point and now it was time to go up another 6 miles or so of hills, back to the top of the mountain!!!
I was able to run on about 20% of the hills. (This is very good for me)
I was still running great on the flats (the few there were in this section) and running slowly up the hills. I was surprised at the fact I could do this. My leg muscles were in pain, but thats what I signed up for, I pushed on to the next aid station around mile 20.
I fueled up, it was very cold at this point, we were high up on the mountain, I was feeling tired from treking up the hill. This must have been the low point of my race. The aid station said to watch out because down the trail there are wasps and people have been getting stung by them, so watch out...
All I heard was "wasp nest" and "on the trail" I didn't know exactly where they were but I was not really worried to much about it. I headed out with a group of two other runners, we were all within 30 seconds of each other. (I like to stick with people when I run, even though I have no intention of passing them, it just keeps me on a good pace, pushes me more)
After about 3 minutes of running with my I-POD on....
I felt a sharp pain in my left bicep. I looked down to see about 5 round black fuzzy wasps on my bicept. I was scared shitless.
I have never been stung before and I was very worried how my body would react to the sting, plus I was worried that I would get stung again. I flipped out, literally, and flung my water bottle high into the air and about 50 feet away from me, (this would have been very funny to watch) and used my now free hand to brush the wasps off of my bicep. I suddenly had an adrenaline rush, (Gee, I wonder why?) and raced to the next runner about 30 seconds in front of me, as I approach him, I heard him say that he got stung as well, twice in the ankle, through his socks. He was not freaking out, like I was!
I told him to look at my front to see if any wasps were still on me, there was a couple that we brushed off, nice....
Now, take a look at my back, "are there any on there?" "Holly Shit, there all over your back!!!" "What should we do"" The age old question you ask when you feel like you may die... "Well. I could brush them off you" I was hoping he would say that.
And he brushed the 40+ wasps off of my back. Now naturally, the wasps flew around us and began landing on my front, (My "FRONT" front) "Get em' off" The kind man went where no man had gone before and brushed the 3 or 4 remaining wasps off of my, thinly covered "JUNK"
We ran away down the trail and after about 30 seconds or so we stopped to evaluate the situation.
First thing we did was check each other for wasps.....
CLEAR, THANK GOD
I was so thankful that the wasps did not sting my junk, that would have sucked.
I am also thankful that I was wearing 3 layers, protecting my back from getting stung.
I am super thankful because I was only stunk one time hard, and one time soft.
I am ultra thankful that my body did not react to the stings!!!!
I am strangely enough thankful to have gone through this KRAZY experience!!!!

So I am now running without a water bottle. NOT just any water bottle, my all time favorite water bottle, the one I got when I ran a marathon with Dean Karnazes. It was very special to me. (My blanket if you will)
There was no way in hell I was going back to get it either.

I survived the next 5 miles to the aid station, no problem. In fact, it was nice running without a water bottle, easier.
All 3 of us arived to the aid station together, and spoke of our adventure between the two aid stations. NUTZ!!!
"4.5 miles to go Gentlemen, all down hill, let's go" All three of us left together, jokingly saying that we need to stick together just in case we kick up another wasps nest. Ha, Ha, very funny. "This time I lead the group, so you two get to go through the fun of getting stung after the leader (accidentally) kicks up the nest!!!" A good laugh echoed through the gorgeous forest, we were almost out of this hughmungus obstacle course.
Now it was time to run, and run we did....
We were flying down the switchbacks and across the flats, feeling great!!!
At this point I was with 1 other runner, the other guy was smart and ran slow the rest of the way.
I was in front, pushing hard to try and gain distance on my new friend. He stayed right with me, we were racing each other, and it was tons of fun!!! I imagined I was finishing a 100 mile run in first place with the 2nd place runner on my heels, the closest 100 mile race finish in history!!! It was like living out a dream, it felt so real.... I was completely absorbed in the moment. The way life should be lived!!!
With about two "miles to go :-)" It hit me like a ton of bricks, "FFFFFFF#$%^#$%^CCCCCCKKKKKKK" And I was walking.
"Are you OK?"
"I'm fine, I just stubbed the shit out of my toe, keep going, I'll see you at the finish!!!, GREAT JOB!!!"
It felt like hitting your big toe with a hammer at full speed. It hurt so bad, it felt like the nail on my big toe had split in half.... so much pain, I could barely walk. It did start to go away, little by little and I was able to run the last half a mile to the finish!!!
It felt great crossing the finish line with my arms in the air. Wendell (RD) was there to meet me with a big smile and a "Congrats" It felt great to hear that from him and to see his big smile. Wendell has done some very difficult things in terms of running and I look up to him for that and for the great RD he is!!!
I sat down and had some chili. It tasted so good as we cheered for our trailing friend crossing the finish line.
I made some new friends, had an adventure of a lifetime, achieved a good 31 mile training run for ATY48, pushed through a lot of pain, and loved every single minute of it!!!!
Life is so good!!!!
Take advantage of opportunities to do unique things, and do them without a fear of failure. If you fail, so what. You never really fail, unless you fail to try!!!
We drove back to Santa Margarita, 250 miles.


Sunday Dec. 2nd... Simon and I had to drive 100 miles to pick up some pigs and goats, then drive 100 miles back.
My legs felt so incredibly tight today and it hurt very bad to walk.
Monday Dec. 3rd... Simon and I drove 80 miles to pick up a sausage machine and then 80 miles back. My legs still felt very sore and it was hard to walk down stairs especially. Must be from all the hard down hill pounding I did at WS50K.
Tuesday Dec. 4th.... Drove 90 miles round trip to town and back, I also walked and jogged on the treadmill for about 30 minutes and also rode the bike for about 10 minutes. This helped to loosen up my legs and I was able to walk fine without pain from then on out....
Wednesday Dec. 5th.... Simon and I drove to San Francisco to deliver some more "hard core" dog food. We must have driven 300 miles to San. Francisco. I did not run today.
Thursday Dec. 6th. Simon and I drove home from San Francisco about 300 miles.
Friday Dec. 6th.... TODAY, my legs feel great. There is another 50K I would like to do next weekend The Muir Beach 50K with 7,500 feet of elevation. By the way, WOODSIDE 50K, had 5,000 feet of elevation gain.
I know I could do it, but I have to force myself to rest and train at home until ATY48, just 22 days away! I am so excited for that.
It is 10am, and as of now I have not ran today, but I plan to. Tonight I plan on going to Hollywood with a friend I know from AZ. This will be another 200 miles or more for a grand total of 3050 miles in 10 days. Thats just about enough miles to go from coast to coast. And with gas prices reaching up to $4 (no B.S.) thats an expensive 3050 Miles!
Thanks for reading, please post a comment!!!
-EnergeticRick-

ZombieRunner!!!

ZombieRunner is a great place to buy ultra running gear!!!

Thanksgiving in Illinois

I have been in Illinois these last two days and it has been a wonderful expirience so far! I arrived Tuesday Nov. 20th in Chicago, went to my grandparents house with my mother, hung out for a while, went to dinner at a nice little train station restraunt where trains used to stop but now it is a restaraunt. They had wonderful food, fresh chips, and they make thier own beer. We socialized for a while and then went to bed.
I woke up on Wednesday and went for a very chilly run. the run only lasted for 30 minutes but it was nice, despite the cold. The first time I have ran in about 10 days, only the third or fourth time I have ran since JJ100!
Two sets of aunts and uncles with children arrived today! We had Chicago Pizza from a real Chicago pizzaria, it was so yummy!
I went to bed shortly after.
Today was Thanksgiving!
I woke up and went right outside for a even chillier run.
This time I managed to endure the cold for an entire hour. It was sooooo cold. In the middle of my run, it started to snow. It was such a beautiful expirience, despite the sub 30 degree temp.
I was so proud of myself for lasting in the cold.
2 more sets of Aunts and Uncles arrived today along with my brother Paul from AZ.
Thanksgiving dinner was great, the laddies did a wonderful job making Thanksgiving Dinner.
After we ate, we watched ASU loose to USC. That was sad.
Now I am ready for bed and am looking forward to a nice run tomorrow, 3 days in a row!
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Rick

Back in Sun City, AZ

I am back here in Sun City, AZ and will be just hanging out with friends until Nov. 20th when I will be flying to Illinois to visit my entire family for Thanksgiving and my Grandparents 50th Aniversary. I will return home to AZ on the 26th and will be heading back out to California on Wed. the 28th. Life is good right now and I plan to get some good running in while I am in Illinois. This is going to be a nice 2 week break for me.
I am right around the corner from the gym in AZ.
I have no internet access at home so I am using my Wi-Fi to write today!
I am planning on sitting in the steam room and sauna to relax before my budy craig comes over around Noon!
Life is good!
-Rick-

I am now Living in San Luis Obispo, CA!!!

I have been here for a week now and I love it here! There are many good places to run. I am now in a situation tht will allow me to foccus on running more than ever. I am very passionate about running and I want to be successful. I now have the tools I need to be successful in running. I just have to stay dilligent in my training. Last week I ran 3 times. Each time was for 30 minutes on the treadmill around 5am. I felt good each time I ran. I have been puting in some long hours with work and my body has been sore from that. My back has been hurting very bad and it makes me not want to run. I will roll around on the baseball a little to help loosen things up in order to run more consitantly. I would like to run for an hour on the treadmill every morning before work, Mon-Fri. And a long run either Sat. or Sun. That would be an awesome schedule. An even better schedule would be to add another hour long run on the hilly streets or forest trails by the house every afternoon after work. That would be 10 runs every 5 day work week. These runs can be as fast or as slow as needed. The point is to just do them on a rutein basis. I would also like to get the ab workouts going again, everyday. I would also like to do some light weights and push-ups every day as well. I would be working out, 3 hours a day, and 15 hours every 5 day work week (Mon.-Fri.) That's like having a part time job! But, my body will adapt to the work load and build the strength that I need in order to run distances of 100 miles or more, and that is what I am excited about the most.
I also have plans to make a 2 mile long track that winds around the property to run on every day. Further, I would like to organize a 24 hour race to be held on the property. The 2 mile track should be complete soon. We have mapped out the course and have measured it as well. 2 miles exactly is what we are shooting for. We have a tractor that we will use to smooth out the course etc. I am very excited to run on this 2 mile course every day. I will be able to measure my mileage easier, and will be able to set goals according to how each 2 mile lap feels, all right outside of my front door!
I have 4 days until I return to AZ for Thanksgiving up in Illinois, my grandparents are celebrating thier 50th aniversary!!!
I am going to try very hard to run 3 times these next 4 days.
Healthy Regards,
Rick

Here are some pictures from the race!!!

The Red Bandana all the way to the finish!!!

So off I was after about 2 1/2 hours of rest and recovery, I started the lap off with so much energy, I was jogging almost the entire first 5 miles, I felt so good, everybody I ran past, I clapped for, it was great, I just had so much energy, I arrived to the aid station and ate just a little, and filled my bottles, I had two, and I would have been just fine with 1, extra weight is not a good thing, I continued on towards mile 35 when I passed by Michael Hayden, he was looking great and we said hello as we ran by, I was feeling amazing, my legs started hurting a lot, and I was running out of strength, even though I had tons of energy!!! I walked fast the next 10 miles back to base camp, I ran across a red snake on the way there, I stopped to take a closer look, and the snake curled up and moved away from me, as I got closer, the snake would move a bit. I got super close, cautiously to get a better look, I looked again, no can't be, yes it was.... a red bandana! I must have been hallusinating the snake and that it was moving. I pushed on to the Mile 45 base camp.
I jogged in feeling great because I only had 15 more miles left of this crazy race!!!!
My friends Lori and Jay were there and it was awesome being able to hang out with them during one of the greatest days of my life. I had such a fun time. After the break down, I vowed to have fun the rest of the time, no matter what and run 100K (60 miles).
I ate a burger they were cooking on the grill for all the racers, with relish and ketchup, on a bun, it was THE BEST BURGER I HAVE EVER HAD. I also poured some Orange Juice into a waterbottle, that orange juice was MAGICAL, it tasted so good. I ate and chatted for a while and just had one heck of a time. I would say that I spent 45 minutes eating and chatting before I hit the hay for about 4 hours, it just felt like the right thing to do, since I knew I was not going to make 100 miles, I wanted to saver every minute of the race, sleeping 4 hours just made the fun last 4 hours longer, plus my body would have a chance to recover, meaning less chance of an injury.
I woke up at 3:30am and knew that it was time to get movin' I walked out of the tent and walked right up to Nick Coury, yelling his name as I approached. I said, "come on, lets go" And he knew exactly what I meant, and he knew I was serious. We gatherd up our gear and headed out on a nice middle of the night walk. The moon was so bright, we didn't even need a flashlight, it was amazing, Nick and I chatted about anything and everything, ultra running, and life in general. I had a blast, and forgot about the pain, Nick did such a good job pacing me because he walked fast at about a 15 min. mile pace forcing me to push to keep up with him, this was nice, I would play little games, I would let him get ahead of me and then run to catch up with him. I even ran a little. We watched as night got brighter little by little until the sun came out, it was such an excellent expirience. I am so thankful that Nick paced me and kept me company during this race. We ran the last quarter mile down the shoot across the finish, I was the last 100K finisher!!!! I AM GLAD I TOOK MY TIME TO SAVOR THE EXPIRIENCE!!!
I hung out at the finish line for an hour and watch some people finish. I kept thinking to myself, that's going to be me next year. You have to crawl before you walk. I had a blast and got a 100K belt buckle, I am very happy with what happened at JJ100!!!
Roger and Jimmy Wrublik came over to me after I finished as I was cooling down and both shook my hand. I felt so proud at that moment, it was great. They then gave me my very hard earned belt buckle and said congrats!
I had such a good time at this race and will be back next year either to race or help Jamil out :-)
I drove home and went and saw... saw 4.
It was OK, not the best movie ever.
I stayed up the entire day and fell fast asleep around 10pm.
What a great time I had at JJ100!!!
Healthy Regards,
EnergeticRick!!!

Miles 25-30. Base Camp Break Down...

"Come on, get up... you've been here long enough... time to go!"
And I was out of the chair at the 25 mile aid staion and on my way towards base camp in what would be the most intense 5 miles of my life. I started out OK. I was a little tired and walking mostly but feeling a bit tired, looking forward to getting to base camp so that I could cool down and rest a bit. About 3 miles from base camp, I started having chest and organ pains, my heart area felt crramped, my abs were twitching in pain, my lung muscles felt tired and sore each breath I took, my liver was twitching with pain, that is what was concerning me the most. I also was sweaing a lot and covered in crusty salt. As I walked slowly I approached the 28 mile point, just about 2 miles till I was off of this 96 plus degree desert trail, beautiful but unforgiving. I would sit and rest for a minute or so at a time, just wanting to lay down but other racers would run by and encourage me to get up. One man walked with me while shouting words of encouragement in my face, words so strong tears were flowing from my eyes, I knew all I had to do was get to that aid statin and I would be fine, I DID NOT WANT TO QUIT THIS RACE!!!
As I walked closer to the aid station, I began to notice every single runner was stopping and asking if I was OK, if I would be able to make it the last mile to base camp. I would just grunt at them as I continued determined to get to base camp. I began getting cold and red and pale, my eyes were wide open and I was at about 5% energy left in my entire body. I stumbled into base camp and headed right to my chair by my tent. Once I sat in the chair, it sunk in that I was under the sun still and I needed to get in the shade. I Sat for a second and just tried to make the pain internal and outer both go away. I made it to the shade and an EMT was there checking me out within seconds, I had a temp. of over 110 degrees, so I put 2 ice packs under my armpits to cool off, these ice packs melted so fast it was scary, I began to feel better as I drank water and ate some food. I had not went to the bathroom all day so I drank enough water in order to do so. I made it clear that I WAS NOT GOING BACK OUT THERE UNTILL IT COOLED DOWN. After I recovered a bit, I layed down on my sleeping bag for about 2 hours, drinking water and waiting for the temp to cool down. I was so down in a low point, I felt like quitting, my muscles were siezing up and everything seemed to quit working at one point, but I knew that it would pass, and I had that attitute for the entire hour or so that it took to pass. I now know that the body can recover from amazing things. Around 4:30 I got up and headed out to run miles 30-45. I felt much better and had a positive attitude. Everyone was so supportive of me getting back out there. I knew at that point it was very possible that I would not finish the 100 miles, but for me, getting back out on that course and overcoming a complete body shut down, was victory enough for me. I had overcome something stronger and more painful than I had ever expirienced and that is what I will remember from this race. I would now be shooting for a 100K, (60 Mile) finish.... Still an amazing acomplishment!!! I had 30 more miles to go and I would cross the finish line a 100K finisher and I would get my belt buckle. 30 more miles to go!!!
Healthy Regards
Rick

Race Day Morning!!! The First Two 15 Mile Laps...

It's 4:30am and I am on my way out of the tent, its dark and chilly. I begin gathering up my gear for the day, gathering up what I will be wearing for the start of the race, getting things ready for when I come in after the first 15 miles. Getting things ready for later on in the day as well. My crew had some issues the night before and were not able to make it to the start of the race. That was the last thing on my mind. I was hungry but had no breakfast to eat, so I ate a powerbar instead. I drank a bottle of blue power aid and was ready for the race to start. Little by little people started showing up to the race. Jamil and Nick wished me luck and I was even able to say Hello to another Ultra Buddy of mine, Michael Hayden, he looked as excited as I was with about 5 minutes till the race start. I kept telling myself, "Don't go out to fast." With anticipation in the air so thick you could cut it with a knife, the gun went off and the race had began.
I walked the first 5 minutes of the race, letting the fast people get ahead of me. I then started to lightly jog. I would jog on the flats and downhills, and walk on the uphills. That was my strategy, along with many other racers. I arrived at the first aid station and filled up my 1 water bottle I was carrying. I would carry 1 bottle the first lap, and 2 during the hot day part of the race. I continued on and arrived at the next Aid Station, 10 miles total now. I filled up my bottle, grabbed some orange slices and was on my way towards mile 15, base camp. This section was mostly down hill and I found myself running some what fast over these last 5 miles to base-camp, I figured since I was running down hill, it was OK to go a little faster. I must have been going 8:30 per mile over that last 5 miles of the first lap. I arrived at Base Camp at 9am, my first lap had only taken me 3 hours to complete. Even though that is a 12 minute per mile pace, I still ran to fast. The last 5 miles only took 45 minute, it should have taken me an hour. One lesson I learned from this race.
At base camp, I grabbed a second water bottle, ate some more oranges and bananas and was on my way heading the opposite direction towards mile 20. I saw Jamil and Nick at the 10 mile aid station, they were volunteering. It was nice to see 2 familiar faces at the aid station. Mile 20 would be at the same aid station meaning that I would see Jamil and Nick again, I was looking forward to this as I walked up the entire 5 mile, slightly uphill section. When I arrived at mile 20 aid station, I was very tired and starting to get very sore and weak. I fueled up, said hello to Jamil and Nick, and was on my way. Walking towards mile 25. I walked most of the way between 20-25 miles, I only really ran on the easy down hills, I was starting to get tired, and my stomach and back started to ache. I just barely made it to mile 25 aid station. I was exhausted, the heat was starting to kick in and I was in bad shape, with 75 miles to go. I sat at the aid station for about 10 minutes, re-fueling, taking salt tablets, and eating what seamed right to eat. Michael Hayden was at the aid station the same time I was, he was on mile 35, man was he flying. He was in the top 5-10 racers at that point. We chatted for a bit about the I-Pod shuffle and how it has more battery life than the I-Pod mini, and about his last race. He ran in a 24 hour race 2 weeks prior to this race. He ran 104 miles and got 1st place at the race. Two weeks later he would try for another hundred, Amazing!!! I forgot to mention, he just turned 18. Michael was wiping off tons of dried and crusted salt from his body, a sign that would indicate the extreme heat just around the corner. The aid station person had to get me moving again, he motivated me to get out of the chair and start walking again. So, with much effort, I got up and started out again, only 5 miles from base camp.
THESE NEXT FIVE MILES WOULD BE THE HARDEST 5 MILES I HAVE EVER RAN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE...
more to follow soon!
EnergeticRick!!!

JJ100!!! The Night Before The Race!!!

I don't even know where to start. So much excitement in 30 hours, what an amazing experience. At 2:30pm on Friday, I left my house in Sun City with my car all loaded up with camping equipment and running gear, excited but most of all nervous for what was to come. I arrived at The Pemberton Trail in Fountain Hills, AZ around 4pm. The first person I ran into was Dale Perry. This man would go on to finish his 5th Javelina Jundred, he welcomed me and made me feel right at home. In fact everyone seamed so kind and generous, excellent environment for an Ultra Distance Run. I set up my tent by everybody else. My neighbor was a guy named Jim from New Zealand. This man had a very thick accent, he spoke very fast and would say, "good on ya, mate!" after everything I said. Jim and I ended up becoming friends over the weekend. All set up, and 5pm!!! Time for Dinner and a pre race briefing. I had a choice between vegetarian or meat lasagna. I thought of Scott Jurek, vegan/vegetarian, and selected Vegetarian Lasagna, not the best but indeed filled me up!!! After dinner and the pre race meeting, people started going home and or getting ready for bed at the campsite. Around 7:30, the campsite started to calm down, by 9pm, the entire site was quiet as can be. I had a hard time getting to sleep. I was just so excited/nervous. Around 8:30pm or so, Jamil and I went for a short walk on the trail. Jamil and his brother Nick are two of my best ultra running friends. We have known each other since we both started running Ultras about 3 years ago. Jamil and I walked on the trail, it was absolutely beautiful outside. The full moon lit up the entire trail, no light needed. The weather was perfect, just a nice and peaceful walk to connect with the trail before the big race, less than 10 hours from that point. As Jamil and I walked, I loosened up a bit. Out of nowhere Jamil and I see something coming towards us on the trail. Next thing we know, a group of 20 night hikers are passing us. Where did these people come from, very random. At first we thought they were animals, very odd. The Park Ranger was with them and he yelled at Jamil and I for being on the trail after sunset, we just laughed and headed back to camp. After the walk I felt a bit more relaxed and tired, I would get in my tent and try to sleep as much as possible before 4:30am, when I would wake up. I tossed and turned all night, waking up every 45 minutes or so to the sound of my phone vibrating. People were sending me messages and calling all night long wishing me luck. It was nice to hear from my friends, just not in the middle of the night before the biggest race of my life. I did manage to get about 5-6 hours of good sleep, plenty the night before an ultra! The guy next to me Jim, had a cold and was coughing all night long, I felt bad for him and was not bothered by him coughing. I would wake up at 4:30am as planned the morning of The Javelina Jundred!!! The race had not started yet, however, so far so good!!!
More To Follow!!!
EnergeticRick!!!

The Day Before The Race

Today I woke up at 4:30am, thats very early. However, I slept for about 18 hours yesterday and I feel wide awake. This is good because by 8 or 9 tonight, I will be tired and ready for bed. I hope to get some good sleep tonight.
I have gathered all of my gear and all I have to do now is sort it out and pack up the car. Dinner last night with Adam went well, he is my best friend and I will miss him when he leaves for Flagstaff to live. I picked up my tent last night as well, and Craig came over to watch Transformers, what a cool movie.
I will leave for Fountain Hills today, around 3pm. Dinner is at 4 and the race meting is at 5pm. I plan to stay the night at the trailhead with some other racers. This will be very exciting. Everything is going well and my body feels great. I am ready to do this.
Remember, the race starts at 6am tomorrow, Sat. Oct. 27th and will go until Noon on Sunday Oct. 28th.
Wish me well and be thinking positive thoughts!
Life is Good!
Rick