tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68345735475278606862024-02-19T00:41:13.795-06:00The Trail Less TraveledA place to describe my adventures in trail running, backpacking and other fun endeavors.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-31265572928666322222021-07-03T15:44:00.001-05:002021-07-03T15:44:20.672-05:00Getting Out of the Rut<p> <span> Every day since my knee surgery in February, I run seven miles. The seven miles are always the same. I have a route that cannot be changed. The route includes almost circling several blocks which would be illogical if one were just going from point A to point B. There was a purpose in the dark of winter for this route. These blocks had street lamps and I need those to see where I was going.</span></p><p><span><span> Winter gave way to Spring that gave way to summer. As the summer solstice approached, I still went around those blocks, I still did not deviate from the route even though there was plenty of light to see by.</span><br /></span></p><p><span><span><span> Most days the thought never occurred to me to take a different route. Then out of boredom, I would sometimes consider going straight instead of around the blocks. But my brain fought against this notion. It did not feel comfortable. It was not familiar. It was not my route. So my stubbornness would ensure that I stuck to MY route and not deviate from it. Week after week, month after month. </span><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span> Don't get me wrong. I felt great on all of the runs. I was so grateful just to be running and that's part of the reason I never changed the route.</span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span> Life began to be like that as well. I settle into a routine as we all do. I am very comfortable in my routine when I'm not working. I do not deviate from it and when forced to do so like to run and errand when I should be biking is an irritation.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span> To get out of this rut really takes some effort. It's risky, daring, not comfortable. You're facing the unknown. </span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> When I plan some adventure like going to the Colorado Trail, John Muir Trail, or Pacific Northwest, I talk to myself about how I will do it but more often than that, I never do actually do it.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> So now I'm definitely out of this rut. I'm sitting at the Dallas airport waiting to board a flight to Madrid, Spain. Almost three weeks of the unknown. I'm out of that comfort zone. I'm not going around the block but venturing forward toward some destination and adventure. </span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" class="placeholder" height="240" id="81e0172e0dbc2" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/transparent.gif" style="background-color: #d8d8d8; background-image: url('https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/i/materialiconsextended/insert_photo/v6/grey600-24dp/1x/baseline_insert_photo_grey600_24dp.png'); background-position: center; background-repeat: no-repeat; opacity: 0.6;" width="320" /></div><br /><br /></div><p></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> Travel enough and that becomes the new routine. Being a school teacher makes that difficult because ten months of the year I am not traveling so I have to adjust and get out of my comfort zone.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> There's really never been an adventure, never been a trip that I have regretted. There's always something new to learn, places to explore and memories to be made. I know it will be that way this time as well but first I have to get out of the rut. I have to do something that is uncomfortable as the reward will be great.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> Soon enough I'll be back home in my recliner in the evenings. Early in the morning I'll wake up and I'll do that seven mile loop. I just need to make sure that I never let it get too comfortable. </span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-37805463010211651072021-07-03T15:22:00.000-05:002021-07-03T15:22:15.908-05:00The Big 5-0<p> <span> Fifty is definitely not like turning forty. At forty, I still had not fully grasped the struggles of aging and I had not come to terms with my approaching mortality. To celebrate my fortieth birthday I ran the Grand Canyon 42 miles rim to rim to rim. Sure I had my problems with hamstring pain and other setbacks but I could still knock out a marathon in the 2:40s. I felt like I would never slow down and could always compete for the top spot at trail races. But within two or three years, reality began to set in and my body began to tell me that indeed I was growing old.</span></p><p><span><span> At fifty I actually feel great physcially after some setbacks with hamstring surgery and in February, surgery for my meniscus. Knees are starting the age like everything else. But both of these surgeries were smashing successes and I feel like I did when I was in my late 20s when I first began running and cycling. The only difference is I'm just a little bit slower. The heart won't beat quite as fast and I can run a sub 6 minute mile but not two sub 6 minute miles in a row, much less ten of them as I did once.</span><br /></span></p><p><span><span><span> But I'm definitely okay with that. After two surgeries, I'm just grateful to be fifty and to still be running. Every day I get to run is a great gift. I suspect I will always love the freedom the movement brings. I still sometimes feel like a little kid just running carefree.</span><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span> Fifty was more difficult in a different way. I see my life now much more clearly. Perspective sets in. I see myself and I see my parents and how they were at my age. I can remember clearly when I was in high school and my mom turned 50. Her friend Deanna had put a bunch of signs in the yard as a kind of prank announcing her 50th to the world. I never imagined myself turning 50 at the time. I only remember riding on the bus and looking at all the funny signs in the yard like "Isn't it nifty, to be 50".</span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span> Now that I am 50, and my Mom and Dad are in their 80s, I can truly see myself at their age if I'm lucky enough to get there. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can begin to see how the story plays out. Sting has a song "Book of My Life" where he reflects on his life and I am at that point as well. This book is still being written but it's more clear now. My mortality is much more real. </span><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span> That provokes reflection and that is where I'm at. My children are almost all grown and I can only reflect on the life that Suzanne and I have made for them. There's definitely a sadness to this. </span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span> I suspect this won't last long. I already look forward to the independence of travel and the freedom the an empty nest brings. I begin to imagine grandchildren and that all seems wonderful.</span><br /></p><p><span><span> The difference between 40 and 50 is simply that all of those things are very real for me now. At 40, we were too busy to slow down and stop and think about it. Though I think we did a pretty good job at trying to seize every day and make it count. And like the Rush song I played endlessly for my kids, Suzanne and I truly worked to make Time Stand Still for them.</span><br /></span></p><p><span><span><span> I guess I need to also make Time Stand Still now as well.</span><br /></span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-61083479169855240762021-01-03T08:48:00.001-06:002021-01-03T08:48:15.189-06:002020 Review and 2021 Goals<p>This is the year I think that this blog becomes less about running and more about travel, backpacking and just adventures. That being said, have a lot of running news in this post but 2021 will have much more with adventures.</p><p> 2021 is not off to a good start. As I write this, I've spent the last month struggling with what I thought was an IT band but now appears to be a popliteus muscle strain. It even seems that it might have begun as an IT band issue and then became a popliteus strain as I did not take enough time off.</p><p>Now I am sidelined for at least another week or two and looks like my recovery will be slow if I want to let this fully heal. Thankfully, I was able to ride my bike yesterday and that seemed to have actually helped rather than to make things worse. So that's encouraging.</p><p>2020 - What a year! I never imagined there could be a year like it. I ran a 5k road race in mid March and then bam, just like that, the entire country shut down. Teaching from home online gave me a lot of time for running and cycling. I did a lot of cycling so as not to run too much and injure myself. I felt it was a good balance and I felt great.</p><p>For the next two months, I just did this from home with an occasional camping trip to the forest. By June however, I was ready for some adventure. So I made a trip to the John Muir Trail along with some Death Valley NP and Zion NP on the way home.</p><p>That trip inspired a subsequent family trip in early July and then I backpacked some of the Colorado Trail in July.</p><p>Both backpacking trips were good trips but I need to do more on both trails (though I've almost done entire JMT now) and I need to stay out longer.</p><p>With most races canceled, I ran 5K test races with the Cross Country teams and as fall started, I was able to get a lot of speed work in with the CC team. I never run speed work like I do with the CC team. That really helps to push all of us to be faster. So my best for this year in the 5K was a 19:15 and an 18:52 (aided downhill). I'll take it!</p><p>I had some great solo half marathon runs on Poteau Mountain where I love to run, bike and camp. Including a 1:52 PR there. </p><p>Racing resumed somewhat here in the fall and I did the Pumpkin Holler 50K where I ran great for the first 20 miles and was on pace to break four hours but then struggled in to a 4:17. But it was a beautiful camping trip for Suzanne and I.</p><p>In November I did the White River Marathon but dropped to the half. It's a double out and back and I just didn't want to go out and back again. I finished in 1:32 at steady but easy pace. I'm certain I would've fallen off that pace but confident I would have finished in sub 3:10, at worse sub 3:15. I'll just have to do a fast road marathon in 2021.</p><p>Then three days after White River, I went camping and running in the forest and tripped and split my knee open. 15 stitches and 2 months later, it still hasn't completely healed. It was also in November that I began having the IT band and popliteus strain symptoms.</p><p>Don't be fooled by what you read on the internet. You cannot run through these injuries. You must stop running. If it hurts, stop. Allow it to heal. It will get better but will take time. Do not run until it is completely healed and your injured leg feels as strong as the uninjured one. Then come back slow and only without pain.</p><p>So that's where I'm at for 2021 and I need to heal up so I can fulfill my big adventures.</p><p>I'm set to pace the Little Rock Marathon again this year. Not sure if they will have it. I paced it last year in early March (forgot to mention that) and hope to again this year.</p><p>Athens-Big Fork and Switchbacks are almost certainly out for me because of this injury but I'm looking at maybe getting to do the Greenleaf Trail Run January 30th. February has Styx and Stones 30K, so looking at that or maybe White Rock 50K. Little Rock and March. April will be some speed 5K's etc. Maybe a road marathon like Hogeye or OKC?</p><p>In May I turn 50. Not sure what I'll do to celebrate but running will be involved somehow. Either a birthday trail run on Poteau Mountain or 5K or maybe another Grand Canyon R2R2R as I did to celebrate turning 40.</p><p>But my biggest plans for the year center on backpacking and Europe. I want to hike from Chamonix to Zermatt and do another trail race somewhere in Europe and then also spend time exploring some new European cities.</p><p>Then in July I'd like to get back to the JMT. It's just becoming a yearly pilgrimage for me and I love it.</p><p>Maybe some other travel as well?</p><p>Of course all of this depends on Covid's cooperation. I'm hopeful the vaccine will make it all possible.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-75502254702641076042020-08-21T17:08:00.001-05:002020-08-21T17:08:02.825-05:00The Year of Covid Adventures<p> I really wanted to make the most of opportunties afforded by the pandemic. I know that sounds terrible as so many people are dying, sick, losing jobs etc and I just hate that. Of course much of that is out of my control as long as I can practice social distancing and try to avoid contributing to the spread of the pandemic. </p><p>School let out at Spring Break and March and the first two months it seemed irresponsible to leave the house as we did not yet know how quickly the virus might spread and I didn't want to be part of the problem.</p><p>I did do some primitive camper with my old 1970s model single bed camper. It was very nice as the weather was perfect and I had the whole place to myself in the middle of a wilderness area. I was able to run and bike a lot while camping and the rest of the time and put in around 750 miles a month on the bike and over 200 miles a month running.</p><p>The rest of the time when not working on teaching classes online I was able to read a lot of books and I discovered the joy of podcasts while biking.</p><p>In June, I was able to get a backpacking permit for the John Muir Trail going Southbound from Cottonwood Pass. This would be my third trip to the JMT. I really intended on going all the way to Yosemite but then exited real early after a scary trip over Forrester Pass. I was really doing great and feeling strong. On the second dayI found myself five miles to the top of Forrester Pass. It was 3:30 in the afternoon. It felt too early in the day to stop and it would be pushing it a bit but I thought I'd have time to get up and over and make camp on the other side.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="677" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=dc6b74ff99&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r4483097234940770841&th=1741306c3a6b1b3f&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ_sbGsUXXhhm3AQx89OT4etMvd-MmAEW_SWvCjdwiiAKn9Qtq7pMTsCryc9O0MM_w3Ffks6tzSrKnH88sfjHPuRkir8HBnm5zbfgu4Vmq3DoY5wlC0DaB6dh0k&disp=emb&realattid=174130606b934a8e7e81" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="507" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This view of Mt Whitney (highest point in lower 48) from the backside was so beautiful. The meadow here was extraordinary.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I had to really start picking up the pace as ascended. I was enjoying it though. Since it was mid-June, as I got higher, there was a lot more snow and the alpine lakes were still completely iced over. It was absolutely beautiful. But the hiking was getting increasingly difficult because of the snow. Finally as I neared the crest there was a little notch only about 30 feet below the crest and that notch was iced over. There were footprints there from other hikers and about ten steps. But if any of the ice gave away on those ten steps, the outcome would not be good as it was a steep dropoff. </p><p>So without hesitation I just went for it and it was fine but it did give me a bit of a scare. Going on the other side of the pass the snow was even worse and I would posthole often and find myself at times up to my waste. I was really tired by this time but in a way I was also really loving it.</p><p>I hurried down another five miles or so beyond the pass to find a suitable campsite and after a dinner I collapsed in my tent from exhaustion. It was exhilirating and so much fun.</p><p>I wish I could go back to that moment and make a different choice because the next morning I decided to exit the JMT because I was worried if Forrester Pass was that bad, how bad would the other passes be? As it turns out and unbeknownst to me, Forrester is the highest pass on the JMT so the rest of the passes were much better.</p><p>It was a great trip but I feel like I exited early on a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the JMT early in the season with very few other backpackers. I would go hours without seeing anyone. It was so nice. So, I will just have to go back next year.</p><p>On the way home, I went through Death Valley. What a forbidding landscape that is! Then the next day I did some trail running and road biking in Zion National Park. It was my first time at Zion National Park and it just blew me away.</p><p>I liked Zion so much that a week later I drove the whole family back to Kanaab, Utah which is an 18 hour drive. Kanaab is a great central location to tour National Parks. The altitude is high enough that the weather is really nice there. So the family and I did the North Rim of the Grand Canyon once day, Zion the next day and then Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Park the last day and on our way home. It was a trip I had been eyeing for some time and I am really glad we went. With the pandemic, my daughter and I cancelled a July trip to Europe and this helped to make up for that a little bit.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="406" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=dc6b74ff99&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r8239973512514160724&th=174130c26f34f0f9&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ-Tl1PLoFHj-o1GY9P1aAS-MHsbs4TBOZF9SI3B0HboRuG3nIjTn2EyBCmvXnJU86V-1edhVrQcs9eN-ApEAiiCm45TVx9uR6HpnwWfxBHG68_19j7k9Ta4JoA&disp=emb&realattid=174130aa394fc0c80ec1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="542" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to pick a favorite National Park on this trip, they were all so great but Bryce was the most surprising in it's beauty and the most unusual.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>My last adventure was a backpacking trip to Colorado. I started at Kenosha Pass and backpacked to Breckinridge and back. Then I spent another day backpacking from Twin Lakes toward Leadville. Altogether I got in another 100 miles. But once again I was a little disappointed I didn't stay longer and do more backpacking.</p><p>However, there is a silver lining. I grew a lot in my confidence and I think I'm ready to greatly reduce my weight and put in a lot more miles each day. I've found that I like nothing better than just marching a long from sun up to sun down. I think I am ready to greatly reduce my pack weight and cover the JMT for example in six days or less. </p><p>I've hesitated to do this in the past because I guess I just worry that this isn't something people do much and I should just slow down and enjoy it. But I feel I enjoy it more when I really push my pace and give that physical exertion that goes to the limit. Doing so amidst such beauty is just perfect.</p><p>So I will be back to work in a week or so but I'm guessing it will not last long before our school is back to teaching online. If that happens, I'm prepared some even grander adventures. It's been a great summer and has helped prepare me for even greater things to come.</p><p>Life is too short to sit around at home.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-89999187739525084972020-08-18T14:00:00.001-05:002020-08-18T14:42:52.036-05:00Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy - Part II - Fall 2019 to Fall 2020<p> Quick review from previous post - </p><p>-From age 28 to 42, I had a great running experience. Ran marathons, ultras, 100 milers and triathlons. Post age 40 I developed proximal hamstring tendinopathy (for years I thought it was sciatic pain). The pain would be so bad that driving was difficult, just sitting was painful and running became increasingly painful and hard until I could only really jog.</p><p>-In summer of 2018 at age of 47, after five years of this tortuous running, I completely tore my hamstring from the bone while water skiing. Looking back, I am sure the tendinopathy made me very susceptible to having this complete tear. After some persistence with different doctors, I was finally able to find a doctor to do surgery and reattach the hamstring.</p><p>-From September 2018 when I had the surgery until March of 2018, I was just recovering. No running. On crutches for six weeks then working up to walking.</p><p>-By summer of 2019 I was running again but not without some very scary setbacks that had me thinking I wouldn't be running again.</p><p>-By August of 2019, I could run a 5K under 20 minutes again and my gait was better than it had been in perhaps a decade.</p><p>FALL 2019</p><p>Things continued to vastly improve! But not without setbacks. My biggest setback came after playing tennis and I went to run a 5K. I was swinging the leg and limping as if the hamstring had become detached again. It really freaked me out. I thought I had overdone it. So I took another 2-3 weeks off and slowly started to run gain.</p><p>Quickly started to feel better and then in September I did an Olympic distance triathlon and felt great. Ran 7 minute pace on the 10 K portion.</p><p>So in October I decided on a lark to run a road marathon. The Arkansas Marathon was close to home and the forecast was to have near record low temperatures near freezing at the start time. So I decided the week of to go for it. I was really nervous not having run a successful road marathon in 7 years or more and I didn't know if the hammie would just give out on me. Six miles in I wanted to quit so bad just because I was scared that it wouldn't hold up.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="638" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=dc6b74ff99&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r-5384112436746000401&th=1740310c876ce139&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ-lqEuQAu40d-TJSzhabnxPPwluyNo0DQlFsRrj3HXIqI2TM2U6oX_U5KpM_Z69b_6jroiglkRKGlZcNrQhlmxLQxlFN5GSwdHwciO0ODaw0j03sB9lEK1SXbU&disp=emb&realattid=174030dde9df0e1fa2d1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="295" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This felt so good to run a successful hard marathon. The first time in almost ten years!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>But I was running very well. Clipping along in the low seven range. After the turnaround, I took the lead (it was a really small race) and that really motivated me. The weather was perfect. Cold, no wind and beautiful country course so I just hammered it home. As always the last four mile or so became a bit of a struggle but the hammie stayed strong!</p><p>I knew then that if I could do a road marathon, then I was back! It was so exciting. I hadn't run a race with that kind of a comfortable yet intense effort since my days of running personal bests! I crossed in 3:11 which easily gave me a Boston qualifier too which was just icing on the cake.</p><p>In November, I did a tough 35 mile ultra called the razorback revival. It was extremely technical with lots of elevation gain from Lake Fort Smith State Park on the Ozark Highland Trail to the top of White Rock mountain and back. Some younger guys really pushed me and got me to be competitive and thus up the pace. I finished first in around 5:45 or so. I was completely beat but again, the hammie held.</p><p>Through the winter and early spring I continued to run well although there were a few races where the hammie kind of froze up on me. But that always came after playing tennis or soccer. The quick starts and and the lateral movement of these sports seem to much for the hamstring. Regrettably then, after a few more matches in the Spring, I've given up tennis for now.</p><p>As much as I love tennis, it's just not worth the risk and the setbacks. As long as I don't play tennis or soccer, I feel great. </p><p>Since the pandemic began, I'm running around 50 miles a week and biking 150. I've done a mountain trail marathon on my own and a half marathon about every other week and feel great. I'm still running sub 20 5Ks at age 49 so I am happy with that.</p><p>This summer I backpacked 200 miles on the John Muir Trail and the Colorado Trail and it felt great.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="548" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=dc6b74ff99&attid=0.3&permmsgid=msg-a:r-5384112436746000401&th=1740310c876ce139&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ93-vWeQyd0h6v3necLDzCesnDImupiEIGZCAxbXvdsy_H4WwsLT9jsekcURhr6TAH-ltY3z4CiaM9oH5SkfHs7zV5FDDMWuRKXU1l7C1VfJvZIP_0TiAW8McA&disp=emb&realattid=1740310817e1e4733ea3" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="406" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High point on the JMT - I had just crossed a very scary icy section to get here. It was still in Mid June and a little early in the season. But I loved it!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=dc6b74ff99&attid=0.2&permmsgid=msg-a:r-5384112436746000401&th=1740310c876ce139&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ9P4yvOb3fnjrnMiCA1R3wqT-s_4mabZs9QYAASD7CHALs8XBsHitez6rPGu9D5LgS26JkM5drFujvtyyIm8Ed69BF5thOIsvqrl-S6iB8AcIiNjp3T-MlqINk&disp=emb&realattid=174030f12bb9ecac6ee2" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="695" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a panoramic photo but no photos can do the JMT justice.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I am just so thankful that I can run again and I try to never take for granted my daily runs and bike rides.</p><p>Covid19 has limited race opportunities but who cares. I'll get to do that again, right now I just will continue to enjoy getting out there every day.</p><p>I hope that information from my experience might help others out there who are struggling. Prior to the waterskiing accident that tore my hamstring, I never realized how bad things had become. It had been so long since I had run without pain and with a normal gait that I had forgotten what it felt like.</p><p>For me, the complete tear of the hammie was the best thing that could happen. For those that are still suffering from this and it limits your ability to to do what you love, then I am so sorry and I hope that very soon things will heal as they did for me.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-68563076050994083692020-08-18T13:37:00.004-05:002020-08-18T14:30:50.325-05:00Hamstring Surgery Repair and RunningKeywords - Proximal Hamstring Tear, Retraction, Trail running, Ultra running, Backpacking<br />
<br />
If you look at some of my earlier posts from several years ago, you will see that I suffered quite a bit from High Hamstring Tendinopathy and struggled to get it treated. My running never really recovered from it. After some time off and PRP injections, I was able to at least run again but not at the level I once had. I had once ran 100 mile weeks regularly and ran sub 2:50 marathons including a 2:44 Personal Best. I also ran a lot of ultra marathons including three 100 mile completions and many 50 mile and 50K races. After the PRP I could do a 50 miler but much slower and road marathons were much slower to the point where I just stuck with trail ultras and some 5K road races that usually was a minute or two slower. I used to run under 18 pretty consistently and was struggling to go under 20 the last year or so. <br />
<br />
For much of 2017 and 2018, running was just getting more difficult as when I tried to run at a hard effort, my body just would not respond. Running became painful and I thought it was just from growing old.<br />
<br />
My hamstrings were really tight and so much in my legs just did not want to respond to a hard effort. It seems that at age 47 the decades of hard training and racing had caught up to me.<br />
<br />
Then on July 7th I was water skiing and as I was attempting to get up on the skis and as the boat took off, my left leg got ahead of the right leg and the resistance from the water against the ski combined with the force of 200 horsepower forced my leg to hyperextend. I belatedly let go of the rope and knew something was terribly wrong. My hamstring had just snapped and I could feel it. <div>
<br />
I struggled to get back to the house. I struggled that night with going up and down stairs and using the bathroom. I could barely walk for the next week. The back of my leg turned the most hideous color of black and blue from the internal bleeding from the hamstring having been torn from the bone.<br />
<br />
I should have done more research and went straight away to the doctor. But like so many injuries and pains I have had, I just assumed it would get better. As it happened, I also had a trip to Europe scheduled only one week after the injury and I was not going to miss that. So for two weeks I hobbled around Europe but it indeed did get better. After two weeks, I could walk around cities in Europe and only at the end of the day did I really begin to limp as my leg began to completely give out. But there was definite improvement. Running was out of the question but in due time I thought that I would be able to run again.<br />
<br />
Long story short, after I returned home, I began coaching my high school cross country team. I could not run with them at all. I used to lead the front runners, now I couldn't stay with the walkers. If I tried to run, my injured leg just would not carry through and push off. By this time, it had been well over a full month since the water skiing accident.<br />
<br />
As became more frustrated, I became more determined to fix this problem. So I went to the weight room to start hamstring curls to rebuild the muscle. With my good leg, I could curl 80 pounds. With the injured leg, I could not lift any weight whatsoever! That's when I realized that there was nothing to rebuild. The hamstring was gone!<br />
<br />
I researched that night and found out that water skiing is a perfect disaster for this type of injury and that now makes sense. The combination of the sheer force of the motor with the resistance from the water can easily tear the hamstring in a way that even sprinting could never replicate. <br />
<br />
I made an appointment the next day. It was frustrating going through that process because I knew from my research that time was important as the hamstring had already begun retracting. That success comes by operating as soon as possible.<br />
<br />
After the MRI results came in (5cm retraction meaning the hamstring had separated 5 cm from the bone and the longer we waited the more it would retract) and I saw the first doctor, he tried to tell me that normally we do not repair these injuries because people with these injuries can still walk normal and lead a normal life. I had to be very insistent that I wanted to run again, that I wanted it repaired and he finally and somewhat reluctantly referred by to another doctor he does do these repairs although they are rare.<div><br /></div><div>So several weeks later I had the surgery. This was September of 2018. Six weeks with a brace and crutches though I returned to teaching within a week. Then slow recovery with physical therapy. Six months before I could even think about a slow job.</div><div><br /></div><div>After three months I did begin walking and quickly got to where I was walking four miles each day at a good clip. That felt so good just to do that.</div><div><br /></div><div>After about four or five months in the early Spring of 2019 I began to do some light running and all seemed to be going well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then in May after having completed some speed workouts on the track, I felt I was definitely ready to race again. I went to a 10K road race and after only one mile I was limping. By the last mile I was walking as if I had just injured the hamstring. This setback was so demoralizing as I really thought the repair had failed and that I would not be able to run again.</div><div><br /></div><div>I retreated again from running for a month and did the power walking. By May I was running again very comfortably. It felt good. I also noticed that I was running better than I did before I was injured. My gait was much improved and felt like it did when I was in my 30s. But I was very hesitant to run a 5k pace.</div><div><br /></div><div>My son and I went to Europe and I decided to enter a trail race in Italy. The Cinque de Terre. It was a 30K race with about 6000 feet of elevation gain. It was beautiful. Maybe the most beautiful run I've ever done. I felt confident I could finish so long as I didn't race it. I took it easy and took a lot of pictures. It was great to cross that finish line as I never thought I would be able to do that again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some pics from that epic race!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="798" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=dc6b74ff99&attid=0.4&permmsgid=msg-a:r167217418525087185&th=17402fe5563ab193&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ_CC9P65DyhU0moDDdObUZnr4kDfYTK-CUzV-RZCt2IfRMnWP6Xs66SonOw3Pu7jnRTJkmP8UMalPmHyPLecNw_lK_rLFbC-mSzNd2w5tPDkAR8-rGWNQZArjM&disp=emb&realattid=17402fe3590a02c5d324" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="369" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was really nervous at the start line. First race in Europe and would the hamstring hold?<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="798" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=dc6b74ff99&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r167217418525087185&th=17402fe5563ab193&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ-uG0hqqxJZ4kkhzN1jRzXfwreWp9tOe7zSiTadfxkW_SPS1qUt84ttfZVwe_pKdc_t6pr2zI_g0FKVSQ0JVk2pWxjT7siFgFvNADH0KuDb8-IATH0keTQJ0eI&disp=emb&realattid=17402fe28d247271333" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="369" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extraordinary views of the Mediterranean Coast.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="798" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=dc6b74ff99&attid=0.3&permmsgid=msg-a:r167217418525087185&th=17402fe5563ab193&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ9uOwO0h82tCbuohnLGQ_Welcff3XB9JMLiN1b36P1JPN5JPEgjFY7JgVLwywRcrS3aAkglk-JbbvT7beLfNnmvv6KzZ8KNmXpzaL9ngqg4hHqtx__x1k0cm6o&disp=emb&realattid=17402fe129968b885342" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="369" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steps more steps is what gave this 30K race 6K of elevation gain.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="798" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=dc6b74ff99&attid=0.2&permmsgid=msg-a:r167217418525087185&th=17402fe5563ab193&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ-PBskVxGWCZevXp8Tevti8QlfSxnCQr4NTfLJG9M8vgDIqQAy-VvMxyCW35IhrWVxlvlSFICDa1i-P1ZqiD-TTsYx4EMJ3kDL0uwz-9E0lrJd_KCWY5ACkwYI&disp=emb&realattid=17402fdff3e8c9be62c1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Very nervous at the start line." width="369" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FINISHED! Hammie held but I had some serious heat exhaustion. Took days to recover.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Back in Oklahoma, in late July, I ran a 5K a a tempo pace. Not all out but 90 percent effort. It felt really good and there were no ill effects. Ran a 7 minute pace and I felt like I was coming back.</div><div><br /></div><div>So July into August I was able to push harder until I was able to run under 20 minutes again. That felt so good and running was fun again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now in hindsight, that water skiing accident was a blessing in disguise! It may have been the best thing that happened to me. I can run much better now than I did before when I had tendinopathy. I feel like I'm 30 again.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've read that in many Norway, Australia and some other countries, they will actually take serious cases of proximal hamstring tendinopathy in athletes and cut and reattach the hamstring. Some Americans have been traveling to Norway to have this done and now I can see why. Each case is unique but for me, having the hamstring torn an reattached was the only thing that got me running again like normal.</div><div><br /></div><div>With a good insurance plan, my cost was $23K although I've managed to convince insurance company to not charge that (long story). The cost from what I understand in Norway is something around 10-15K. So it is something to think about. In hindsight, knowing what I know now, I would do that in an instant. But again, each case is different and other runners/athletes may not have the same diagnosis or outcome. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm just grateful to be running again. Part II - Fall 2019 - Fall 2020 Coming Next</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-20265720903767085022016-05-15T16:24:00.000-05:002016-05-15T16:24:50.913-05:00August 2015 to May 2016I have been so lazy about keeping up to date with my running and adventure blog. Hard to believe that so much time has gone by and I did not make any entries. I try to make entries for marathon or longer events. I did not get to run as many as usual these past 9 or 10 months but did a fair share. Since recovering from hamstring tendinopathy, I've gotten stronger but no where near the runner I was several years ago. I may never be able to run that fast and effortlessly again but as I write this, I just finished a solo mountain marathon and felt pretty good about it and have had some decent 10K races this spring so there is hope yet. <br />
<br />
I also coached my high school cross country team last fall and that limited the ultras and trail races I was able to do although I did get a lot of speedwork in with the team and a lot of 5K races.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately I did not get to go to Run Rabbit Run 100 even though I was signed up because my work would not let me take the time off. I guess I should've just called in sick like everyone else does.<br />
<br />
<b>October</b> - Prairie Spirit Marathon - Wichita, KS - Perfect conditions, great and fast course but unfortunately, I could not run fast. My hamstring tendonitis seems to be most severe when running a hard road marathon effort. I went out at 6:30 pace for the first half but then even before the half way point I was already experiencing pain. The second half was excruciating. I could barely walk, much less run. It was very frustrating. I'd walk and then run and then walk and run. I was down to 12 and 13 minute miles the last 5 or 6 miles. Made me want to give up on doing a fast road marathon again. I stumbled in for a 3:26 ish? Who cares.<br />
<br />
<b>December </b>- Lovit Trail Marathon - Did much better here. Actually ran really strong through mile 18 or so. But then struggled along the last 6 miles which in the old days was the strongest part of my race. But maybe it will come back yet. Nevertheless, I still finished in 3:55 or so and I'm happy with that.<br />
<br />
<b>January </b>- Athens - Big Fork Trail Marathon - Only did the 17 mile fun run because Ouachita Switchbacks was the following weekend and I had to do a lot of work getting water up to the aid station. Plus I was wanting to rest and run strong at the Switchbacks 50K. Cold rain at this race made it kind of miserable. <br />
<br />
Ouachtia Switchbacks - Ended up just doing the 18 mile run because I was struggling again with the tendinopathy. Had sleet at the start but then conditions improved. Really frustrated with this injury because I feel like I can still compete if I can run without the pain.<br />
<br />
<b>February </b>- White Rock 50K - Race started at 9 but I thought it started at 8. So rather than wait around for 90 minutes, I started at 7:30 on my own. Ran very strong the whole way. Didn't really push too hard but kept a very strong and steady pace. Very pleased because I did not experience any tendinopathy pain. Ran 4:39 or so and came in second.<br />
<br />
<b>March </b>- Paced Little Rock Marathon - 3:15. Kept right on pace until mile 22 but then tendinopathy pain came and I struggled but managed to stay close to my pace and came in at 3:19.<br />
<br />
Old Military Road Trail Marathon - Hosted this inaugural event. Not sure if I will do it again but it was fun. Ran the course three times in the lead up to the race to prep and mark the course and then did the half marathon on race day. Did not have a lot show but we all had great fun.<br />
<br />
<b>May </b>- Poteau Mountain Solo Marathon - Ran steady and strong. Did not push the pace too hard. Certainly had a lot left in me. Didn't have tendinopathy pain so that is awesome. There is just nothing like other competitors to push you to run faster than you ever can alone. I really needed this run because I had not had a long run or ultra since March and I needed one for training for summer events. Also saw a bear very close. That was awesome. Ran this course in 3:57.<br />
<br />
So that's it, I'm all caught up on my blog. Now school is letting out next week and I'm excited for summer adventures. As of this writing, I'm signed up for the Never Summer 100K in July and I will definitely backpack a significant portion of the Colorado Trail. Trying to decide whether to do and ultra or backpack trip in June.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-82617228701841479942015-08-08T12:04:00.003-05:002015-08-08T12:04:17.927-05:00The John Muir Trail 2015Whenever I'm mulling over whether to go on a new journey or try some
new adventure, I've finally learned to trust my instinct and to just
go. I have yet to go on one of these journeys for ultra running or
backpacking and then regret having gone. They always turn out to be a
great learning experience. This is what was going through my mind as I
stared at the computer with my wife sitting next to me debating whether
to click 'purchase ticket' on the the computer and thereby book my
flight to hike the John Muir Trail.<br />
<br />
The problem with
the internet it is just too damn easy. One little click and you have
made that commitment. Or maybe that is not a problem, maybe that is
actually a blessing and in this case I definitely think it was a
blessing. So I clicked on "purchase ticket" and turned to my wife with
whom I had been discussing this possibility for a couple of years and
said, "Guess I'm going to go to the John Muir Trail". I was leaving in
just about one week!<br />
<br />
There are two major obstacles to
hiking the JMT besides the 210 miles and 48,000 miles of ascent. One,
is getting there and two is obtaining a permit. Starting in Yosemite
and finishing at Mt. Whitney means the JMT is logistically difficult to
get to. If I had to do it again, I'd probably looking at flying either
into Fresno or directly to Mammoth Lakes. As it was, I flew into Reno
and arrived at midnight and had to wait until 1:00 pm the next day to
take the Eastern Sierra Transit Bus to Lee Vining. I was going to stay
at the airport but while awaiting to pick up my backpack, I found on my
i-phone a motel 6 about two miles from the airport for only $40. That
seemed a lot better place to spend 13 hours and plus it gave me a chance
to practice carrying my 30 lb pack.<br />
<br />
The next day the
ESTA bus dropped me off at Lee Vining but that still put me 20 miles
from Tuolomne Meadows where I HOPED to obtain a permit at the Wilderness
Office. The line for a permit begins forming early in the morning like
at 5 am and so if I stayed in Lee Vining I could catch a 7:30 am
shuttle but that would put me pretty far back in line so as per my
original plan, I pre-made a sign "Tuolomne Meadows" and hitched. <br />
<br />
This
may seem dangerous but its what most people do to get around Yosemite
and is very common. Everyone going down that road is headed over Tioga
Pass to Yosemite and I have a big backpack on so it's pretty obvious
that my intentions are good. I waited about 20 minutes when a father
and son who had been hiking for six days gave me a lift. They gave me a
lot of good advice which was very much appreciated.<br />
<br />
I
was happy to get to Tuolomne Meadows around 6 pm so I got a bit to eat
from the store and set up my camp at the backpackers camp. I also got
to drink several beers from the store which I enjoyed because I wasn't
sure when I'd get to have those beers again. <br />
<br />
I
actually slept pretty well that first night and woke up and got to the
permit office about 6:30 am which was about a 1/2 mile away from the
camp. When I got there, I was tenth in line. Now the permit process is
very complicated but as long as you are flexible, the rangers will work
with you. In my case, the ranger asked if I wanted to start today to
which I of course most certainly did and she was able to get me a permit
from Sunrise Trailhead which was only about 10 miles from Happy Isles
(which is the official starting point of the JMT). Works great for me.
So after learning how to poop in the woods and getting my bear
cannister along with other instructions from the rangers, I was on the
shuttle and at my trailhead at 10:40 am and ready to start my journey!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIk9Rh53N6TyU7UYZpD9kIJlaRO3stXN1KGR_1RmfET2r8a_egjc1noCruo3CDf8Zvb7CseStPwRVcaWD6ZXrm96vKdt5KLlALMB1v8fM_m9vCxIIhvcq4f27EYYBZFpnMJfQ4ubXJNOA/s1600/IMG_1612.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIk9Rh53N6TyU7UYZpD9kIJlaRO3stXN1KGR_1RmfET2r8a_egjc1noCruo3CDf8Zvb7CseStPwRVcaWD6ZXrm96vKdt5KLlALMB1v8fM_m9vCxIIhvcq4f27EYYBZFpnMJfQ4ubXJNOA/s320/IMG_1612.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The line outside the Wilderness Office.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnI2nlUPuyWHdyIrW40Biuqc7Qg88CmVRkDD-CRxplIuB61oSg-C4udrU9Cu1TqJF5Bg6UTsNUX5k7RUmfhOLd3lnOIAZEpAFJf6eKZ7rPtMGO2ksV0ZXvreFD9HJhpavkVoWRQnW1HAw/s1600/IMG_1614.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnI2nlUPuyWHdyIrW40Biuqc7Qg88CmVRkDD-CRxplIuB61oSg-C4udrU9Cu1TqJF5Bg6UTsNUX5k7RUmfhOLd3lnOIAZEpAFJf6eKZ7rPtMGO2ksV0ZXvreFD9HJhpavkVoWRQnW1HAw/s320/IMG_1614.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Important information.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h49dCa7sSMFbgaKQ9pjEZVvoTjnlonem85ITr8cr1qKTyyerGcsuPusjePX-QbRIk0b1KXM7RsDZOsdN3X__jNcspqFhAgMnJmMqG1Y21xB0TzSdb3tx_d3a2AnjzoF0D0ZDchcQMRE/s1600/IMG_1615.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h49dCa7sSMFbgaKQ9pjEZVvoTjnlonem85ITr8cr1qKTyyerGcsuPusjePX-QbRIk0b1KXM7RsDZOsdN3X__jNcspqFhAgMnJmMqG1Y21xB0TzSdb3tx_d3a2AnjzoF0D0ZDchcQMRE/s320/IMG_1615.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Permit I Had Worried So Much About</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCg9y9uV6O_1K5EPCIIwsy01RA1RD0IjGl087m7UwT0utTMRnQLDNXBgQIHC7v_GsFaeH3hpgfBHpaLL899VMl0ctO9robdvP5-ijF5sz4jBSFXmHZBwdmUW_lo5IPl2J_dQn72lbgPE/s1600/IMG_1616.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCg9y9uV6O_1K5EPCIIwsy01RA1RD0IjGl087m7UwT0utTMRnQLDNXBgQIHC7v_GsFaeH3hpgfBHpaLL899VMl0ctO9robdvP5-ijF5sz4jBSFXmHZBwdmUW_lo5IPl2J_dQn72lbgPE/s320/IMG_1616.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My approximate 30 lb pack with bear cannister.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
DAY ONE - 22 plus miles - Start 10:40 am, Finish 7 pm - Start at Sunrise Trailhead, Finish 6 to 7 miles beyond Tuolumne Meadows.<br />
<br />
The
trailhead from Sunrise is a pretty good uphill climb for about 4 1/2
miles until it joins the JMT. By the time I reached the JMT I had begun
to work up a sweat and two of my water bottles were nearly empty. I
thought I would already have to try to find some water to refill and
right about that time I came to the point where the trail joined the JMT
and lo and behold there was actually a spigot and restrooms! That was<br />
convenient. So I was able to refill my bottles and knew I would be set
for the next ten or so miles until I reached Tuolomne Meadows. The was
a beautiful hike/run and the trail was pretty level to rolling for most
of it and it allowed me to really make up time after the first 4 1/2
miles of mostly ascent.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DVmjdZ-kQlZCCfQ_pdV0xPnnCRvfIRDiQozieGbtvhM8ZfOQ6KjNaZL0sdzWeD9cT9ThGjhScYm6GuJsCPBZZnaSJ7DTAPB9vpdd6ZjGVxTv3btTEH1q88ZHG_1EAVpts5kThyphenhyphenLsXfc/s1600/IMG_1617.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DVmjdZ-kQlZCCfQ_pdV0xPnnCRvfIRDiQozieGbtvhM8ZfOQ6KjNaZL0sdzWeD9cT9ThGjhScYm6GuJsCPBZZnaSJ7DTAPB9vpdd6ZjGVxTv3btTEH1q88ZHG_1EAVpts5kThyphenhyphenLsXfc/s320/IMG_1617.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to roll - yes I know those are some big sun glass but better to look dorky than suffer from the sun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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As
I made my way past one of the prettier alpine lakes, I noticed a hotel
towel (the kind with a stripe down the middle of it) laid out on a log
near one of the lakes apparently left there by someone. I realized then
that I had forgotten to pack a towel and so I picked it up. That
turned out to be a very wise decision because that towel could be used
to dry my feet when I cleaned them, as a way to shield my head and neck
from the sun. As a mat to put my feet on when I made camp in the
evening and a variety of other uses. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHmT8fuf2O6ep5d0DATuYCf2lbKFtAq11jMxB7E1DlykRvrLcvf48_fOz0A2oB7qW5g6FIms6H65m11xVZD9wlguLTkj1msixI2i3fB4Xm2ccMkETNyltdxUvB3Bv3nnPpm8jnz0R24I/s1600/IMG_1620.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHmT8fuf2O6ep5d0DATuYCf2lbKFtAq11jMxB7E1DlykRvrLcvf48_fOz0A2oB7qW5g6FIms6H65m11xVZD9wlguLTkj1msixI2i3fB4Xm2ccMkETNyltdxUvB3Bv3nnPpm8jnz0R24I/s320/IMG_1620.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was an incredible view from this spot. Have my towel to keep from sunburn on the neck.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Toward
the end of this section I had begun to get pretty tired since most of
this hike was during the heat of the day. As is usual, the later it got
in the afternoon, the less running I did as I felt my energy begin to
wane and felt the need for more food. Speaking of food, I had not ate
anything since the oatmeal I had for breakfast so I was really looking
forward to an early dinner from the grill at Tuolomne. I made it to the
grill around 4:00 and immediately ordered a burger basket and a big
cookie and got a big beer from the store. I sat down at the picnic
tables and it was delicious. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-W8v3sMLq1NukoZlODlLllVbrNWDU6-y8Xj3XocBozRGKu5T-GcEWaxe5wbTXUaPmKquSEKc_uTLelXZZbSEHUQIcGxc70BjeVADRgLq9hDRV_xXRGdkTIJbJ6DuYo-C1fOgKrRnBwc/s1600/IMG_1623.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-W8v3sMLq1NukoZlODlLllVbrNWDU6-y8Xj3XocBozRGKu5T-GcEWaxe5wbTXUaPmKquSEKc_uTLelXZZbSEHUQIcGxc70BjeVADRgLq9hDRV_xXRGdkTIJbJ6DuYo-C1fOgKrRnBwc/s320/IMG_1623.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great meal at Tuolomne Meadows</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I
savored the beer and took off my socks and shoes and cleaned my feet. I
really needed gaiters and that would be a big mistakes as sand and dirt
would really irritate my feet throughout this journey having just worn
running shoes. I did bring about a dozen pairs of socks and essentially
could wear a new pair every day and this helped.<br />
<br />
So
with a very full stomach, I decided that I would hike easily for an
additional two hours. The hike from Tuolomne is very easy and flat and
so I think I made it five or six miles. It was a nice hike as I had
cell reception and was able to talk to my wife for a while. I found a
very nice camping spot that evening and set things up. I had carried
two beers with me out of Tuolomne and so I drank those contentedly and
then crawled into my tent for what would be a pretty good nights sleep.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDqeC2SGQPFA-tQ3ogDhLrrcZyu3tbNhmUJs7tj1fq8Ijbdb_Uq3VD9TsImwYwLuRn_GYO32K_FYBb6CV3By-hGuj6ypbsBeFDCD4efYb1Jsg1YJNdYo4YasRdrJAbUC1m10XZT2ZcpI/s1600/IMG_1625.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDqeC2SGQPFA-tQ3ogDhLrrcZyu3tbNhmUJs7tj1fq8Ijbdb_Uq3VD9TsImwYwLuRn_GYO32K_FYBb6CV3By-hGuj6ypbsBeFDCD4efYb1Jsg1YJNdYo4YasRdrJAbUC1m10XZT2ZcpI/s320/IMG_1625.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great campsite on the first night.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
DAY TWO - 30 Miles - Start - 6:39 am - Finish - 6:09 pm - From just 6 miles south of Tuolomne to Red's Meadow Resort<br />
<br />
I
woke and had lots of oatmeal but skipped my coffee because I wanted to
hit the trail pretty early. Shouldn't have rushed so much but I really
hoped to make it to Red's Meadow for another hot meal and a shower would
be great too. <br />
<br />
The hike continued through the
beautiful valley until it started to rise over Donahue pass. Maybe it
was just because I was still fresh but I think the climb up Donahue Pass
was one of the easier and shorter ones. It certainly was a lot shorter
than Muir Pass later on. I was up and beyond it pretty early. I think
it was well before 10 am when I left the Yosemite National Park. It
was as all of this trail is, incredibly beautiful.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVeumtgNsCOANb6PwSHST1QBVuZNDa24IKxER6yPiLAFzL8GtmQpBRtgpc-iaImQ8howbWqgJn7K37cG-yeEy85qlq9eHCr2NEKuEi93F-J7OEwrTP3nR83RahK-Z-sfs21hORTe2MX0c/s1600/IMG_1634.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVeumtgNsCOANb6PwSHST1QBVuZNDa24IKxER6yPiLAFzL8GtmQpBRtgpc-iaImQ8howbWqgJn7K37cG-yeEy85qlq9eHCr2NEKuEi93F-J7OEwrTP3nR83RahK-Z-sfs21hORTe2MX0c/s320/IMG_1634.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View near Donahue Pass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmm4Klm77bGkq-D98AlG6ovBdP-cAbvsPAuANOwmYCjHMB1T94mr14PbZ9YZ1tF8U-dhsdXb73oHpktU3KDZklMmZtY4w862bPQqp02032WilrZDywOjoDqxug0Y55bj4VVAmAndAGU8/s1600/IMG_1635.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmm4Klm77bGkq-D98AlG6ovBdP-cAbvsPAuANOwmYCjHMB1T94mr14PbZ9YZ1tF8U-dhsdXb73oHpktU3KDZklMmZtY4w862bPQqp02032WilrZDywOjoDqxug0Y55bj4VVAmAndAGU8/s320/IMG_1635.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the top of the pass leaving Yosemite and Crossing into Ansel Adams Wilderness</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After
Donahue Pass, you come to Thousand Island Lake and the trail for the
rest of the day would go up a pass, down to a lake, up to a pass, down
to a lake. Again and again. Each lake unique and beautiful. This day
would be warm as well with no clouds so I definitely needed my towel. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzg9i3GjRrj8lES_YGUDS6q45NrMab7I5YlgRtym7vb7XiNNNOGgN35EozsEW7INBBzqlF0u-tlzMq2K6PiOggHK1p_5Ioi_nxfGsbFW4jlVf90Iu6-8i8pmD5i1C4pRBU7qLcBhojwQ/s1600/IMG_1638.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzg9i3GjRrj8lES_YGUDS6q45NrMab7I5YlgRtym7vb7XiNNNOGgN35EozsEW7INBBzqlF0u-tlzMq2K6PiOggHK1p_5Ioi_nxfGsbFW4jlVf90Iu6-8i8pmD5i1C4pRBU7qLcBhojwQ/s320/IMG_1638.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View near Thousand Island Lake (I think)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For
most of the day it was just stunning beauty as you go up over a little
pass and down and around an alpine lake but but 3 or 4 pm I was
definitely tired of the up and down and began wondering if I could even
make it to Red's Meadow. It was right around that time that there was a
long downhill section all the way to Devil's Postpile and into Red's
Meadow. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHODIGC1L4bTtt4UByXLEMw_3Neogdd9DOK224kSnrzfddjYE1tfboYFmYIvDAPPtNOjXqIMMgXMjWPG6CKLqkY1rXlEjVmS0FQEykMhEPz5vr8wNA91KaKWvgMStI59a_W-z-hD0kCbI/s1600/IMG_1646.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHODIGC1L4bTtt4UByXLEMw_3Neogdd9DOK224kSnrzfddjYE1tfboYFmYIvDAPPtNOjXqIMMgXMjWPG6CKLqkY1rXlEjVmS0FQEykMhEPz5vr8wNA91KaKWvgMStI59a_W-z-hD0kCbI/s320/IMG_1646.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe my best panoramic picture of the entire trip.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
About
two or three miles from Red's I heard a car horn and knew I must be
close but I was really drained and it seemed to take forever.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3o9Km-ATIQNEHytjKdXuQktiBQwCwZY4MsG4ZEPCWexqMD8EOaF47DoKJIbg1n5PIoO79nICWNoM3q7Tc3VA3Xb0bO6fdwp83_Z8o_IIeViYh3lth2ZMVmrCKOLwn8-SGsKLlz60Z1M/s1600/IMG_1648.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3o9Km-ATIQNEHytjKdXuQktiBQwCwZY4MsG4ZEPCWexqMD8EOaF47DoKJIbg1n5PIoO79nICWNoM3q7Tc3VA3Xb0bO6fdwp83_Z8o_IIeViYh3lth2ZMVmrCKOLwn8-SGsKLlz60Z1M/s320/IMG_1648.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red's Meadow At Last</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Red's
Meadow was okay. The cafe had a really good burger. I ordered the
double bacon cheeseburger and finished it off along with potato salad
and a beer. That was of course after a long hot shower which if I
remember correctly cost $7.<br />
<br />
The bad part about Red's is
that they were not really welcoming as Vermillion would be the next day
and you had to hike an additional half mile to the campground which you
had to pay for (although I managed to avoid that). If I had not been
so wore out, I think I might have been better off hiking a couple of
miles further down the trail and setting up camp there and in hindsight,
I probably should of done that even if I were fatigued because the
little backpacker's camp was kind of crowded.<br />
<br />
There was
good cell reception there and so I was able to talk a lot with my
wife. It was pretty low moment for me only my second full day out. At
only 57 miles, I seemed so far from the end and I was really exhausted
from a long hard day. I crawled into my tent for a very restless night
of sleep.<br />
<br />
DAY THREE - Red's Meadow to Vermillion Ranch Resort - 33 Miles - Start 7:09 am and Finish 6:30 pm.<br />
<br />
I
woke up determined not to rush to get on the trail. But even with a
relaxed striking of camp and eating oatmeal and then savoring some
instant coffee, I was still ready to go pretty early. Even though I
never really slept well, the mere fact of staying in the tent for ten
hours must have allowed my body to rest quite a bit because once I
started my hike, my attitude was a complete 180!<br />
<br />
I talked to Suzanne on the phone for the first 30 minutes or so as I hiked and I messaged her this picture:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlpX75LVfeDXsKLHMZ85uQSWxk7oDU6CYz5vk6SjgR26DpMFpc6lbWJsw8pa8lzlyBU05zVNDSUuCZpGN7KtCZRJrwNYnNoa41jwLJm05V_rX00TCG72JM-KKawOOR95VD7csX5iwwPI/s1600/IMG_1649.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlpX75LVfeDXsKLHMZ85uQSWxk7oDU6CYz5vk6SjgR26DpMFpc6lbWJsw8pa8lzlyBU05zVNDSUuCZpGN7KtCZRJrwNYnNoa41jwLJm05V_rX00TCG72JM-KKawOOR95VD7csX5iwwPI/s320/IMG_1649.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This view that I texted to my wife along with the conversation got my spirits up again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I
was really enjoying it again and couldn't believe what a difference a
night made. After talking with her, I picked up the pace and began
really ticking off some miles. This was much better terrain than the
previous day and a lot of it was very runnable. Then came quite a bit
of downhill as I ran along Purple Lake which was so beautiful. Then up
again and own to another much larger lake that I cannot remember the
name of. I had lunch there and it was the best lunch spot I had of the
entire trip.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2xago93g_JwLtOoRQVWcpTygfSGbRO7xUq04TS-jpHMO7gxFn-IANddm49v3hfDrPVRrSny8e96e1e078JFnd-YYvaoOEdJOsYFrzgbpc6qFhKbM76ite0rt7i5HyldzZcGH1SJU13k/s1600/IMG_1651.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2xago93g_JwLtOoRQVWcpTygfSGbRO7xUq04TS-jpHMO7gxFn-IANddm49v3hfDrPVRrSny8e96e1e078JFnd-YYvaoOEdJOsYFrzgbpc6qFhKbM76ite0rt7i5HyldzZcGH1SJU13k/s320/IMG_1651.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views from Day Three</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLytA60Gt9uH_JWjg63G8rupSgLhlCLhK5zc_mgyzm-Ijgiohg7uLN5Ga1h1DD813qjNYird5di2X4m9i7RvhqBpzVIqBqbQkYTWSnalZlW80sHaiwuTmsLYl8v-RL6IO3U751QiUmy_g/s1600/IMG_1653.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLytA60Gt9uH_JWjg63G8rupSgLhlCLhK5zc_mgyzm-Ijgiohg7uLN5Ga1h1DD813qjNYird5di2X4m9i7RvhqBpzVIqBqbQkYTWSnalZlW80sHaiwuTmsLYl8v-RL6IO3U751QiUmy_g/s320/IMG_1653.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purple Lake was so much more beautiful than this picture can show.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7oA0oR3vNGZ_zYZyi6vryXD_Kxj-vWYWuCFbwh0Yljsgbfkx81xKYEIwPhpqNf57C9LxMmQRBqdkLK4taTL7qCmCb8f0ytsRjoFeTJz1tZma4NbAw8evOwBKy4rzx7yah91JDqOxaoY/s1600/IMG_1655.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7oA0oR3vNGZ_zYZyi6vryXD_Kxj-vWYWuCFbwh0Yljsgbfkx81xKYEIwPhpqNf57C9LxMmQRBqdkLK4taTL7qCmCb8f0ytsRjoFeTJz1tZma4NbAw8evOwBKy4rzx7yah91JDqOxaoY/s320/IMG_1655.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great lunch spot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After
lunch I rally began to pick up the speed and there was a huge downhill
that was so beautiful with a huge flowing waterfall along side and a
really neat walking bridge that crossed the waterfall.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib09hS3zah6My55Y7ROT-liKJ14QcVLd3yHt0RFmEjojlHsKKg-BuG5TU4eG3MzM0HNQtATdKVMGRNwAd2l-IVO6W0N9IcrKfCRSvT9fkqlCPjJOjw2swz0LmHfbd2PUnUxexVu72upMk/s1600/IMG_1656.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib09hS3zah6My55Y7ROT-liKJ14QcVLd3yHt0RFmEjojlHsKKg-BuG5TU4eG3MzM0HNQtATdKVMGRNwAd2l-IVO6W0N9IcrKfCRSvT9fkqlCPjJOjw2swz0LmHfbd2PUnUxexVu72upMk/s320/IMG_1656.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was impossible to get a good picture that could capture this waterfall and bridge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm
not sure what time it was, probably mid-afternoon, maybe two o'clock
and I began to think that I would get to VVR pretty early and really be
able to enjoy a very long evening and that had me really excited. What I
did not know and could not know is that the distance via the trail to
VVR (and not the ferry) was 33 miles and not 27. That six miles meant
two to three more hours and so instead of finishing at 4:30, I would end
up finishing at 6:30. This was very hard to do because I had led
myself to believe that it would be an easy day but instead that last
pass was terrible.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqNV8rvfiGqlzUeIFx0-XGhLCGxOFMQYhqtJsosAjI8-B0UEOrqsIQ7_0qj5dPZcjUcTWgHd0PRXIcjFfj3PjuYiqSoGX8u6JV8mECp2yvr1ue6q_53sBde_mM0HiwfMXdNhDbjT1t7Q/s1600/IMG_1658.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqNV8rvfiGqlzUeIFx0-XGhLCGxOFMQYhqtJsosAjI8-B0UEOrqsIQ7_0qj5dPZcjUcTWgHd0PRXIcjFfj3PjuYiqSoGX8u6JV8mECp2yvr1ue6q_53sBde_mM0HiwfMXdNhDbjT1t7Q/s320/IMG_1658.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View on the way up to a very difficult climb.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I
started climbing up the pass as it went up and up and the climbing was
really getting tough. It was toward the end of the day and I had
already done twenty miles so that made it even worse. But then to make
matters worse, once you get to the top of the pass, you take the
alternate trail to VVR which means you have to go up more to an
additional pass! I'm not sure how many more feet of climbing the second
pass was but it seemed like it must have been a thousand feet of
additional climb.<br />
<br />
Making matters worse, the descent
from the pass had terrible footing and was very rocky so I could not
really run and just struggled not to trip on the jagged rocks. As
always, the trail began to go back into the treeline and thus I was able
to run some. After what seemed like an eternity, at about 5:15, I came
to a group of campers and asked how far to VVR - their response was 4
miles! I could not believe I had four more miles to go. So I just did
the only thing I could do and I just bore down and ran hard the last
four miles to VVR. It was a little confusing the last mile on how to
get to the resort and I even had to call and ask for directions. For
those wanting to know - go to the trailhead and then follow orange
ribbons to VVR.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAsr1oQNBhFxLC-3VjvBFR3SNRE2B1QhHs_KevvwoL63QTgEjfbbLJKU9k2nSxs9YPFJWUeQANVoHZToY3et2uDqKI815a8IoEk0tsx6723iv4Op6dj0kfXin4OI42w5ajHFeCHJWwbs/s1600/IMG_1663.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAsr1oQNBhFxLC-3VjvBFR3SNRE2B1QhHs_KevvwoL63QTgEjfbbLJKU9k2nSxs9YPFJWUeQANVoHZToY3et2uDqKI815a8IoEk0tsx6723iv4Op6dj0kfXin4OI42w5ajHFeCHJWwbs/s320/IMG_1663.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Just
as I had read online, when I walked into VVR, the really nice lady
there told me the first beer is on the house for thru hikers. Once
again I was exhausted from a really long day and so grateful for this. I
had been dreaming about having that beer for sometime and now it was a
reality. It was awesome. I took another shower and ordered the special
which for that night was fried chicken and mashed potatoes. By far
this was the best meal of my entire trip! I made quite a new friends
while I ate and drank some beer.<br />
<br />
A really nice couple
offered me an extra bed in their cabin but I told them I was okay in my
tent. They were in disbelief that I had done Reds to VVR in a single
day as it took them three hard days. I met a nice couple from Colorado
that were also thru hiking and several others people with whom I had
beer around the campfire. The younger 'kids' were playing music and it
was just a really great place. I worried that it might be too loud to
sleep but sure enough by ten o'clock it seemed as if the entire resort
had fallen into a deep slumber.<br />
<br />
DAY FOUR - 25 miles -
Start 9:40, Finish 7 pm - VVR to start of King's Canyon National Park -
Just past the bridge over a beautiful rushing stream.<br />
<br />
So
the beginning of this day was the moment I decided to cut the hike a
little short and not go to the very end at Whitney Mountain. I hated
that I would not finish but at the same time, I knew that could without
too much difficulty. My greatest concern was that I would be out of
cell contact with my family for four days and then would have to wait
another three days before I could get the bus back to the Reno Airport.
The other option was to go to Bishop, be out of cell contact for two
days and then be back home the following day. So I chose the latter
because it just seemed more reasonable and less stress for me and my
family.<br />
<br />
In hindsight now, I really don't regret the
decision because I feel like I really got the heart of the trail and
this just gives me reason to go back and do the entire trail next time.
I only had 60 miles left that I did not get to see.<br />
<br />
I had
a late start because I had to wait for the shuttle to take us around
Thomas Edison Lake and then I had to call and make arrangements for
hotel and flight and talk one last time with my wife. So I hit the
trail at 9:40 and the hiking was pretty good. I felt really rested from
having ate both a hot full dinner and a hot and full breakfast at the
VVR grill. The pass we went over that day did get a little scary as a
storm moved in.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnzFhdygpgJsPgHCIHPG2LDy_fc_KYjqErbLU_m8hU_KeqzXUlkAcPZu-clU5KwL1sQ4OueNmEgKsFK27ENusXiZ1x-1jGpfyTaFhyaXr9fG1AE6RLYu2hTsHP3TFBxNKA5gqHoPcNI0/s1600/IMG_1666.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnzFhdygpgJsPgHCIHPG2LDy_fc_KYjqErbLU_m8hU_KeqzXUlkAcPZu-clU5KwL1sQ4OueNmEgKsFK27ENusXiZ1x-1jGpfyTaFhyaXr9fG1AE6RLYu2hTsHP3TFBxNKA5gqHoPcNI0/s320/IMG_1666.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just before the storm moved in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
It
was scary enough that I retreated back down from the pass and set up my
tent at a basin and had lunch inside the tent and rested for 30 minutes
or so as I waited for the storm to pass. There was a little hail and
some thunder but it blew over pretty quick. I was able to quickly pack
up and continue moving.<br />
<br />
As I got down the other side, the
trail strangely became for the first time very empty. There were very
few people. At times I wondered if I was still on the right trail
because up until that time I had seen people every half mile or mile.
No I had gone several miles without seeing a soul. As the trail reached
the bottom near Muir Trail Ranch (which I had totally forgotten about
and didn't even see the turn) you came through a valley with huge
sequoias and it was quite beautiful. Finally I passed someone at about 6
in the evening going Northbound and he had not seen anyone either and
also wondered if he were on the right trail. It was reassuring for both
of us.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoFk7ByK27zYaMduJkFszfgXD1FfQ-NNN3_9zyA2XSixj-4H-rQVkGho-4pglWWEn6tzSw04SRS2ShHqmgyU4W-ddweK47dkqzAnIT7ZnQCu7xhIY2bqJwEYfUEOnu7VicI3yKA84VSY/s1600/IMG_1667.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoFk7ByK27zYaMduJkFszfgXD1FfQ-NNN3_9zyA2XSixj-4H-rQVkGho-4pglWWEn6tzSw04SRS2ShHqmgyU4W-ddweK47dkqzAnIT7ZnQCu7xhIY2bqJwEYfUEOnu7VicI3yKA84VSY/s320/IMG_1667.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful trees near Muir Trail Ranch. Trees look much larger in person.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I
continued on looking for a good campsite and there was none. I told
myself that at 7 pm, I'm going to plop down and camp where ever I am at
because I was exhausted. Luckily it just so happened that at seven
o'clock I crossed a bridge into King's Canyon National Park and a
perfect campsite next to a roaring river that others had already set up
near. That was nice.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgCL-vr4wDVOFYnIgg_bDKzPsdj6dofOtU5Kt5RKF0sd5KeEHG8HQ6AH_EUwrvVWZTfeOcY-SnheNMdmn5mrfYzTUW5mrxxO4akauMGnFT74gumgVyc2flJKBoBfc4K2F5d-epbLpnpo/s1600/IMG_1668.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgCL-vr4wDVOFYnIgg_bDKzPsdj6dofOtU5Kt5RKF0sd5KeEHG8HQ6AH_EUwrvVWZTfeOcY-SnheNMdmn5mrfYzTUW5mrxxO4akauMGnFT74gumgVyc2flJKBoBfc4K2F5d-epbLpnpo/s320/IMG_1668.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgPfLGSuFyTo6-XaPc4Ks3K9vzpip6Sp2Yyqou0MFMfTm0Wc8FmxdNx0-OCVU-oGcoUGKBIaKjBQBVVHKM-a8h0XSHNKwjgkB-9WBdxqC7Ak1aQYSDa_mie9ba5c311Lx4cAE090XBTA/s1600/IMG_1670.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgPfLGSuFyTo6-XaPc4Ks3K9vzpip6Sp2Yyqou0MFMfTm0Wc8FmxdNx0-OCVU-oGcoUGKBIaKjBQBVVHKM-a8h0XSHNKwjgkB-9WBdxqC7Ak1aQYSDa_mie9ba5c311Lx4cAE090XBTA/s320/IMG_1670.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This river was really flowing. I think that might have been one of the longer stretch without water.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I
ate a filling though not very tasty rice and chicken meal and into my
tent I went for a good ten hours of rest. It was a beautiful campsite.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtz5bI53p0bEerjjNMMSJSF-sYUbjEaoLoVXpvaHrOF1ECbllZxdhVb1RHpdTbhI3UrRiOKZhUuTgBKICAyO1Y_V7Av5wRdqsR6IBipgYxVslW7jpyhbdFAqJ2is6kiqFfn1_RQ8Go5E/s1600/IMG_1672.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtz5bI53p0bEerjjNMMSJSF-sYUbjEaoLoVXpvaHrOF1ECbllZxdhVb1RHpdTbhI3UrRiOKZhUuTgBKICAyO1Y_V7Av5wRdqsR6IBipgYxVslW7jpyhbdFAqJ2is6kiqFfn1_RQ8Go5E/s320/IMG_1672.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the better campsites along the river.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquqaU0XqviaM2ZQa0ccQKKGtwTMeyJJOjebd3Yq2mIJwx8EwRX3YIOibaur3XIo9H_viKyaQRIMAwRQnZCiu82O7XEPeXc-DQ6lQ6txm-CWl0sI6hqhf5i5s-XdfeSS0yw2qE6c_lGz0/s1600/IMG_1674.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquqaU0XqviaM2ZQa0ccQKKGtwTMeyJJOjebd3Yq2mIJwx8EwRX3YIOibaur3XIo9H_viKyaQRIMAwRQnZCiu82O7XEPeXc-DQ6lQ6txm-CWl0sI6hqhf5i5s-XdfeSS0yw2qE6c_lGz0/s320/IMG_1674.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calories - nothing more, nothing less. Just getting calories.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
DAY 5 - 27 Miles - Start 7:20, Finish 6 pm - King's Canyon NP Start to Bishop Pass Trail Exit -<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBCLB_sQzsf6fuElf9Yg6NxnZyAVgpxdOUDx-A4EpJ4RirQQY2ZffW76u4cZYs-l2_pp89B2WYEoiUQu2hQcN1Anz-bA7NdCq8C9d8Q4ItaTVTz1dDqLIVyyL5jTHMo40SQ08u30jlLw/s1600/IMG_1677.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBCLB_sQzsf6fuElf9Yg6NxnZyAVgpxdOUDx-A4EpJ4RirQQY2ZffW76u4cZYs-l2_pp89B2WYEoiUQu2hQcN1Anz-bA7NdCq8C9d8Q4ItaTVTz1dDqLIVyyL5jTHMo40SQ08u30jlLw/s320/IMG_1677.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing like seeing the sun come up in the mountains.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So
starting out this day, I hiked up and up past a roaring river toward
Evolution Basin. It was very beautiful. But then again it is all
beautiful. But this was even more so. I did not know it at the time
because I had not studied the map but I was headed up Muir Pass.
Probably should have studied the map more because Muir Pass is not like
others. It goes on and on and on and on. As I got nearer what I
thought was the top at the basin, the clouds began to thicken. It was
almost noon. I thought that I would have at least a good hour or more
before any serious weather came in which should be plenty of time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UYbvXCdc2QMFdwuOrXu7M2cLY28BVBRSTg_pYxNLCBJ74JoAU5o_dS9BowDM7mN-U1D8b5XRj6qbiPxm05Pr9ve8G0hAuGeFjtxOEHKCU9pVBU5hv8EmXKFq3n9q4QZfBIqGUI3da0E/s1600/IMG_1687.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UYbvXCdc2QMFdwuOrXu7M2cLY28BVBRSTg_pYxNLCBJ74JoAU5o_dS9BowDM7mN-U1D8b5XRj6qbiPxm05Pr9ve8G0hAuGeFjtxOEHKCU9pVBU5hv8EmXKFq3n9q4QZfBIqGUI3da0E/s320/IMG_1687.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the basin beneath Muir Pass - notice the clouds thickening.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
But
it was not plenty of time because the storm moved in faster than
expected and Muir Pass was FAR LONGER than I ever expected. This was
probably the time that I was most afraid during my entire trip. I did
not want to get caught on a pass during a lightening storm but felt like
it was too far too go back. I thought it was probably easier to try to
go ahead over the pass and get down quick the other side. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IJ-Lfx2fD3ENoEPr9MoXGbVzaPTIxHxtO-6RmTUzVFwR9T4FfbHe6jRVwdif6i8CipEkrBRXb1B7lOYfKvWf8Uy2OO51HvV2Tx0JROlqjSRGOz9sOKw0qOOIyYMVTRwVHsrfV8tQJYY/s1600/IMG_1691.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IJ-Lfx2fD3ENoEPr9MoXGbVzaPTIxHxtO-6RmTUzVFwR9T4FfbHe6jRVwdif6i8CipEkrBRXb1B7lOYfKvWf8Uy2OO51HvV2Tx0JROlqjSRGOz9sOKw0qOOIyYMVTRwVHsrfV8tQJYY/s320/IMG_1691.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelter on top of Muir Pass - the clouds were pretty dark but the storms stayed away on nearby mountains.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This
is also the hardest I worked the entire trip. I was running and hiking
as fast as I could. My heart rate was through the roof. I felt like I
was running a marathon. But luckily the storm stayed on a nearby
mountain and never really came to Muir Pass but it was really scary for a
little while there. That pass was so long that despite my best
efforts, it was 2:30 before I reached tree line on the other side. It
took a solid 2 1/2 hours to get up and over that pass. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHY_9HSvZIqAruINmgPiBBuyGG-OkV7ejsnAiyE42Sx7vVYTULl33YfewU9Kzg49Vh-ukyKpYqF5BFwRBnB2WlMQKpwJLt9SPsWICJxC2Nk5siQgXEz6RLXF_vZhqCOCnCnZJZhRGmhgI/s1600/IMG_1693.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHY_9HSvZIqAruINmgPiBBuyGG-OkV7ejsnAiyE42Sx7vVYTULl33YfewU9Kzg49Vh-ukyKpYqF5BFwRBnB2WlMQKpwJLt9SPsWICJxC2Nk5siQgXEz6RLXF_vZhqCOCnCnZJZhRGmhgI/s320/IMG_1693.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clouds were very pretty as they hung low after the storm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuQClipLaW4G_gmIa5YjRo5wLMhWzGJqU3CHN5m-izSQRIE91YHP9SzK8aGoTCOAk-uMZeHwdFlj4J9wGEZS1STj8HrLBy0zohUHFWlJMfBmVP8YuXy1WsznSaEF90hENQubfs9rkl9U/s1600/IMG_1696.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuQClipLaW4G_gmIa5YjRo5wLMhWzGJqU3CHN5m-izSQRIE91YHP9SzK8aGoTCOAk-uMZeHwdFlj4J9wGEZS1STj8HrLBy0zohUHFWlJMfBmVP8YuXy1WsznSaEF90hENQubfs9rkl9U/s320/IMG_1696.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSZN57YJPfrPwcN_6MamGbKQir4jK7NI1ggnIcugTCFYV1GdHCypezdEYRjCVihSvQJezHMr6V2JZdCG6I5XkvVFAVvwR4wAYD5WyVpY_4zY2S-X13nd6FzgvTUjqGwMUIQU8p-7mf18/s1600/IMG_1698.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSZN57YJPfrPwcN_6MamGbKQir4jK7NI1ggnIcugTCFYV1GdHCypezdEYRjCVihSvQJezHMr6V2JZdCG6I5XkvVFAVvwR4wAYD5WyVpY_4zY2S-X13nd6FzgvTUjqGwMUIQU8p-7mf18/s320/IMG_1698.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9VWD_LAMutK86nZVmzrLfbJLFnOMQ2APgpzpVg4hfsxiz-KQ_buCiMnm6OkkEEm1-iVuOfQ27zAYBJ3ILFQBDWpgK9uuzOsgydKeuR3RmB0OS1CfC2t1g7wD7CkSUkCMwzqUNMTkHhf8/s1600/IMG_1700.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9VWD_LAMutK86nZVmzrLfbJLFnOMQ2APgpzpVg4hfsxiz-KQ_buCiMnm6OkkEEm1-iVuOfQ27zAYBJ3ILFQBDWpgK9uuzOsgydKeuR3RmB0OS1CfC2t1g7wD7CkSUkCMwzqUNMTkHhf8/s320/IMG_1700.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Exhausted
I had a minimal late lunch and then pushed on. Mostly down hill now, I
kept going until about 5:00 when I reached the Bishop Pass Trail. I
hiked a few more miles up the Bishop Pass Trail until I found a camp
spot. It was bitter sweet leaving the JMT but I know I will be back. <br />
<br />
I
laid in my tent and looked at the pictures I had taken on my phone and
was happy that I would be finally able to call and talk to my family and
in two days I'd be home! I worried that they must be really worried
about me and was said that I had no signal on Muir Pass. As I laid
there, I also could tell that I'd lost quite a bit of weight in the past
week. It was really amazing that my stomach had shrunk so quickly
despite my best efforts to really put in tons of calories.<br />
<br />
That
was a very restless night, really had trouble sleeping. Next time I
need to bring one of those little blow up air mattress or sleeping pads.<br />
<br />
DAY SIX - 12 plus miles - Start 6:30 , Finish 11:00 am<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-jcYV4Id_P2XqwPv6-1oK2JwL1g6CBh1uVVoPmzFHNgqeEN1ueTU6VZ1kk1WVwYRmBHoICFk-hjAaBcFPbHx6NfdAWkEzotM7PpCHbiQmJ1Y6sBKPPy8xC_LspEiq997vYtI-Ec7IhA/s1600/IMG_1703.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-jcYV4Id_P2XqwPv6-1oK2JwL1g6CBh1uVVoPmzFHNgqeEN1ueTU6VZ1kk1WVwYRmBHoICFk-hjAaBcFPbHx6NfdAWkEzotM7PpCHbiQmJ1Y6sBKPPy8xC_LspEiq997vYtI-Ec7IhA/s320/IMG_1703.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some pictures from the final morning. Mornings were always the best. Rested and beautiful as the sun came up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjin6NwiQza39pKzDACNR9MCkJU7aL9Ce9iplUxksMkJPqxADk2zWSkZZYyRkFefi6uo6VBUMivhHDEhxSi9W_Ema5bLQkUx9YD4oBxBA_pdBbZ7-IbvS2xnLhMEK43VQmhehEeUU3Vrno/s1600/IMG_1711.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjin6NwiQza39pKzDACNR9MCkJU7aL9Ce9iplUxksMkJPqxADk2zWSkZZYyRkFefi6uo6VBUMivhHDEhxSi9W_Ema5bLQkUx9YD4oBxBA_pdBbZ7-IbvS2xnLhMEK43VQmhehEeUU3Vrno/s320/IMG_1711.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN65SDeOVkE7hoOvwV679ttClrG3RlF0il7tU_GmJ-Ms0F2FnNFYTPqSvz-qpECYROUSunHDrTk6Af86h8Y61czX5uxY2NKL0y2817eXaFEiIxlEE71oyq2Ab7AqDoFr5dnUaEmjg9kPo/s1600/IMG_1712.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN65SDeOVkE7hoOvwV679ttClrG3RlF0il7tU_GmJ-Ms0F2FnNFYTPqSvz-qpECYROUSunHDrTk6Af86h8Y61czX5uxY2NKL0y2817eXaFEiIxlEE71oyq2Ab7AqDoFr5dnUaEmjg9kPo/s320/IMG_1712.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Bishop
Pass wasn't too bad to get up and it was very beautiful. But it was
very steep and rocky coming down toward Bishop. But it wasn't long
before I was at the trailhead. I only had to hitch for about 20 minutes
before getting a ride into town which is about 20 miles from the TH. <br />
<br />
I
was so anxious to call my family and let them know I was okay. I had
not talked to them in two and half days. When I finally got a cell
signal I called and talked to my daughter Madeline and told her I know
she was worried about me but I was okay. She simply responded that no,
she wasn't worried, why should she be worried. Guess I could have
continued on the last couple of days after all. Will have to remember
that next time. <br />
<br />
I rode down from 9000 feet (13000
from top of pass) to 4000 feet and for the first time in a week or more,
I really felt the summer heat. It must of been near 100 degrees in
Bishop. After I was dropped off at the edge of town, I walked through
town and passed the post office and so that was a good time to send back
my bear cannister. Got my room and some really good food and was ready
to go home.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4ZiFA36Fjc6D1Zv_wuBWsDtKdHOZrqYG7hXyOhcjZ9Ag63LS1iTJRle_wAeAbplql7_oPJDGWzqBEfsYpkgcXSJy5AliMNdNsTq9xeqPZIEEraHaky1NslHcW-zKCwgDaU04Xibx8Xs/s1600/IMG_1719.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4ZiFA36Fjc6D1Zv_wuBWsDtKdHOZrqYG7hXyOhcjZ9Ag63LS1iTJRle_wAeAbplql7_oPJDGWzqBEfsYpkgcXSJy5AliMNdNsTq9xeqPZIEEraHaky1NslHcW-zKCwgDaU04Xibx8Xs/s320/IMG_1719.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Eastern Front Range of the Sierra Nevada Mountains from my bus riding back to Reno.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It
was an extraordinary trip and my first really big thru hike. I really
learned a lot from it and feel like I have many years of thru hike
adventures ahead of me. I'd like to do at least one a year to take a
break from and train for ultra runs. It really is a different type of
adventure from the ultra run.<br />
<br />
Not sure what to do next
summer. I may come back to do the JMT again and make sure I finish. I
feel very comfortable there now. I may try to do the entire Colorado
Trail or a different portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. Of course
there is always others like part of the Continental Divide Trail further
north in Idaho would be fun too. What's great is there is far more
trails than I could ever do in a lifetime and I look forward to
exploring as many as possible.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6f-n0FY9K7hww38-WMouLHuZqYiP8fQ8i3bN9mTSPi6z_gPw9vWI5BZd_do-63c2GigfL3n3S0de_RN4ZLFqiA9X1QwkeqvbEr_KdHIkqrx_4kGJavyuJ-mnuWiHGXxhSTFXBQcbE9c/s1600/IMG_1696.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6f-n0FY9K7hww38-WMouLHuZqYiP8fQ8i3bN9mTSPi6z_gPw9vWI5BZd_do-63c2GigfL3n3S0de_RN4ZLFqiA9X1QwkeqvbEr_KdHIkqrx_4kGJavyuJ-mnuWiHGXxhSTFXBQcbE9c/s320/IMG_1696.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-1358846022835912642015-07-11T10:13:00.000-05:002015-07-26T11:53:13.507-05:00San Juan Solstice 50 Miler 2015So Jemez had given me great confidence for this race. It had been four or five years since I last ran it and now I felt confident that I could finish it. I knew I would not approach the 10:30 time from then but hoped to just finished. After having been injured for so long and for a time thinking I may never run again, Lake City was a celebration that I was back and so time did not really matter. This was a run just to be happy to be running and Lake City is my favorite and most beautiful race of all time. Though when my chest is beating and hurting at 13000 feet and you can't get air, I really began to wonder why I thought it was my favorite race. This race is sooo tough for flatlanders, especially coming out less than 48 hours before the start.<br />
<br />
This was also part of a larger and epic family vacation and I am happy to report that the race and the vacation was awesome. We camped at the Great Sand Dunes National Park on Thursday night. I had driven by there many times but had never stopped in part because I just didn't get how sand dunes could be that special. It was awesome. I've never seen anything like it. Against the backdrop of 14ers are these incredible sand dunes that are 700 feet high! We lucked out and got a great campsite in the National Park. Really lucky because I had not made reservations. Me and the kids hiked to the top and played in the river that runs through it. We ate quesadillas off the camp stove and all was well although I could definitely feel some altitude sickness.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/11539559_10206094139904298_3331407267553551416_n.jpg?oh=6ab00302a44e69f91dca8d3ef03762c0&oe=562877A3" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim and Olivia atop the Great Sand Dunes after a very tough hike!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next day we drove on to Lake City and as you drive over Slumgullion pass which is also the mile 40 aid station, the San Juan Mountains are beautiful but are so intimidating knowing that you are going to attempt to run 50 miles up and around and over them. But unlike Jemez, I did not really have a sense of dread. Strangely, I felt confident that I could finish and that it would be great.<br />
<br />
We stayed at the Town Square Cabins which is perfect because I could look out the back door of the cabin and see the finish line. So when I did finish, I didn't have to worry about making it back to the cabin.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/11227600_10206674670052591_4917345704406326700_n.jpg?oh=409997263bc8d0375bc2508d1f492bf9&oe=56257E32" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to Start at 5 am</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The next morning the race began and I felt confident so I set a pretty good pace and climbed the first mountain at a very good steady pace. As we climbed, we had to cross the stream about ten times and it was really moving! A couple of times I thought myself or someone around me might be washed downstream it the current was so swift.<br />
<br />
After we climbed, I descended rather quickly and felt good until a few miles from the Williams Aid Station. It was there that I got of course for about five minutes and I began to feel a little bit of the altitude sickness. I also had a sock that was rubbing and I was worried about a blister after all those water crossings.<br />
<br />
Luckily at the Aid Station my Mom and our friend Deanna were there to crew for me. I told them to sleep in and not come out but I was glad they did. I basically stole the socks off of Deanna's feet and got rid of the wet ones.<br />
<br />
I continued on to the next aid stations at Carson but the altitude was really killing me. But I struggled up to the aid station but now the other foot was beginning to blister. I asked if anyone there had a sock. I would normally never do that but I was desperate. I knew if I didn't get a different sock on that foot, I was in for major problems. It was really my fault because I should have had a drop bag there but I never do drop bags because I'm always able to get what I need at the aid station. From now on, I will be packing a sock drop bag. <br />
<br />
Luckily there was an older woman there and she gave me her sock! It was a long tube sock and she said it was her husbands and just make sure to turn it in at the finish line. At first I refused because it was just too generous. I've heard of giving someone the shirt off your back, but sock off your foot!? But I went ahead and accepted and that sock made it to the finish line. I did end up with a large blister but it had only started to form the last four or five miles. Needless to say, I did not turn the sock in at the finish line. There was no way any one would want that sock after I had finished with it. But I wish I could thank that aid station volunteer more!<br />
<br />
As I left Carson and continued up toward the Contintental Divide, the altitude really began to take its toll. Last time I ran this race I was able to kind of push through it but not this time. Every time I got higher in elevation, my pace slowed and my chest really began to hurt. The aid stations are really far apart and after Carson, runners have a four mile huge climb to the Divide and then another five plus miles to get tot he Divide Aid Station.<br />
<br />
After making that climb, I was at about mile 26 or so and if I could have dropped out there, I would have. I just struggled to make it to the next aid station. There was also a ton of snow to deal with and we had to posthole our way through some of it and walk very gingerly so we wouldn't end up on our back side. It's during this stretch that a lot of runners began to pass me and I would like to have picked up the pace here but the altitude was just making it very difficult.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/l/t1.0-9/11659424_10206119854387144_5854827293278408675_n.jpg?oh=872147d2128fd47d0de7aad83f13240f&oe=5612D7A8" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running along the Divide</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As I came into the Divide Aid station I began to feel better and knew that I would finish. After the Divide Aid Station there are still some good climbs but nothing to difficult and then a long down hill to Slumgullion Aid Station. And sure enough, with every foot of elevation I descended, my ability to run increased and the chest pain began to subside.<br />
<br />
As I came into Slumgullion my family was there waiting for me. That was great. I was feeling good again and so I gave high fives to the kids and I now had 2 1/2 hours to break the 12 hour mark. I began to think I could do it which was really great because at certain times, I thought it might take me 13 to 14 hours especially as I was crawling along on the divide.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/11403401_10206675745359473_8447618574670407289_n.jpg?oh=2f7cad51edf11c36a618141cfae82ed8&oe=5618744C" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids Waiting for Me at Slumgullion ( I was behind schedule)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I was even lucky enough to pick up a pacer, Kristen Snyder, the last ten miles. We cruised downhill and then began the final ascent. I did remember that last climb being the toughest of the whole race the last time I ran and it did not disappoint this time either. I could barely walk up that mountain and as I got higher, the chest pain came back worse than ever.<br />
<br />
Even after cresting the top and beginning the downhill, I still had trouble running. I think I was just spent. Eventually I did begin running again and at the Vickers Ranch Aid Station I was told I had 3 miles to go and I had about 40 minutes to make it under 12 hours. Long story short - it was definitely more than 3 miles because it took me 50 minutes and it was downhill (although very rugged terrain). So I stumbled in at 12:10 and I will take it. It was the toughest race I've ever done. Tougher than Leadville 100, tougher than my other hundreds. The altitude just made it so tough to finish so I was proud to make it through. I had a lot of stomach issues for about 24 hours following the race. I blame the altitude and the tone of gatorade/water I had drank during the race.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/11709549_10206119871947583_8617736436950816451_n.jpg?oh=9d6745ddc08df2090bc3ea77a2e8bf24&oe=56216B79" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family Photo During the Breakfast Awards on Sunday Morning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Afterward, we resumed our family vacation and we made it to:<br />
Arches National Park<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/11209492_10206691966564993_7074309907204307290_n.jpg?oh=a8113e56cec82866f2d6f981ed23c653&oe=5626111D" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim at Delicate Arch - That was a hot and tough hike!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Yosemite<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/11403130_10206130325168907_7891284062790686859_n.jpg?oh=c7555124e25db85d1a76c199e48eff53&oe=560F7319" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming in Mirror Lake at Yosemite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/11705248_10206144398800739_7852733738456258067_n.jpg?oh=2df4c40713132661d56489544ad98321&oe=56202FBD" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a Great View!<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Limkelin State Park and the Pacific Ocean<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/11659343_10206165039036732_5967135462346563445_n.jpg?oh=d3fdb138866d111bb73748b942d43608&oe=5618FA48" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Campsite at Limkelin State Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/11695853_10206160327918957_6904849009968731455_n.jpg?oh=b04349c4e873d5e477daf01d0bd6bba2&oe=5621C3EF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming at Pebble Beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It was the I think the best vacation I've ever taken - what an adventure!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-71714498702807944342015-07-10T16:52:00.002-05:002015-07-10T16:52:33.051-05:00Jemez Trail 50K - "Searching"!This is a very belated post as I have been very busy but I wanted to be sure to get it down. After doing the Mt. Magazine 18 miler trail run as a training run, I knew that I was feeling much better about the HHT injury and had more confidence going into Jemez.<br />
<br />
But despite feeling better, my last ultra was exactly one year ago at this race where I hobbled in injured and knew that I would not be running again for a long time. The pain from that run was so lasting that when my family and I got to Jemez this year, I began to have some serious pre-race jitters.<br />
<br />
This was a fun end of school year camping trip for the family. We took the pop-up camper and were going white water rafting the Sunday after the race. But Friday afternoon as I was setting up camp in the parking lot at the Posse Shack (Start/Finish area), I could not get the pop-up to crank up. The cranking mechanism was completely stripped! Long story short - we had to buy a tent to sleep in for the rest of the trip and I fixed and sold the pop-up when we got back to Oklahoma.<br />
<br />
Friday night was rather sleepless in that tent. I really didn't want to do the race. I guess I was just scared because it hurt so much last year, I thought it would hurt again this year. But there was no way I was not going to start. I DNS (did not start) at a race five years ago and still have not forgiven myself for that one. Once we started my nervousness did not abate even though I had already decided to drop to the 50K distance instead of the 50 miler. As we ran in the pre-dawn darkness, I began to really doubt why I was doing this at all. I moved really slowly and as we climbed up Pajarito Mountain, I thought about dropping out. The altitude was already killing me and I felt ghost pains where my injury used to be and convinced myself that I was really doing damage but I think that was an excuse.<br />
<br />
The self-doubt and negativity would not go away so finally around mile 10 we crossed the road to the ski lodge on the way up the mountain. I knew my wife Suzanne would know where this was as we scouted the location the night before. I decided I would call her and have her come pick me up. I exited the trail and sat down for a while to contemplate it. I finally decided to call. I pulled out my cell phone (which normally I don't take with me on trail runs but that's how nervous I was) and I turned it on and the phone said "searching" - no signal! Well shit! I guess I have to keep moving now.<br />
<br />
<img height="320" src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/11377172_10205888178715397_3241116138957451240_n.jpg?oh=6837b08e0e348b49855c22ee1240f605&oe=56577BF5" width="320" /><br />
<br />
So I climbed Pajarito and down to the ski lodge at mile 18 or 19. From there it is all downhill so I had to continue now. I certainly didn't run my best race by any means but my goal was to finish comfortably and without pain. I did that and was able to run the entire way in. Which means my injury is much better if not healed and that is exciting news.<br />
<br />
<img height="320" src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10408878_10205849843717046_2457999984729372763_n.jpg?oh=d204072cef45e7d77a7197fd49fdd0c2&oe=562A8646" width="240" /><br />
<br />
That night we had a wonderful dinner in Taos -<br />
<br />
<img height="240" src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10418142_10205852934274308_2333912763861612877_n.jpg?oh=991a1cf413625fd737b0a0f7b9575f3f&oe=5623323B" width="320" /><br />
<br />
And the next day - white water rafting with me and the kids! The water was really moving and it was great fun! -<br />
<br />
<img src="https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10645243_10205888360599944_3387777672679390264_n.jpg?oh=487ab29aa65e91b8cb5bc071b7a1f555&oe=5658C166" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-41791525306266065542015-03-21T19:51:00.001-05:002015-03-21T19:58:54.598-05:00PRP - Platelet Rich Plasma Will Help Your HHT - High Hamstring TendinopathyA very unoriginal title but I do that purposely in the hopes that someone searching on google for more information will come across this blog.<br />
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I won't bore you with all of the details because if you really want to know everything, I have about four or five blog posts that detail my experience with this dreaded running affliction. So here's the long and short of it.<br />
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For the past two years my running performance and corresponding pain was spiraling downward. I had a dull ached and tightness that just did not allow me to run fast. Over time, my race performances got worse and worse. I had numerous poor performances in road marathons like Houston in 2012, Boston 2013 and Little Rock 2013 and equally poor performances in trail ultras. The final nail in the coffin came last May at the Jemez 50 Miler when I limped in the 50K and could barely walk, much less run. I was not long after that, that I could no longer run at all.<br />
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I searched high and low to find out what type of injury I had. For years I thought I had sciatica or piriformis syndrome. One doctor (unfamiliar with running injuries) was sure it was my back and this was just referral pain so he gave me a steroid injection. As if. After another doctor who listened very well did a piriformis injection and that ultimately failed as well, I then began to look at what else it could be. After some more research on the internet, I came across HHT - High Hamstring Tendinopathy - my symptoms fit it exactly.<br />
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The only options for HHT is rest in the hopes that the tendon will recover, or PRP which costs $1500 for the bilateral injection. I chose to wait for three or four months to see if there would be any improvement. So from July through November I did not run hardly at all. I played tennis to maintain my sanity but otherwise grew pudgy and for the first time in 16 years, I started to get ''out of shape". <br />
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In late November and early December, I thought enough time might have passed that I could run again and so I slowly tried to run but to no avail. Nothing had really changed. Maybe slight improvement, but there was still no way I could ever compete again.<br />
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So on December 12th, I finally had the PRP injection done and coughed up the $1500. I was already out of pocket well over a thousand dollars for various costs like MRI and doctors visits and injections and the insurance is just a joke. They only partially covered the things that did not work, and they did not cover at all the PRP which did work!!<br />
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So after the injection I had about 7 weeks where I did absolutely nothing except Rubik's Cube and Netflix. What a sad hard time. Luckily I also had to organize my 50K trail race, the Ouachita Switchbacks and that helped entertain me during this trying time.<br />
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Finally in early February, I slowly began to run again. I could tell there was some change but not a lot. I did do the White Rock 25K at a very slow pace and although this was encouraging, I still struggled considerably and for a time, I did not think the PRP worked.<br />
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But slowly over the following weeks, I began to run 15, 20 and then 30 mile weeks. And each week, the HHT got a little better. I really noticed it in my daily life. I could bend over and pick something up without pain, I could drive in the car for long periods without pain, I had much greater flexibility and just felt so much better. So even if the running did not get better, this in and of itself was worth the money.<br />
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BUT THE RUNNING DID GET BETTER! I started to feel well enough to run fast. At first it was limited effort like a single 7 minute mile. Then I ran a 5K a couple of weeks ago. I ran 20:35 which is about 3 minutes off my best, but more importantly, I did not really have any pain or discomfort.<br />
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Then this past week was just a major breakthrough! I've been on Spring Break and since we returned from a skiing trip, I've run 7 miles twice a day and I've run it at a good solid training pace without any discomfort. Today I did a ten mile hard and hilly forest road run and it was just like old times!<br />
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I have a half marathon next week that will really test things but I expect I should be able to run without much trouble - or at least I hope! Naturally I am much slower and I will not be running any where near as fast as I used to but I am beginning to think that with careful training, stretching, rest and monitoring of the formal injury, that I might just yet have a second act in competitive running.<br />
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So if you are like I was and searching for some cure, some hope, some answer to your HHT, I sympathize with you. I did the same thing. There is a lot of conflicting information out there and that makes it even more difficult. But my advice would be to have the PRP done. It really worked for me. Don't expect an instant cure. It will take months and months to get better. It's been four months since the injection and only now do I feel like I am a runner again - able to run without pain and carefree and really enjoying it for the first time in two or three years. So for me, that is a cure even if I am never really competitive again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-13990988144052798522014-12-31T19:23:00.003-06:002014-12-31T19:23:56.325-06:00Good Riddance to 2014 and Optimism for 2015So for my ultra trail running and backpacking, 2014 was pretty much a bust. The worst year I have had since beginning in 1999. This was because of an injury which had deteriorated in throughout 2013 and led to many painful races in the early part of 2014 until Jemez 50 in May that was so painful, it convinced me that I needed to seek more medical help and eventually to stop running altogether at the end of June.<br />
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The good news is that by the end of July I had a firm diagnosis confirmed by MRI of Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy after years of thinking I had either sciatic pain or piriformis syndrome. I had several months of relative rest hoping the problem would go away and finally on December 12th, I laid out some big bucks to have bilateral Plasma Rich Platelet injections done. The healing was either non existent or so incremental to the point that I thought that I might never get better. It was really a no brainer to have the PRP because even though I stood to lose a lot of money if it did not work, I could not go on without being able to run wondering that if only I had the injection, I might be back to where I was.<br />
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So where does that leave me now. Well, after nearly 3 weeks, I am very encouraged. Initially I had a period of regression immediately after the injection, but that is to be expected because of the injection itself and the healing is expected to begin two to three weeks later and can continue to improve for six months. I really feel like I am now at the beginning of that period. I can drive without discomfort, I can sit in hard seats, I can stretch with very minimal discomfort in the HHT area and am almost at the point now where I have almost no discomfort 24 hours a day. That will be the first time that has happened in years! So that is indeed encouraging.<br />
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What then can I expect from 2015? I am not foolish enough to think I will be doing a 2:44 marathon again and I may not even be able to <b><i>compete</i></b> in ultras in the top ten, but I now have some expectations that I can again <b><i>complete</i></b> ultras. And that means the world to me at this point!<br />
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So 2015 is now looking to include Jemez 50 Miler in Jemez Mountains New Mexico in May, San Juan Solstice 50 Miler in Lake City, Colorado in June, Beaverhead 100k which is on the Continental Divide Trail between Idaho and Montana in July, Multi-day hike on the Colorado Trail also in July and then the Run Rabbit Run 100 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado in September for which I had to postpone my entry last year due to injury. That's just the summer schedule and I haven't yet decided about next fall.<br />
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January will be continued total rest and rehabilitation. February and March I will slowly begin training again. April I will work in a 50K or two to build endurance.<br />
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It's an ambitious schedule but I am full of hope and optimism and have only in mind to complete these events and not compete in them. I think too that if I can get fully recovered, then I can better manage the tendinopathy and then hopefully never again get in the condition that I was in this past year. I think the biggest reason for this injury was weekly mileage in the 70 to 100 mile range without ever a break and so I just ran this injury into the ground until it finally forced me to stop. <br />
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So that's my hope. I will check back next year hopefully with the full satisfaction that I had some great races!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-40628720250316378622014-12-12T20:11:00.003-06:002014-12-12T20:11:45.188-06:00Ultrarunning and High Hamstring Tendinopathy - Part V - PRP Baby!After finally exhausting all other options, today I finally went ahead and got a bilateral plasma rich platelet (prp) injection at the ischial bursitis insertional point of the proximal hamstring tendinopathy. Say that five times fast. It took me four months to memorize that diagnosis.<br />
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A little update on my progress since my last blog. I have returned to running two to three times a week. The really good news is that my gait and stride have returned to normal after nearly five months of relative rest (I still played tennis and had one or two runs per week of 3 or 4 miles and they were very slow). The fact that my gait has returned to normal and my right foot has stopped flaying out I take to be a good sign that the rest is helping albeit very slowly.<br />
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In the past two weeks leading up to the injection today things really improved. I had two runs of about five miles each where I felt only a little discomfort and during the first run I through in a seven minute mile and then during the second run a couple of days later, I was able to somewhat comfortably run a 6:35 mile. That is the first time that I have been able to do that in 8 months!<br />
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Then yesterday I went for a six mile run hoping to maybe even throw in a 5k speed work. If I could successfully do that, then I was going to forego the PRP. But as it would turn out, I really struggled. It was humid that day and humidity definitely seems to make my condition worse. The good thing about that run was it sealed the deal for me as I knew I needed the PRP because quite frankly I could tell that this was nothing near normal in spite of a few good miles.<br />
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As for the injection. I had read a few blogs and reports that the injections were painful. Not so, it was surprisingly easy with just a few needle injections. Actually four for me. Two to get blood out, and two to put blood in. Dr. Stanley did mention that the needle is not long enough because the company doesn't make a 2 1/2 inch needle and that makes it more difficult to get to the place that the prp needs to go. I asked what effect that might have and now that I think about it, didn't really get an answer. As I understand it, the prp will still be where it needs to be in the tendon and the ischial tuberosity or at least that's what I hope.<br />
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One caveat for other sufferers who are going to get PRP, a few hours after the injection, you will become very sore. I have trouble just bending over and picking things up because I am so sore. This is suppose to only last for a couple of days.<br />
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So now the wait begins. Dr. Stanley ordered four weeks of no running and I will certainly oblige because prp ain't cheap and I do not want to do it again. After that, I am hoping to start trying it out and hopefully it will be even more improved than it was right before the injection.<br />
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At times I have hope that I will be 100% again and can be a competitive marathon and ultra runner again. But sometimes I feel that the reality might be that I am limited to slow running and hiking in which case, 50 miles would probably be the furthest distance I would be capable of. Only time will tell. I will certainly continue to up date my blog. I will let you know how the first run post prp goes one month from now.<br />
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But with my gait and stride returning to normal and continued and steady improvement, I may yet be running as I used to. <br />
<br />As always, if you are a fellow runner and sufferer of HHT, share your experiences. Together we may be able to beat this thing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-60891139024268793852014-10-11T12:52:00.000-05:002014-10-11T12:52:04.322-05:00Ultrarunning and High Hamstring Tendinopathy - Part IVHard to believe that it has been 3 1/2 months since I've last run. Truth be told, I have done gone for 4 four or five mile runs in the last two or three weeks. I've also started playing tennis again for the last month or so. My healing has been very slow with many ups and downs but I think I can say that I am getting better. Each of the runs I went on was a little better than the last one but I am still only going once or twice a week.<br />
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In addition to the HHT, I also had achilles tendonitis that was really bad and that is almost healed now. I also had tennis elbow and that is mostly better but all three of these injuries are very stubborn to heal.<br />
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The big one of course is the HHT. I just absolutely cannot compete in ultras again until that is healed. The four mile runs that I have been on are a struggle and there is a lot of discomfort and I definitely cannot go fast. Only something close to 10 minute miles and if I try to pick up the pace, the discomfort returns which I am trying to avoid so that I can heal.<br />
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My goal is to get well enough so that I can eventually run four to five times a week with no pain and then work toward being able to do a speed workout on the track and then a 5K. If I can get to where I can run a 5K again at maximum effort, then I know I will be ready for ultras again.<br />
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On the bright side, I have learned quite a few things over the last three plus months. (1)Running is not THAT important, it's not everything. (2)I will never again run every day, I can take days off and still maintain my fitness. I do not need 70 to 100 mile weeks every week of the year. If I can ever get healed again, I'm thinking 50 mile weeks max will be just fine. In this way I can hopefully avoid the HHT from coming back. (3)I also really love running and really miss it. I must get back to it because it brings so much joy. <br />
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For those that are searching as I was and still am - for some type of magic cure for HHT - here is my experience thus far. Nothing works. That's about the sum of it. The injections did nothing for me. Rest seemed to actually make it worse. The first run I went on a couple of weeks ago, my legs were very stiff. It felt like the tendons had not been stretch and I think that is why a few runs every so often will actually help rather than hurt.<br />
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My next step is to go back to Dr Chris Barnes in Tulsa. He really helped me 2 - 3 years ago and I was able to complete Leadville after seeing him. But I think the HHT was just beginning back then. This is much, much worse. Back then I could still run and compete and now I cannot. So Dr. Barnes will probably be doing some ART and dry needling as he did last time. I know it will have to be better than the injections because unfortunately, they did not seem to help. The one good part of spending all of that money is that the MRI gave a confirmed diagnosis that what I have is indeed HHT and ischial tuberosity (inflammation?). So I can continue to focus efforts on those areas.<br />
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My goal is to just continue to heal in 2014 with an eye on the summer of 2015 for some big advenutres. Some of the things I'm considering are: Jemez 50 Miler, San Juan Solstice 50 or Bighorn 100, Alpine to Slickrock in Moab 50, a 50 mile race in the swiss alps, and then I'm signed up to do Run Rabbit Run 100 in September because I had to postpone my entry due to injury this year. So those are my dreams if only I can get rid of this problem.<br />
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For those struggling with the same trouble, feel free to post and best of luck to you!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-79762996956754735342014-08-10T19:46:00.000-05:002014-08-10T19:46:25.184-05:00Ultrarunning and High Hamstring Tendinopathy - Part ThreeAnother update on my progress thus far. I had my injection last week after the MRI confirmed HHT and ischial bursitis. I'm sad to report that the injection has had maybe only a minimal effect. Perhaps my expectation were too high as I had hoped that all pain and discomfort would go away but it did not. I still have a lot of discomfort when driving for any period of time and I can still kind of feel it nagging me back there. I was hoping that after over six weeks of not running and after having the injection that I would move to the next phase of recovery.<br />
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For me the next phase begins when I no longer feel any pain or discomfort whatsoever. So I will continue to rest and not do any type of activity (running, biking, elliptical, tennis etc) that could irritate and increase the inflammation in the area.<br />
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I've also continued and even increased my daily workouts. Five times a week I spend about 30 minutes doing core workout (mostly sit ups), light weight lifting and also some physical therapy exercises to strengthen my hips and abductors and other areas that are thought to help more balance the workload required of the hamstring. But these exercises will do nothing to heal the HHT, from what I understand, they just will help strength other areas so that when and if I get healed, it will reduce the likelihood of the injuring recurring.<br />
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I've wanted to begin concentric exercises and have done some lightly but am afraid to push those because my understanding is to not start those until you no longer feel any pain.<br />
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On days that I am busy, my conditioning workout is enough to take my mind off the running, biking and tennis but on the weekend when I have more time is when I'm really tempted to run or ride or play tennis. But if I ever want to be competitive again, I know I must stick strictly to this regiment.<br />
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I've also communicated with a cousin of mine who is a doctor and is an expert in this area. He teaches other doctors how to treat these conditions. He is going to look at my MRI and my history and then give me his opinion. I am looking forward to that because it gives me hope that he may have a more concrete, solid and proactive approach for recovery. I will update again after I hear from my cousin and as I've given more time to heal.<br />
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I'm almost to the eight week mark now which some say is all that is required to rest. But I'm thinking the four month range is probably better. After all, if you've waited two months, what's another two just to be sure. Better that than to start running again ruin any gains you've already made.<br />
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One other thought that has me troubled is that damn RunRabbitRun 100. I know that I should e-mail and postpone my entry until next year but I'm having trouble actually doing that. I just don't want to admit defeat and a part of me wants to go to Steamboat Springs and try to finish that damn thing however foolish or foolhearty it may seem.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-90437241311815256412014-07-29T20:24:00.001-05:002014-07-29T20:24:29.161-05:00Blessing in DisguiseAfter two years of suffering from what I thought was Piriformis Syndrome, I finally got MRI results that positively confirm High Hamstring Tendinopathy. The good news is that at last we know what is causing all of my problems and we can thus begin to treat it. The bad news is that this treatment means at least four or more months off. And by off, I mean not just running but no cross training (biking, swimming, tennis).<br />
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So gone were my plans to finish my Hardrock Qualifier at the Run Rabbit Run 100 in September. Gone too were my big dreams of thru hiking the John Muir Trail this July or at least a big segment of the Colorado Trail. I would not be able to do anything and for me, this is actually be torture. <br />
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But I so love the mountains that I thought I would go to the mountains anyway, just minus the intensive physical activity. A relaxing trip might be nice for a change. And since I wasn't going to be hiking 25 or 30 miles a day, maybe the kids would want to go. As it turned out, only my son Jim was excited at the prospect of roughing it for nearly a week.<br />
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So what was originally a curse of not getting to do all the things I've wanted to do like hike the rest of the Colorado Trail, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. My nine year old son Jim and I had the best time! It was so much fun and so I thought I would include it in my blog. The trip will also inspire many more such trips in the future!!<br />
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We left at 5 pm and drove for about 6 hours before sleeping at a rest stop near Amarillo. The next morning we drove to Alberquerque where I surprised Jim with a trip in the world's longest Tram to the top of Sandia Peak. It was great and Jim loved it.<br />
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After the tram ride, we had a picnic lunch on the way to Durango. In Durango we picked up last minute supplies for camping including a new sleeping bag for Jim which he was really excited about. On to Silverton where we found a nice primitive campsite along mineral creek. That night we cooked out hot dogs and roasted marshmallows. A more perfect campsite could not be found and the weather was nice and cold and we both slept soundly.<br />
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In the morning we had oatmeal, I had coffee while Jim had hot chocolate. We packed our day packs and camelbaks and off we went for a hike on the Ice Lake Basin Trail. I had thought that this would be a nice introductory hike for Jim but as it turned out, I was very wrong. This was a much more difficult and arduous hike than I had expected. Though only 8 miles round trip, it has a lot of elevation gain.<br />
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Jim did great with the first long climb to the meadow but after about two hours, he was getting fatiqued. But this hike is deceptive because when you get to the meadow, you can see the basin that you hike to and it seems so close. So we continued past my self designated 2 1/1 hour turn around point. It ended up taking another hour and a half to get to the ice lake basin. But we couldn't bring ourselves to come so far and not see the ice lake. It was great. We had lunch and I waded in the ice cold water. Then we began the long descent back to camp.<br />
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<img height="300" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10580116_10203605147801051_5717802257457887671_n.jpg?oh=5c1208ae2748c5ce12e9930411751a75&oe=5451FE98&__gda__=1414682599_fc91058ec986a5c42d16e9bd7ab49024" width="400" /><br />
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It was tough going and the first part of the descent was slow going and tricky, but the further we got, the faster we made progress until at last we were back at the car after nearly 7 1/2 hours. We were both exhausted and we spent almost two hours just laying in the tent recovering.<br />
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Jim started to get real quiet as we drove into town for dinner. I started to become somewhat concerned. So I just picked what seemed like a good place to eat in Silverton. I was so proud of him for persevering on that hike that I told him he could order whatever he wanted. He ordered a grown up burger and potato skins for appetizers. He was still very quiet and fatigued until the potato skins arrived. After only a few bites it quickly revived him and he was a new man. I know exactly how it feels to be that exhausted and then have food that tastes so good help bring you back to life!<br />
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After dinner we found evidence of Bigfoot. A huge footprint. Jim has been fascinated by the show on television about Bigfoot and we are quite sure that we did at last find conclusive proof of Bigfoot's existence. There was even a bumper sticker left at our camp the next morning -<br />
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<img height="300" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/10534762_10203612744070953_5188027019498320783_n.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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So more marshmallows and another roaring campfire and a sound night's sleep in the mountain air. The next morning we got up and we were suppose to head back to Durango that night. While having breakfast I told Jim I didn't want to leave and how would he like to stay another day. He was excited about that. So together we decided it would be fun to drive to Ouray and tour a gold mine, soak in the Hot Springs as originally planned but then instead of going back to Silverton, we would drive on another 3 hours to Moab, Utah and tour Arches National Park.<br />
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The drive to Moab was great. It was amazing to watch the scenery unfold from 14,000 peaks, to high plains scattered by huge canyons and then more peaks in the distance as we got closer to Utah. After getting into Utah, Jim thought it looked a lot like Radiator Springs from the Cars movie. I think that was spot on.<br />
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We found a great campsite along the Colorado River and at dinner at a really nice little place in Moab that had misters to cool off the outdoor seating area. I think Jim picked the place because he thought the misters looked cool. Then we rushed to Moab to try to watch the sun set on Delicate Arch. The landscape was unlike anything I ever saw and pictures can never do it justice.<br />
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We didn't quite make it for the sunset on delicate arch but watched the sun set over the other part of the park. As we were coming back toward campsite around 9 pm, the car thermometer read 105. It was going to be a rough night of sleep unlike those cool mountain nights.<br />
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When we got back to camp it was sultry. Then the wind picked up and blew bugs all around us. We decided to just make the best of it and go to bed. Sometime around 1:30 in the morning it seemed to cool off enough so that sleep was possible. I'm sure camping in a tent at Moab would be great any other time than summer but in July, best to get a room with AC.<br />
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The next morning we were packed up and out of there and ready to tour Arches more thoroughly. We hiked for a couple of hours through Devil's Garden and the highlight of that is the landscape arch which is just huge. Then you can boulder on up higher and Jim and I both enjoyed the scramble. There were also lots of rock tunnels filled with sand to run around in and that was a lot of fun.<br />
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But we had to drive five hours to Durango so we went back into Moab where the car got a very needed oil change and then we drove to Durango stopping at Ouray for ice cream.<br />
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<img height="300" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t1.0-9/10570364_10203610705339986_6005567278264319256_n.jpg" width="400" /><br />
<br />
In Durango, we allowed ourselves the luxury of a cheap motel room and a hot shower and air conditioned room with real beds. We slept soundly and in the morning our grand finale for this great adventure was a Colorado River Rafting trip.<br />
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The lower Animas river was at a low level and so the whitewater wasn't as big as may I had hoped but it was certainly enough to impress Jim.<br />
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<img height="400" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t1.0-9/10559898_10203616350921122_6933446125509787232_n.jpg" width="300" /><br />
<br />
Done at 12:30, we got back into the car and began the long drive home. Jim and I talked and laughed the whole way home and talked about the great fun we had on our adventure and planned future adventures as well.<br />
<br />
I think the sisters will definitely want to come with us after having heard about all that we did. And the trip definitely made up for not being able to backpack or run because of the hamstring injury.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-68957972754989282822014-07-28T21:35:00.000-05:002014-07-28T21:35:03.222-05:00Ultrarunning and High Hamstring Tendinopathy - Part TwoSo I hope to keep people updated on how my rehabilitation is going and as a way for me to track my own progress and to keep motivated.<br />
<br />
I thought I would probably update this blog at least monthly and maybe bi-weekly.<br />
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The last entry described how I had finally got a proper diagnosis of high hamstring tendinopathy after years of thinking I had piriformis/sciatic issues. The HHT had become so severe in the last 18 months that I could no longer race effectively and struggled to complete marathons or ultra marathons. I had several DNF's and could no longer run even close to what my times were in the past. I would start on pace and then quickly the pain would reduce me to a shuffle.<br />
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I tried to run through the pain as I had done other little injuries and thought this too would go away as all the other aches and pains had gone away. That in hindsight was a big mistake. I should have stopped running at least a year ago and by continuing to run that will make recovery much more difficult. <br />
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So now it has been almost one month since I have last ran. Unfortunately I have not noticed much improvement in my condition. The first week off from running coincidentally was also the time that my family and I were at DisneyWorld and so I would hardly count walking that much as a week off. On the way to DisneyWorld I was going to run an 8 mile trail race in Alabama and I had to abandon that idea because after 12 hours of driving, I was in a lot pain. This is how I made the decision to stop running altogether and seek a second MRI. It was really a struggle to get around at DisneyWorld which says a lot about the extent of my injury when an ultramarathoner is struggling just to walk around to the different attractions. The humidity seems to make things worse.<br />
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Also during the last month I had a second MRI done. This MRI was for the pelvic region. Doctor Goodman was so kind as to call me personally to inform the indeed I had HHT and he also saw something called ischial bursitis. Dr. Goodman has been great as you may have read in the last post. He recommends an injection and 4 months of complete rest. With the one month already off, that means five months altogether. <br />
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The nature of this injury means that anything that could irritate the HHT could interfere with the healing and so that means cross training is out as well. No running, biking, tennis, swimming or elliptical. I hope to continue to do core workouts and limited weight training. Most importantly, I will work on physical therapy that will strengthen some areas that will keep the HHT from recurring. My plan is then to take off August thru November and then December I will slowly reintroduce elliptical and running very low mileage while paying very close attention to how my body responds. <br />
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I think almost equally important is to avoid long periods of sitting as this seems to aggravate things as well. Having driven 18 hours to Orlando and then a recent 20 hour trip to Colorado in Utah for summer vacation trips, I now think that it will be at least Thanksgiving or even Christmas before I have another long road trip again. <br />
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Hopefully I can make a complete comeback but I'm sure I will never again run the mileage I used to run.<br />
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If I can get back to where I run 50 to 60 miles a week, I'm confident that that will be enough to be competitive again without stressing the HHT with 80 to 100 mile weeks.<br />
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At least that is the plan for now. It's very early in this recovery process but I am very optimistic and hopeful to return to competition in 2015. My most important goal is to run a mountain 100 mile race so that I can get a qualifier for Hardrock with hopes of running Hardrock in 2016. Those dates seem so far away now but it will come soon enough.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-18301771307665076002014-07-13T12:29:00.000-05:002014-07-13T13:28:47.516-05:00Ultrarunning and High Hamstring TendionopathyTagwords - Piriformis Syndrome, Sciatic, Osteoarthritis (I put these in here because at one time or another over the years I though I had suffered from some of these other ailments before only recently discovering what I believe is the proper diagnosis.)<br />
<br />
(written July 2014)<br />
I really hope that the following information will be of some help to a fellow ultrarunner (or of course any runner or athlete). There is very little information out there on this diagnosis and it appears to be quite rare and easily misdiagnosed. The information that is out there is often contradictory and confusing so I will add this blog to that jumbled mix.<br />
<br />
First, I should discuss a brief history of running background and my experiences with this ailment to see if it is similar to your experiences. I'm 43 and have ran for over 15 years. The last 12 of those I've done ultra marathons. My mileage has always been quite high. I usually would average 60-70 miles a week during racing seasons and then often would have 90 to even 120 mile weeks when training for a specific ultra. I often ran twice a day, especially in the summer. I'll admit that I was never very good at taking time off and ran throughout the year. (I think now that this was a mistake and I think that a month off each year going forward will be of great benefit to prevent this injury from recurring after I am healed.)<br />
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I usually run about 12 marathons and ultras each year. More often in the fall and winter when I would race about every three weeks and less often in the heat of the summer.<br />
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I've had what I always thought was sciatic pain for over a decade. I believe now that is was high hamstring tendinopathy all along. But it would always come and go and I would always run through it and it would always get better. Up until 2010, I was running great and had tons of great races and ran very consistent times. Marathons and ultras were fun because I got the feeling that every runner gets that you ran as hard as you could. <br />
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About three years ago, I noticed that I would have more bad races, more days with long stretches that the 'sciatic' did not feel right. I raced the Little Rock Marathon in 2011 intending to have a great time and really struggled. Houston Marathon in 2012, same thing. When I say struggled, I mean not like the struggle where your pace is 20 or 30 seconds off your goal pace. I mean struggle where I start fast and over time each mile is slower and slower and I am a minute to 90 seconds off goal pace and pain wants me to drop out. Boston in 2013, I ran my worst time in a road marathon since my first marathon, shuffling after mile two. In between there were many ultras and trail runs where I just did not run well and really struggled. <br />
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Now of course, I like everyone have had my share of bad races but that was always a different feeling. Heat or humidity would slow me down or I would go out and then bonk and have a bad patch etc. These more recent bad races were different - my legs would just not go. I would get a mile or two into the race and it's as though my legs would not fire, would not want to stride. I could not run with my normal gait. There would be pain in the butt and it would get worse as the race went on.<br />
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At both Little Rock and Houston this happened about mile 5 or 6. At Boston it happened at mile 2. I ran the 20 plus additional mileage but it was not pretty. I struggled and suffered and shuffled my way to the finish line and I would want to drop out of the race really bad. Shuffled is the key word because I just could not run with the normal gait.<br />
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I think this symptom is key to the diagnosis of HHT - you can still run at a daily, slow pace without much if any discomfort but just as soon as you try to increase the effort, the hamstring will not allow a normal gait.<br />
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At this point, I began to seek help. I went to two different chiropractors, I had stretched religiously, done yoga routines, had active release technique done. Dry needling was done in May of 2012 and that seemed to have the most benefit as I was able to complete Leadville 100 three months later in August of 2012. Though I definitely did not do as well as I think I am capable of and was quite a bit slower from two years earlier. I'm unsure of how much if any benefit the dry needling had. <br />
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In addition to the finish at Leadville, I would have enough good races that I would believe that this too would get better because all the other previous aches and pains had always gotten better. I ran some decent 50ks and trail marathons (though never at the level I was previously at) and my daily runs were comfortable with occasional mild discomfort. Then about 18 months ago, it really went downhill. Boston 2013 as I've mentioned was disastrous. That summer I began to have more pain on my daily runs. I ran a marathon in early September and did just well enough (3:10 on a hot and hilly course at a medium effort) to think that maybe I would be okay.<br />
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It was also around this time in the Fall that I began to notice that my right leg would splay out while running. My footstrike would have my foot landing to the right. I thought it was odd and asked my wife and friends about it and they said they noticed it too. But I could still run at a slow pace on a daily basis with little or no pain and so I tried not worry about it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Displaying photo1.jpg" height="300" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=dc6b74ff99&view=fimg&th=1473035ee743a282&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=bbb85f1c88d8819f_0.1&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ8puzIDKT88qrD9Wf_pkZFJSqb00nlUMrKi42EFB8_y5_9npaduQTfnjc8QqJh5OA5Y5rdAunkX1HbGHSP94OP82_IwJDoPbAqVP3PDmEmkjzqQdQPtmM2K8O4&ats=1405263181062&rm=1473035ee743a282&zw&sz=w1339-h535" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is approximately the extent to which my foot was splaying out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I definitely should have been worried about this because in hindsight, this was definitely a sign that something was seriously wrong from which I would not be able to just "run through it". I also noticed that I now had a heel strike while running and I had always been a forefoot strike person. This was also evidenced from the wear on my running shoes. But these changes in my stride were so subtle and happened slowly that I did not notice it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Displaying photo2.jpg" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=dc6b74ff99&view=fimg&th=1473035ee743a282&attid=0.2&disp=inline&realattid=aff9a88563aaba31_0.1&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ8lsb5nw0LiD6vyqO-0cyA8Bi4D2mO4UJwtdjmGQyVi-S4QvNDFfPbH5vhO7UiMW0xO-KsK5lDB7WtzeBTg8mOtbPBQDw3VP_865ooW6lhSw7AivVZl2xr7yBU&ats=1405263181062&rm=1473035ee743a282&zw&sz=w1339-h535" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wear on these shoes shows how much I had begun to run as a heel striker. During races or speed workouts I would start running back on my forefoot but pain would inevitably lead me back on my heals. These changes were subtle and at first imperceptible. I was just running as comfortably as I could. But as my condition worsened, it became much more noticeable.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Then I went to the Arkansas Traveler 100 mile race in early October. I was hoping I would have a good day despite all the negatives leading up to it. The mediocre marathon should have been a warning but instead, it wasn't horrible and so I thought I might be okay.<br />
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It was terrible. Ran okay to mile 20 but was not pushing the pace (it was a 100 so the pace was very conservative). This is probably why I was able to do the first 20 without much pain. But then after mile 20, it just started to really hurt. The pain in the butt came on strong, the shuffling, the inability to stride at a normal gait. I shuffled to near the 50K mark and dropped. I was at a point where all I could do was walk. It was terrible because 50K in a 100 mile race should be the point where you're just getting warmed up.<br />
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Then in later in October, I did a 5K. I had not done speedwork in months because anytime I tried to do 5K pace, the symptoms would come back. So this was a test. Maybe under race conditions I could muscle through it. Maybe I would still be okay. I was 90 seconds slower than my usual time (in a 5K!) and I suffered. The first kilometer I hit my normal split and then the rest was a shuffle. In hindsight, it has been at least 18 months since I last ran a 5K and it felt good and my time was reflective of my ability.<br />
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At that point, I knew I needed to see a doctor. I believe that was November of 2013 (last year) and after explaining all of the above, the doctor kept telling me what he would try to do for my back pain. I was convinced that it was Piriformis Sydnrome. That the Pirformis muscle was compressing the sciatic nerve and thus creating this pain in my butt and the back of my leg. <br />
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I now know that HHT (high hamstring tendinopathy) is a similar pain to sciatic/piriformis but is different. It's more of a dull ache that gets stronger as I would run and really seems to only extend to about the back of the knee. Sciatic apparently is more of a pulsing sharp pain that extend to the toes.<br />
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The doctor then ordered anti-infammatory Meloxicam. He also said that there really was nothing more that could be done and we might just have to consider "a change in lifestyle". I was furious when I got home. "A change in lifestyle!!" - I will remain active the rest of my life. I want to get better, not change my lifestyle! In addition, he's always talking about my back and I told him my back feels fine. There is nothing wrong with my back. But I went with this advice because I was told and I am sure it is true that the lower back can lead to all sorts of referral pain.<br />
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So I struggled some more for several more months and several more bad ultras. (Though I did run comfortably at my own race - Ouachita Switchbacks 50K - but then again, I never pushed the pace. But it was good to run almost pain free. Then a bad race at Sylamore 50K convinced me that I needed to go back to the doctor.<br />
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I did. He was nice. But he talked about my back. Ordered an MRI. Got the MRI done. Then went back to my appointment with the Doctor and the MRI was basically negative but he thought a lumbar steroidal injection might be of benefit. If that doesn't work, he said, there is really nothing further we can do. I was really not connecting with this doctor because I am not ever going to give up on this. He was not going to do surgery because the MRI was negative and of course I would not want him to.<br />
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I also told him that my foot was going outward while running and he just dismissed it stating that I probably always ran like that and just never noticed. I thought to myself - Hell no, I've never run like that! Remember the pictures up above. It was a deformed style of running. It was nothing like I've ever run! I always felt like I had a nice stride with a forefoot strike. This was not a normal stride, this was survival running. And this is what upset me because I mentioned this to him and it was just dismissed out of hand. <br />
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But now I know it is because he was looking in the wrong place. He refused to believe that it was anything other than my back. I have found from reading on the internet that many doctors find it unlikely that the piriformis, which is such a small muscle could cause so much trouble.<br />
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Nonetheless, we went ahead and scheduled the injection. But he scheduled a different doctor to perform the injection and as it would turn out, this would be a godsend.<br />
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When I went in for the Lumbar injection, Dr. Brian Goodman came for the pre-procedure consultation. And low and behold, he actually listened to me! I can't tell you how much I appreciated Dr. Goodman. He has been wonderful!! After listening to me, he acknowledged that it could indeed be the Piriformis muscle that is the cause of the problem but he felt that he should go ahead with the lumbar injection. If it did not benefit me, it would be of benefit as a differential diagnostic tool. This is pretty standard when trying to identify Piriformis Syndrome. I really liked that phrase, differential diagnosis, when I read about it. In other words, we will try this, if it does not work, then it must be something else. Duh. But how else could we figure this out. <br />
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Needless to say, it did not help my running injury. So I went back to Dr. Goodman. We scheduled another injection, this one for the piriformis. By the way, this all takes a very long time because insurance has to approve the MRI, the first injection, the second injection, etc. That really makes me angry because it should be my doctor and I that make the decision, not the insurance company. But that is for another blog.<br />
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So Dr. Goodman injected the Piriformis muscle (bilateral - both sides). This was a very strange procedure. Not really painful but uncomfortable. You lay down on a table and there is an x-ray overhead and the doctor is looking for the sciatic nerve so he can locate it and the piriformis. He is guided by x-ray and when he finds it, you feel the nerve pulse all the way down to your toes. That's a really strange feeling. This is as disconcerting as it is painful. He also numbed the entire back of my legs.<br />
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Because my legs were numb, my wife drove me home. As I got off the table and walked to the car, my legs had the strangest sensation. They were just numb. I could not feel the back of my legs. Like when you go to the dentist and your mouth is still numb so a drink of water spills out of your mouth. But instead of your mouth, it is your legs. But the great thing, was that with my legs being numb, I had no pain for the first time in years. Typically sitting in the car would be uncomfortable and during long drives, it would become excruciating. I giggled like a little girl not just because of the strange sensation of numb legs but also because I had NO pain.<br />
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But of course, the true test would come after the numbness wore off to see if the injection would be successful. I had high hopes for this Piriformis Injection. I had read on the internet of some people that had the injection and then wallah - they were healed like Oral Roberts put a hand on them. So I resumed my running and low and behold I was healed!! Well, not quite.<br />
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I had some pain in the butt but not a lot. But most importantly, I could stride again. I no longer had that shuffle. It had been at least 18 months since I ran like that. It felt so good to run again with a normal gait and forefoot strike. I also noticed that my right foot that had been pointing outward, was now back in. Just like that. I had tried previously to run with it in but it would never work. It was strange because it's like the muscles in my legs had adapted to where they were straight and parallel to the other leg only when my right foot was out. If I brought the toe in, the muscles looked out of align. Now, the foot strike was back to normal.<br />
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But strangely, after the injection, I also noticed that my <b>left</b> foot was pointing in!! But I was no longer running on my heel. So at first I thought I should not worry about it. I have no idea what caused the left foot to come in after the injection but I suspect it may have been because the left high hamstring/piriformis was not nearly as bad as the right and somehow the injection had an overcompensating effect. I do not know.<br />
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The true test was to always go to the track. I had not done speedwork at the track in nearly a year because it was painful. Pre-injury I would run a 3 or 4 mile tempo run at a 6 minute pace and it was hard but felt good. I would do this type of workout about once a week. Sometimes it would be mile repeats or a 6 mile tempo. The 6 minute pace would be a 90% percent effort for me. Definitely pushing the pace hard but feeling I could go faster. My marathon PR pace is 6:17 so 6 minutes is about right for a tempo run. For the past year, <b>I struggled just to run a single half mile in 3 minutes (six minute pace). When I would try to run a six minute mile which normally should be pretty easy, it would just hurt and be impossible.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
So my personal track workout would be the ultimate test to find out the effectiveness of the piriformis injection. I waited five days until I felt the pain from the procedure had worn off and when I felt like I had really very little or no pain in the butt. I then went to the track and started my workout. After a two mile warmup, I hit the first half in right at 3:00 minutes. This is the point when in the past, I would have to stop because of pain but I felt okay. It was a hot day so the effort felt a little difficult but there was no pain in the butt. I ran on for the next two laps and it felt like days of old. It felt good.<br />
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The left toe was still pointing in but I ran around the track with a forefoot strike and a full gait! Awesome. I was pretty excited though cautiously optimistic. I ran a rest lap and then thought I will run one more mile just to make sure I was not subconsciously pushing through pain. The second mile was better than the first and a ran 5:56 at an easier effort than the first. It was hot and I didn't want to push things and so I stopped the workout and just ran an easy cool down.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Displaying photo1.jpg" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=dc6b74ff99&view=fimg&th=14730508c0a941d7&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=e9a1913ab81bf98c_0.1&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-3wa3a8bTE8lhkYdWC8SfpZ_uZiVTJd7JMg12p9hd4qR79jA8Nax7eMefYwiFA3ZNIXuqjGH2UXMMgwH8vlXg4JCYCoKtGdasQizve0vkDHx8pNp4j8LZpFBg&ats=1405265239940&rm=14730508c0a941d7&zw&sz=w1339-h535" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was so excited that I texted my wife a picture of my watch. She was anxiously awaiting at home to see if the injection would work. No doubt she wants this thing to be healed as much as I do if only so she will not have to put up with my misery any longer. Never before had I been so excited about a sub six minute mile which use to be pretty routine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
But despite this successful track test, I remained only cautiously optimistic. There remained some remote pain in the butt and we could not be sure if the injection worked until one month later when the steroid wore off. Dr. Goodman had worried that if it worked at all, the pain may come back after the steroid wore off.<br />
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So I ran for another week or so and my pace was strong again, my gait was full, no longer the shuffle that it once was. But sure enough, things began to go south. I began struggling more on my daily runs. I also began to feel more pain in the butt again. I thought maybe if I straightened that left foot while running, that would solve the problem. It did not. And three weeks post injection, things were almost completely back to normal.<br />
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Dejected, I went back to the track just before our Disney vacation to Florida and tried the six minute mile test. I ran one lap in 1:33 and had to abandoned the effort. I don't think I could have ran a sub 7. The pain felt even worse than before.<br />
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That evening I went back to my friend google and for the first time I came across the condition known as High Hamstring Tendinopathy. Upon reading the symptoms for HHT I am convinced that this is actually what is causing my suffering. Not piriformis. HHT as a diagnosis has only been widely accepted the last 25 years or so. It is almost exclusively a problem in runners, especially high mileage competitive runners. Much like tennis elbow for tennis players (which I have as well) though less common. <br />
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So why did the piriformis injection have some benefit? I'm not sure and will have to confirm with my doctor but I suspect that the steroid was able to mask the pain in that general area so that I was able to run at full speed but the damage was still there.<br />
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The reason I believe this is the case is because one month post procedure and the pain is worse than before. I think that is because I aggravated the injury (HHT) unknowningly thinking it was just piriformis. So I actually did more damage to it.<br />
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We left for Disneyworld the next day - a 17 hour drive - not the best for this condition. Things got worse. I had signed up for an 8 mile race on July 4th in Montgomery, Alabama and was excited to run that race on the way to Orlando. That night when we got to Montgomery after 12 hours in the car, the race was out of the question. That's a pretty big deal for me because for a little 8 mile race, I would always just go and run it. That's an easy normal morning run for me. But I was in a lot of discomfort and was very concerned that I had already done quite a bit of damage to the hamstring and should not make it worse.<br />
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We had a wonderful time at Disney but I was in constant pain walking around the parks. Besides the hamstring, I had achilles tendonitis in both ankles and just to top it off, I had bad case of tennis elbow (tendon again!) from playing a lot of tennis and made it worse after playing in a weekend tennis tournament. Damn you tendons!!!<br />
<br />
I did read one report from a fellow runner who also had both HHT and achilles tendonitis and he suspected that they were related. I'm not sure how that's possible and I think the only relation is that they are both overuse injuries. But if this is the case with enough runners, it may warrant investigation.<br />
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The drive home was just as bad as the drive to Florida and it was just impossible to relieve pressure/stress on the hamstring.<br />
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So where does that leave me? From my research on the internet, it seems as though all the other methods will not work and besides, I have tried nearly all of them. Massage, massage by rolling on a tennis ball, stretching, yoga, chiropractor, dry needling and the list goes one. Some people have reported some success with these treatments but either their response was limited or I suspect their condition was far less chronic than mine. I suspect that those that had the greatest success had addressed the problem early and had taken appropriate rest. I fear that mine is much worse and only a pelvic MRI can reveal the extent of the damage.<br />
<br />
I have not ran since July 2nd and do not intend to run for many months. The only question is whether my doctor believes that this can heal with complete rest or whether only surgery is going to offer a solution. Either way, I am out for at least four months, and if I rest and it does not work and then have the surgery, we are looking at a ten month time frame before I can resume running.<br />
<br />
It will also be very difficult to retain conditioning because any movement of the hamstring would seem to aggravate this injury and impede the healing process. But movement of that hamstring is essential to almost all endurance exercise - running, biking, hiking, swimming, elliptical, etc. I will have to do my best to eat healthy, do some moderate weight training and sit-ups etc to try to retain conditioning and a healthy weight but otherwise, I think it is inevitable that I will lose considerable conditioning. However, that is okay as I must just accept that. I believe that once allowed to heal (or once healed with surgery) that I can regain the conditioning rather quickly, keeping in mind that I will have to be very cautious on not re-injuring the high hamstring.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="pic4" src="http://hardrock100.com/images/hardrock-home3.jpg" height="141" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I will finish this race some day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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One final dilemma I face is that it is my dream to run the Hardrock 100. Hardrock has a lottery but requires a mountain 100 mile as a qualifier race to enter the lottery. I needed a mountain 100 this year after not gaining entry the past two years and so I entered Run Rabbit Run 100 which is in Colorado in September. I know what your thinking, why would you enter this race when you are hurting like this. I signed up back in April during one of my more optimistic moments when I thought I would be able to get through this.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Run Rabbit Run | 50 & 100 Mile Races | Steamboat Springs, CO" src="http://runrabbitrunsteamboat.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/RRR_logo_pos.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Should I attempt this qualifier? Or just hope to get in to the 2016 Hardrock?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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So that race is about 8 weeks away and I admit that I am tempted to stop all training and heal as much as possible in those two months and then just give it a go and see if I can slowly finish under the 30 hour time limit. I don't have a lot of hope for that being successful. In May (pre Piriformis injection), I attempted the Jemez Mtn 50 Mile race and had to drop to the 50K and hobbled the last 13 miles to the finish. If I feel like that, there is no way I can finish a 100 miler. Only if there was considerable healing would I be able finish Run Rabbit Run and thus secure that qualifier and even then, I would likely be setting myself back quite a bit in the healing process.<br />
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But if that were successful, then I could take the rest of the year off and see if it heals. I think I will know the answer to that once I can review the findings of a pelvic MRI.<br />
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So that is where we stand. I hope this will be of some help or maybe that some of you out there can help me by sharing your experiences and what works for you. I have yet to find anyone out there was has reported that complete rest for several months effectively healed this condition. If you are that person, please post here. <br />
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I will definitely keep updating this blog with my progress and I have no doubt that one year from now, I will again be posting race reports and this time those report will be on the fun and pain free ultras that I ran in the mountains!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-76560259593921995612014-06-15T14:16:00.004-05:002014-06-15T14:16:54.194-05:00Jemez Mtn 50 ?The question mark in the title is because I had gone out to Jemez with every intention of completing the 50 mile race and not dropping to the 50K. I had done this race in 08 and it was tough but it made for a tough love type of memory because as one of the toughest 50 mile races in the country, I also loved it.<br />
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But it had been so long, I forgot why I loved it. Returning this year, I remembered how well organized and beautiful this race is. It was awesome!<br />
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We started out at 5 a.m. The forecast had remained consistent all week for rain or even snow in the higher elevations. I was just grateful that it was nice out when we started the race all though unusually humid for the mountains. We made our way on the trails around town and it's always so neat to see all those headlamps snaking their way through the woods.<br />
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I settled in to about 30th place. My goal was to take it very easy and comfortable so that I could finish the 50 mile. Things went well for the first 13 miles or so. But after that big huge climb up Pajarito Ski Mtn, the sciatic/piriformis flared up. I struggled in to the aid station at the ski lodge where my Mom and friend Deanna were waiting and crewing for me.<br />
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I knew then I would be unable to complete the 50 mile race. I hobbled out of the aid station and was reduced to just a shuffle run/walk for the last 14 or so miles and sadly most of this is back down hill. That meant a very slow 7 plus hour finish. But it was beautiful none the less and here are some pictures.<br />
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I'm going to have an injection for this piriformis soon and hope that will help. This race was frustrating because I really wanted to finish it.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/1381726_10203192969976863_8974915235665975718_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Caldera from top of Pajarito Mtn</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/t1.0-9/10364015_10203192969376848_5318963075139344954_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful mtn meadow after Pajarito aid station.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/10344854_10203192968856835_5503535276231054243_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice section of alpine trail</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="300" src="https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/t1.0-9/10374928_10203192968616829_3134452478170862394_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading back to Los Alamos and looking back, you can see the ski mtn from where we came.</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-90747431112273833842014-06-15T14:03:00.000-05:002014-06-15T14:18:22.489-05:00Mt Magazine Trail Run - 18.5 MilesOnce again I had a great time at Mt. Magazine. I was lucky enough to hold on for the win. I started really slow with the front runners for the first five miles or so and this was good because that way my sciatic did not become to irritated too soon. Then I ran hard for the next three or four miles to complete the loop of the top of Mt. Magazine.<br />
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The course then descends the mountain for about 3 miles and I hit this really hard as I knew it was my best chance to put some distance on the other runners. I was really worried that I would have a big slow down coming back up the mountain because of the piriformis/sciatic pain. I certainly did slow down and it started to get pretty darn painful but the race was short enough that I was able to endure it.<br />
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It really felt good to win a trail race again. It had been a long time due to this injury. If you want a really great race, this is one of the best around. The scenery is stunning. The comraderie is great. And P.T. puts on a great cookout at the pavillion after the race. This race is truly in the spirit of AURA (Arkansas Ultra Running Association).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/10420244_10203343061529058_1298392547451496663_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friend and Race Director PT With the Awesome Award Crafted by Chrissy Ferguson</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-45731386707443633322014-06-15T13:59:00.002-05:002014-06-15T14:20:14.481-05:00Little Rock Marathon Pacing 2014This year I paced the 3:25 group instead of the 3:05 group because I was concerned that my Piriformis problem would not allow me to fulfill the 3:05 pacing duties.<br />
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I think that was a wise choice because although it was not too hard to finish the 3:25 pacing group, I did have some discomfort for much of the time. It was fun thought because as always we made it a fun family vacation and climbed Pinnacle mountain the day before.<br />
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The race was unique because there was a strong cold front and winter storm moving in. As it turned out, I finished right before the brunt of the storm hit. Right after I got into my car, the rain started pouring down and then that would be followed in the next hour by sleet and high winds. <br />
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Unfortunately, race organizers would have to end the race and start bringing runners back to downtown because the conditions were so terrible. I really felt bad for the race directors because it is such a tough call to make but they did the right thing. And they were fortunate to have had many if not most of the runners finish ahead of the storm. It could have been worse if the front had come in only a few hours earlier.<br />
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This is such a brief post because I am behind on my race reports.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t1.0-9/1743578_10202653652614266_1500112198_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Year Pacing at Little Rock and another Climb of Pinnacle! Poor Penny struggled to make it and then would not cooperate for the photo.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-6261881362001712712014-06-15T13:54:00.000-05:002014-06-15T13:54:11.857-05:00Sylamore 50K - 2014I'm just catching up on some of these races because I did not write a blog entry for them and now it is June and I'm six months behind.<br />
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The main reason for this is that due to the continuing Piriformis injury, there is not much to write about. I go to each race, I start off slow, start to hurt and only get slower.<br />
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What made this race unique this year was the terrible running conditions. This was was than the year of the snow storm that came in the night before. The weather leading to this race had been relatively precipitation free for sometime and so my thinking is that there would be good conditions for race day.<br />
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As it turns out, the cold temperatures had remained since the last snowfall and that had left very icy conditions. Within the very first mile I had already fell very hard. Got back up, ran ten more steps and fell again.<br />
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Across the river and only 3 miles later, I took my hardest fall on some really bad ice. The irony is that I was really walking very carefully because of the ice and fell anyway.<br />
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I worked hard to catch back up to the leaders but then as the race went on after about mile 7, I could no longer keep up as the Piriformis had slowed me down and I was resigned as it has been for the last couple of years to just trying to finish the race which I did in a painful five hours or so.<br />
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I'd like to say that it was a fun race but the pain in the butt is making it harder and harder to say this. But I am committed to getting better.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-68345673197091274742014-02-02T19:57:00.000-06:002014-02-02T19:57:34.541-06:00Running With 78 FriendsMany years ago, I remember running in January in the Ouachita Forest and having a great long run. After 15 or so miles on a cold day, the trail came out of the forest and into a clearing and the sun had begun to shine bright enough to begin to warm me up. I was enjoying it so much that I thought it would be great to invite friends along to enjoy the Ouachita Trail which so many people even close by are unaware of. Years would pass by and every winter I would find myself on many weekends on a long run and often thinking the same thing. Wouldn't it be great to have a trail run out here.<br />
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Finally last year I just decided to do it. I set up a great course for a 25K and a 50K and set up a website here on my blog - http://ouachitaswitchbacks.blogspot.com/- and then set up a facebook page and we had 30 people come out and run. It was a great day just like when I ran alone. The only down side was that I was so busy and concerned with directing the race, that I didn't get to run. <br />
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So this was the second year and thanks to a great bunch of volunteers, I was able to run the race myself. With the help of so many people and especially the Choctaw Nation that made the race a part of their PACE program and helped with financial support, our numbers more than doubled and we had 78 people line up for the two events.<br />
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It turned out to be another beautiful sunny day and perfect weather for running the Switchbacks. In this report I am just going to describe my run and give information on what the course is like. I will post more information and race results on the website soon.<br />
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The one good thing about putting on your own race is that you know the course like the back of your hand. I had spent about 20 or more hours clearing the trail in the weeks leading up to the race and I've run parts of that trail for 13 years or more. We started off and immediately Josh and Justin had taken off at a strong pace. I stayed with them to the first aid station at 3.7 miles but I had no interest in trying to stay with these young guys and so I backed off the pace and tried to enjoy it. <br />
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Those first 3.7 are like the rest of the Switchbacks course, very technical. Lot of rocks and little stream crossings and while there are no major climbs, there are a lot of little ups and downs. There are also two scenic wildlife ponds that a really nice. At the first aid station my wife was the Big Cedar aid station captain and I had my daughter playing the clarinet for everyone's entertainment and she played beautifully. I let Josh and Justin go as we made the creek crossing which was only about ankle deep.<br />
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The next five miles is steadily up. At about 5.5 miles is a spring and a campsite area. Then you have some more climb for nearly a mile and then about a half mile down hill to a little saddle where there is another campsite. Then begins the race's namesake - the switchbacks! 30 plus switchbacks that go to the top of Winding Stair Mountain.<br />
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As I head up, I catch up to some of the early starters and it was great saying hi to all of them. The wind really started blowing the higher you get until at last you get to the top and the aid station which is at the Winding Stair Backpacker Shelter. The shelter was only completed last fall by FoOT and Americorps members and it is awesome. What a great location for an aid station.<br />
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Turning around, it is nice to know that you have nearly 5 miles of almost all downhill all the way back to the Big Cedar Aid Station. This is a fun section and it goes by fast because you see so many of your friends and say high and give words of encouragement. <br />
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After visiting with my wife for a bit, I began the 3.7 miles back to the Pashubee Trailhead which is the Start - Finish area but also is the 17.4 mile aid station for the 50K. I had prepared mentally for this section ahead of time because I worried it would seem really long. Every time I have run this trail, this 3.7 mile section seems to go on forever. It seems as though when I prepare myself ahead of time for a tough section of the trail, it always seems okay and this time it went by pretty smooth and I had really taken it easy too with a lot of walking breaks.<br />
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A little over 3 hours I was back at Pashubee where my Mom and our friend Deanna were in charge of that aid station which is a big job because they have to not only make sure there is hot food and beverages but also are trying to account for all of the runners. I visited with them and then it was time for Penny's debut in ultra trail running.<br />
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Penny is my golden retriever that I just got in November. She has been a great running partner these last few months and always listens and stays by my side. I left her in the car while I did the first half of the race because I worried it might be too hard for her to run the entire thing. But now it was her time to run. I opened the car door and she was so excited. I think she must have watched me and the others take off at 8 that morning and was more than just a little upset that she was not included.<br />
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Penny and I took off for the Eastern part of the trail. On this part, the trail goes down a small hill right after Pashubee and there is about a half mile of very technical trail with huge rocks and boulders. It's very pretty and then the trail begins a nearly two mile ascent to the top of a mountain. This climb is nearly as tough as the Switchback climb. Once at the top, the trail goes slightly downhill along a ridge with expansive views on either side and then makes a long steep descent to the Kiamichi River. As you run along the ridge and down the hill, you can see out over the Kiamichi river valley and it is stunning. That River and that valley is where we are going.<br />
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After getting to the bottom, we follow an old jeep road and get away from the Ouachita Trail. Now we follow the jeep road for about a mile to a forest road and across the Kiamichi River. The river is not real deep (maybe shin level) but it is moving swift and is very cold. On the other side of the river Brian Hoover who is the founder and organizer for TATUR (Tulsa Area Trail and Ultra Runners) has a great party going. He has moving blaring and it looks like so much fun. He even had pineapple daquiris. I couldn't refuse one and so I visited for just a little bit while I drank one down and it was really good!! <br />
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I went back across the river and we ran the jeep road back to the Ouachita trail and began the final ascent. At this point, the 50K runner only needs to concentrate on getting back up this mountain. It is a long hard climb with many false summits because once you reach the ridge where you can see the other side, you keep going up for at least a mile and it is real technical. <br />
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The plus side is that once you make it to the top, it is so easy from there on. You know you are at the top when you see a beautiful camp spot to your left and then a steady descent from there. It is really surprising how easy it is to the finish from there. In a way, it makes the second half not seem so hard.<br />
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Once at the bottom, you have just a short little run back over the boulders and creek beds and then one final short little climb to the Pashubee trail head which you can see up ahead.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-46588287084850288642014-01-10T20:31:00.000-06:002014-01-10T20:46:24.571-06:00Athens-Big Fork Trail MarathonWell, it finally happened. After ten years and eight wins, I finally was beat at A-BF. (Two years I did not run - one year because my grandmother passed away and the other year I did the Houston Marathon.) It's ironic because it was ten years ago that I was finally able to beat Stan Ferguson, the legend in these parts of ultrarunning, after running behind him for a number of years. Stan is about ten years older than me and I think age was finally catching up with him at that time. And now here I am ten years later and on the receiving end of that scenario. <br />
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I suspected last year it might happen after I barely squeaked out that victory but I never thought that it would be Josh "the Butt Crack" Snyder who would beat me! (inside joke) But that's the way it goes. I feel like I am just a little slower either due to age or coming back from injury and Josh has definitely gotten faster, especially in the last year and so now I may be chasing him instead of the other way around. I really am proud of him for a great effort and really maturing as a runner.<br />
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Nonetheless it was a very fun race and I was grateful to just be able to run without pain. Last year in that very narrow victory I ran through a lot of piriformis and sciatic pain and this time I had very little pain to speak of and that allowed me to enjoy the race much more.<br />
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I followed Josh all the way to the turnaround, staying just about 30 yards behind him. Part of this is because I like to just zone out and enjoy the scenery and not get caught up in conversation that can detract from the experience of being out in nature. I also had more practical reasons for staying back and that is because I did not want to be whipped by small branches after Josh went through.<br />
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We made the turnaround at around 2:16 or 2:17 which was right around the usual time and then Josh let me lead and so I thought I would push the pace. In past years I have been able to leave behind people by really ramping up the effort. This effort definitely would have left Josh behind in previous years but he hung tough and ran a great race. With about three mountains to go, Josh began climbing very strong and I just couldn't maintain that effort any longer and he left me behind.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSn4kCNa-TBDlHwdFu51aV-kfgCkUuVhJF7VtKSw8A1zr-W_DWu" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture from A-BF Course</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With that done, I was able to kind of relax and just take it easy the rest of the way. May as well enjoy the scenery. Remarkably I felt pretty fresh at the finish. As well as I've ever felt after a trail marathon and that means a lot to me because I feel like I'm ready to get back into the longer distance ultras again and can run without pain.<br />
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More and more in recent races, a tough trail marathon or 50K has left me very debilitated and limping from sciatic pain and stiffness but that is gone. I'm not sure if it's the anti-inflammatory that the doctor prescribed, my new stretching routine or new foot strike or even just the dry winter weather. For sure, I am going to keep on doing what I'm doing because I'm ready to finish another 100 this year and I hope it is Bighorn so I can get another Hardrock qualifier in.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkYhl16Vls4su_X2WHG6uqrdLgY1jT20OM7m3ud5YdDqoGJDss9hqJOaBwe0UPt0m7jXpxba6bcVM2uFlHnPOuNFdwI_GX119epaxCBxIMGxls1129nocOGk8IJz23jVE7CTe8JY1WWHc/s320/Dec+2012+024.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top of Winding Stair Mountain on the Ouachita Switchbacks Course</td></tr>
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Now it's time for my own trail race - the Ouachita Switchbacks 50K. Last year was the first year for me to put on this event and so I did not run because I wanted to make sure things ran smoothly. But this year I feel comfortable with how the race is going and my wife Suzanne will take over RD duties and I will get to run this beautiful course that I laid out. It's going to be great!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6834573547527860686.post-89235500471780859072014-01-08T19:13:00.002-06:002014-01-08T19:14:31.015-06:00Overcoming Fear and Anxiety Before an Ultra<br />
My wife and three children were asleep in our cozy little rented cabin high in the San Juan Mountains in Lake City Colorado. It was a cold night but warm enough in the cabin that I could crack a window to let in the cool mountain air. I was tossing and turning and wide awake. The following morning I was to report for duty for a 5:00 am start of the San Juan Solstice 50 Mile Run. The SJS 50 Miler is considered to be one of the toughest 50 mile runs in the country. <br />
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We had been in Lake City for a couple of days on vacation and I had allowed the intimidating mountains begin to creep in on my psyche. As we enjoyed the mountains, I began to imagine how difficult this race was going to be. Most of the race is above 10,000 feet on the Continental Divide, nine miles is above 12,000 feet. They recommend that you buy a rescue permit for crying out loud.<br />
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It didn't help that every other high altitude mountain race I had ever done had gone very bad. I had raced Jemez 50 Mile (also one of the toughest 50s) and suffered terribly. I felt like my temples would explode as my head pulsed with each heartbeat. My flatland blood refused to sufficiently provide oxygen to my muscles. The headache was terrible. I did manage to finish that day at the beautiful run through the calderas at Jemez but barely and painfully. The psychological scars were still very fresh.<br />
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And now, here I was back at another tough high altitude 50. Why did I do this? What does it matter? Why should I put myself through this? Ultra running is crazy anyway. I could just enjoy my vacation with my family. I could just sleep in and have a nice breakfast and play with the kids. As the night wore on and into the morning, I continued to allow the anxiety and fear to build. I do not think that I slept more than two hours that night. 4 a.m. came. I turned off my alarm before it went off and laid there awake thinking of how terrible it would be and how much it would hurt. I just laid in bed in fear.<br />
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4:15 came and went. Time to get up, I have to hurry now but I couldn't remove the blankets. The family was sleeping soundly. 4:30. I must get up now, the check-in is almost over but I laid there paralyzed by fear. And then finally through the open window I could hear the countdown to the start and the gun fire and the enthusiastic whooping and hollering as two hundred runners were off for an adventure in the mountains and there I laid convinced that I did not have to do this. I had nothing to prove. I had already done a tough high altitude 50. I had run a 100 mile race twice before. I had done countless other ultras. I did not have to do this race. I could enjoy myself in the beauty of this place without challenging my body for 50 miles in the mountains. I was sure that this was the right decision.<br />
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Needless to say, by noon I was just as sure that I had made a terrible mistake. What was I thinking? How could I have come all this way and not have run this race? This was one of the most beautiful places on Earth and I am missing it. It was a long ride home as I realized my mistake and pondered why I had turned yellow. My poor wife had to listen to my self pity and self loathing for 15 hours as I castigated myself for giving in to my fears. Internally I was so disappointed. How could I not start? I told myself that a DNS (did not start) is so much worse than a DNF (did not finish) because you are big coward.<br />
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I suspect that most ultra runners are like me and have at least some race anxiety. Usually it is mild and we are able to overcome it but sometimes it may seem overwhelming. Even before tough races I am sometimes able to put aside those worse fears, get a decent night's sleep and bravely go where I have never gone before. Other times, inexplicably, the fear mounts as it did that night in Colorado. As the years have gone by, I have become better at dealing with this anxiety and here now are my focus points.<br />
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1. Remember why you entered to begin with - the sense of adventure, the beauty of the course, the comraderie.<br />
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2. Think about the finish - this may be hard to do when your mind is focused only on the pain and the suffering before the finish but remember how good it feels when you have overcome this challenge.<br />
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3. It's NEVER as bad as you think - sure there may be times that it hurts. You may get an altitude headache or have really low points but in hindsight, it always seems to not have been a big deal. The mind has a way of blowing this thing way out of proportion.<br />
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4. It's ALWAYS better than you thought it would be - I don't think I've ever run a big race at a beautiful venue and came back thinking that the course or the race was disappointing and not as good as I expected. I've NEVER thought that I should not have done that. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever regretted a single race. Whether it's Lake City, Bighorn, Jemez, the Grand Canyon or a nearby ultra in Texas, Oklahoma or Arkansas, they have always been even grander than I could have imagined them to be. The beautiful scenery of each of these races is like a slideshow of panoramic photos that I can bring into my mind at any time.<br />
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5. Take pressure off yourself - remember that you can always walk. You can always sit down at an aid station. You can make it more of a social event if times get tough. I often liked to try to really compete in races and this led me to believe that I have to push hard the entire time. But you know what, if you are feeling bad, then ease up and enjoy the scenery. You may lose 20 minutes but guess what, nobody cares.<br />
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6. As the Penquin from Runner's World said, "The miracle isn't that I finished, it's that I had the courage to start." Even if you don't finish, just get to the start line. If things really go bad, you could always turnaround after a few miles and come back (let race officials know of course). Chances are, you will find it hard to believe you ever entertained the idea.<br />
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365 days after that terrible anxiety filled morning at Lake City, the gun went off again to start the San Juan Solstice 50 Mile run and the runners excitedly whooped and hollered. This time my family was sound asleep in the cabin and I was whooping and hollering and on my way for the great adventure in the mountains and I loved every minute of it. That evening I played with my children and we had the best pizza and that beer sure did taste good in the shadow of the San Juans. I still kick myself when I think that I allowed my negative demons to get the better of me the year before.<br />
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I've had other sleepless nights before other races but I'm always sure to now look back at that sleepless summer night in Lake City, Colorado. And that brings me to a seventh way to overcome anxiety.<br />
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7. I never again want to feel like I did that morning in Lake City when I was so paralyzed by fear that I would not even start the race.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overcoming My Fear and Finishing SJS 50 With My Kids!</td></tr>
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