trail race gear checklist. 100 miles o'fun

Well i am just a couple days away from the pony express 100. a pretty 'easy' 100 miler. just a few friends who go out and run the desert. i did it last year in 23 hours and change, i think. i don't really keep track of that kind of stuff. not too sentimental in that area. i dont think that i have ever saved an award or medal, except for the belt buckles because they are sweet and redneckish.

alissa and the kids are gonna come out for the first few hours and crew for me. should be fun for them to bounce around in the car. still working on getting a crew together for the rest of the race. any sadistic takers?

I know, i know you are thinking to yourself "what a weak ars" "why does he do such easy races?" "why not pick a course that is challenging instead of just an easy 50 miles out and 50 miles back" what can i say? i have been weak sauce this year. new baby, crappy real estate market, life with 4 young kids, a beautiful, patient wife who actually wants to see me sometimes (not exactly sure why, but...............)

so if you are dumb enough to want to do a hundred miler race here is what i take. hopefully it helps. now all you need to do is get outside and train insane amounts and you will be ready to go!! lets be honest its still cheaper than therapy




FOOD

• ensure (the old peoples drink) 18 bottles
  
• water 3 gallons
• coke plastic bottles (yep i drink pop on a long run and i LIKE IT!! no diet wussiness here 12 (opened for 24 hours to let out some of the fizz)
• apples and adams peanut butter none of the skippy or jiff Crap (knife)
• gu chomps packets 15
• ready to drink soup 10 (take a baby bottle warmer to heat them up in the car)
  
• bananas 3-4
• nuun electrolyte tabs 3 bottles
• candy bars 4 (lets be honest i run so i can eat more junkfood)
  
• hammer perpetuem (sure i have thrown this up on many races but its still the best stuff on the market)
  
• red bull 4 (wings come in handy)
  
• chips and salsa
• avacados (yummy fat and easy to digest)
  
• iboprofen
• salt pills
• tums
• benedryl

FEET (an important aspect of running for 100 miles)

• 3 pairs injinji socks (the merino wool outdoor version)
  
• 2 pair smart wools
  
• mizuno wave riders
  
• orange wave riders
• go lite storm dragons
• north face size 14 for swollen feet
• athletic tape for blisters
• tincture of benzion (glues tape on, but its a bitch when you rip it off)
• needles for popping blisters
  
• butt paste for greasing up the feet so as not to get blisters in the first place
• zoot compression socks for after the race (and because they are so dang sexy)
  

GEAR

• smart wool long sleeve
• ipod or two with good music and some good books to make you cry in the night
  
• a speedo for those hot sections of the course and for sexy running
  
• body glide lube
  
• light gloves
• warm gloves
• headlamp
• handheld flashlight (extra batteries) 2nd light helps with depth perseption
• hat
• visor
• nathan running back pack
• sunscreen
• sunglasses
• camera with full battery
• hip pack
• 2 amphipod bottles
• warmer bellweather jacket for hypothermia/exhaustion stages
• tights
• light jacket go lite wisp
• arm warmers
• hot hands hand warmers
• baby wipes
• folding camp chair
• bandana for the dust
• extra short sleeve shirt
• extra pair of compression shorts

the real reason for living

its true, i write often about my passions. endurance sports specifically biking and running and as much as i love them....there are 4 things that i love more and here they are in chronological order.

(and the pics are unproffesional, but let's be honest so am i)

1. kaiya
2. taj
3. marley
4. livvy

kaiya

being the oldest cant be easy, especially when your dad is crazy like hers. i am particular to say the least. kaiya is kind, determined, very helpful to alissa and a great big sister. creative and caring, great at spelling and wants to choose the right. when she prays, i am humbled by her sincerity. she's a fast runner and loves to goof around. i need to let her be a kid more and not be so hard on her. I LOVE YOU KAIYA. you will always be my little princess.









taj

this boy is gonna be a lady killer. cute curly hair, HUGE eyes and super sweet. he tells alissa how much he loves her at least 10 times per day. he is incredibly tickle-ish and laughs with his whole body. he's a bit 'wimpy' but i will take that because he is so sweet. I almost have him riding a bike with out training wheels. He gives me the biggest hugs at night and i feel so loved and unjudged by such a great little man. I LOVE YOU TAJ.








marley

marz is such a petite lovely little girl, who loves all things girly. lipstick, necklaces, babies, and her little voice is just mezmerizing to me. its so pretty. i love to hold her when she cries. she speaks so eloquetly for a 2 year old and i love it when she sings to livvy. she's a picky eater when she is eating by herself, but will eat anything as long as mom or dad is feeding her off of our plates. I LOVE YOU LITTLE MARZ.










livvy

adoption is truly amazing, because the love that i have for livvy is no less than for my 'own' kids. she is a funny girl, stoneface, as she is a hard nut to crack. she is starting to laugh more and growls at the same time. from one week old, she has slept thru the night. her hair is crazy and her eyes are big and lovely. she gets cuter everyday, and seldom cries, thankfully. I LOVE YOU LIV.

fall is for rambling.....so read mine!

So its sunday night and i just got done with my weekly (or more if needed, which it usually is because i am psycho) garage cleaning therapy session. the house is immaculate, the kids are in bed (still whining). candles are light and alissa and i are trying to get to know one another again. Kaiya just got out of bed and came and flexed her ripped arm muscles. She is gonna be a killer and i am gonna need to buy a gun to fight off all the boys who act like i used to in high school.



I have been making a point of getting out and riding the loop as often as possible (i guess i always do that) as the cold i feel in my bones, tells me that there is not much time left, and friday afternoon was as perfect a day on the bike as i can remember.










When i hit the mouth of american fork canyon, i was already tired, no weak, no exhausted, no spent, no worked, well you get the idea. those close to me know that its been a very hard week emotionally. now i cry easy and i am pretty much a basket case wussie little girl wrapped up in a tough guy costume, but this week was REAL. There was not much left in the tank. but the moment i hit that guard station the pain of emotions can be slain by the pain and burn of lactic acid and sweat in the eyes and burning lungs filled with the rich, minerally smell of fall, decomposing leaves and a dusting of snow not more than a day old. it has a way of suspending life. I dont know what its like to take anti depressants, but if they can do what this canyon does for me, sign me the freak up!



the only negative thing about the ride was the abundance of cars. nobody was rude or scary, i just wanted to be alone in my mountains. I actually was glad to see so many people out there. but please if you are gonna go on a mountain drive in the fall, people please do yourself a favor and ROLL DOWN your windows, the smell IS THE EXPERIENCE.







the colors are going fast, remember when you were a kid and how long summer lasted then it seemed like an eternity before the first snow would come and you could play all day in your snow clothes, soaked to the bone, with freezing hands and a mom who always had something good to eat when you cleaned up. Now life seems to be moving ever faster. Just yesterday it seems the new year was here and i did my best to not fall asleep before midnight and today its october? what year is it? how old am i? My oldest kid is a 2nd grader? Holy shizzle i remember that grade, i remember the girls i had crushes on, i remember the halls of central elementary how they seemed so big, then windsor elementary and how i so badly wanted to be one of the 'older kids' and did you say its freakin october? HOLY SHIZZLE



so as life blows by, dont forget to live. take some pictures, especially of yourself if you can catch one like this beauty here on the left with snot coming out your nose (i may be 32, but there is no way in HADES i am growing up) do something everyday to make yourself smile. I said DO not buy, though i do love shopping as much as any girl (REI). Do something everyday to make those around you happy, or if you cant make them happy at least make them smile. Hug your spouse, kiss you kids, call your dad and tell him thanks for being there and the example that he set. and that he still owes me for breaking mine and jere's GI joe toys! (just joking dad, I REALLY LOVE YOU AND MOM). Do things for the right reasons, you will still have a lot of questions in your mina bout life in general and you may still be psychotic, like me (but its a cool club!!)

MORE THAN ANYTHING, BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF. Its quite liberating. and if your driving a car and you see some spandex wrapped body on top of a bike, give us a break and steer clear. I can only flip so many people off per day :)

i commute by running

For those of you who are reading this blog for the first time, welcome! its probably the best blog in the universe (at least top 10). Let me bring you up to speed, i run. I run to live, to disconnect, to reconnect, to relieve stress, to breath, to love, to forget, to remember, to relax, to commute, to energize, to be a better husband, to be a better dad, I RUN!

and in my spare time...i ride my bike. which do i like better? the answer is YES.

I am a big believer in back to backs for long distance training. You dont dig so deep in hurting your body and mentally it really strengthens you to go the real long distances. I have a 100 miler coming up in 5 weeks and i have been lightly running, more time on the bike but its time to get serious.

So instead of riding back and forth to work i will be doing more running. My 'commute' is pretty varied. I run through a bit of city, farm areas, river paths, mountain trails (were they just found a mountain lion in someone's window well less than a mile from my trails) but dont worry, i have a mountain lion attack on my list of approved ways that i would like to die :)

Just this last particular night i had 2 funny experiences. First i stopped into a church to refill my amphipod bottle. (which btw are the best bottles around). take a look at what i was wearing, headband, indian pony tails, short shorts. normal for me, silly for a church ....take a looksee



So there i was looking around for a drinking fountain in the church and up walks 'the suit' asking if i am ok, or if i need some help.

can you blame him, in his mind he is thinking "what's this wierdo doing here"

i told him that i am good, just getting some water and that he has no reason to fear " i am a legit card carrying member of this establishment and that i just needed some water and i was on my way. it made me laugh.

now for my second trick, mcdonalds....open late. but being all 'shook up' from my church incident i decided that instead of going inside at 10pm to get a running snack, i would hit the drive thru (or 'run thru') for me. Once again my feelings were hurt, the lady said she doesnt serve my kind, and that you have to have a car to go to the drive thru. I said she was racist and discriminating against people who wear short shorts, she laughed.

then i went running some more, tucked the kids in when i got home, slept for 6 hours and then went running again.