Burning River for Ben: Rain!

Max During a Typical Run over the Past 3 Weeks

Rain, hail, and floods have been the theme of the last three weeks, very unusual weather for Colorado. It rained 21 of the last 22 days with highs only reaching the 40s on many days. And it hasn’t been the normal 30 minute afternoon thunderstorms that are typical of Colorado. It has rained day and night almost non-stop. Trails destroyed, floods, and all kinds of havoc in the Colorado Springs area. I haven’t missed a beat in training for BurningRiver though. This is because the more people that get involved and donate to the Showers Family Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders through our “BurningRiver for Ben” initiative, the more determined I am to endure every challenge and do well at Burning River. And more and more people are getting involved which is both exciting and scary.  Holly Pupino, Media Relations Specialist at the Akron Children’s Hospital, wrote a very complimentary and inspiring article about what this project is all about. It has been making the rounds and appears to have got us unstuck from the fund raising rut we were in – we are very close to our first $1,000 milestone! This can sure help kids and their families deal with a lot of expenses associated with Childhood cancer. I am so excited, passionate and proud to be involved with this project. But we still have a long way to go to reach our goal of $10,000. I realize that everyone has their favorite charity or non-profit and are hit up all the time by one charity or another. I have my own as well, but after seeing how this center operates, the dedication and passion of the staff and volunteers, the joy and hope they bring to families going through this terrible ordeal, I can’t help but ask for support from everyone I know (and don’t know). I truly believe our donations will be very well spent. If everyone that reads this would contribute just $5 or $10 I think we will surpass our $10,000 goal. And that will help a lot of kids.

So training has been a bit of a challenge these last three weeks but I’ve actually enjoyed it. One just needs to be a little creative. Riding to and from work on my bicycle in pouring rain every day has been the most challenging. Clothes don’t dry out, so it takes a bit of resolve to put on wet damp clothes and ride home in the cold rain each evening. However that was easily resolved by bringing extra clothes (duh). Despite my gloves and shoe covers being labeled “waterproof” they are not. I’ve found that the best protection is wrapping my feet in bread bags before putting on my shoes. Latex medical gloves worn under my riding gloves do wonders for keeping fingers warm and dry. Amazing how these very cheap and simple solutions work better than the very high price high tech stuff!  I think I may have found a way to stop the raining as well. I bought fenders for my bike. Today the sun came out!

Monument Creek/Santa Fe Trail - There's a Bridge Under There Somewhere!

Training for Burning River continues to evolve from the base miles put in throughout winter. I’ve been picking up the intensity and mileage gradually and hope to be up to 100 miles a week by July. I’m often asked “how does one train for a 100 mile race”. This is an interesting question as we are all “an experiment of one” as they say, and each of us have our own tolerance of how much and how hard we can train. For instance running five days a week seems to be perfect for me. Others might run six or seven, I’m sure I would get injured if I ran every day. I mix cycling with my running as I find cycling actually accelerates recovery. Mileage varies depending on what part of the year it is and what phase of training I’m in, but I’ve been really happy with the five day running format. At the moment a typical week looks like:

Monday:

• ·         1 hour bicycle ride home from work (I drive my truck to work with a week’s supply of clothes etc. and then drive it home on Friday)
• ·         100 push-ups in 5 sets of 20 reps done throughout the day         

Tuesday:

• ·         12 – 16 mile hilly run or hill repeats
• ·         1 hour bicycle ride to work/1 hour or more bicycle ride home from work

Wed:

• ·         6 mile easy run
• ·         1 hour bicycle ride to/from work
• ·         100 Push-up in sets of 20
• ·         Evening Strength workout at the gym or Trail work

Thursday:

• ·         12 – 16 mile run with tempo intervals
• ·         1 hour bicycle ride to/from work

Friday:

• ·         1 hour bicycle ride to work
• ·         100 push-ups in sets of 20

Saturday

• ·         Long run (18 – 35 miles)
• ·         Easy 1 – 2 hour spin on bicycle or mountain bike ride to flush out the run

Sunday

• ·         Medium Distance hilly run, with walking breaks if necessary (12 – 18 miles)
• ·         Easy 1 – 2 hour spin on bicycle

That’s it, pretty simple, nothing fancy, just consistent day after day, week after week, month after month training with a recovery week thrown in now and then. This however is not something I would recommend one just get up and do; I’ve been running or riding in one capacity or another since High School. In November I was nowhere near this mileage or intensity. It’s been a slow buildup over several months with years of base fitness underneath.

Looking forward to tomorrow’s long run and every day I get more and more excited about Burning River. The original goal of this race was run 99 miles and then  run the last mile with Ben. Ben is incredible! Even though he is still going through chemo, he is up to running 3 miles, 3 times a week and going to cross-fit. Every 100 mile race I’ve ever done has been very emotional at the finish. This one will be extra special.

Thanks so much for reading.

larry

Greenland Open Space 50K: A Serious Wake-up Call!

Burning River for Ben: Today’s Greenland Open Space 50K (31 Miles) race was a very humbling experience with lots of time in the pain cave as well as many lessons learned. First it was humbling. Since I’m training for a 100 mile run I came to this race with a very arrogant attitude thinking “it’s only a 50k, it can’t be that hard”. This kind of thinking is not only arrogant it is stupid. I had run 30 miles two weeks before and felt really good and finished strong, however there is a big difference between a run and a race. With that arrogance I didn’t taper properly. Mistake number 1: On Thursday, just two days before the race I did a 4.5 hour mountain bike ride, including two hours of hard riding with the fastest kids on the High School team I assistant coach. On my ride home, as I was on the verge of bonking, I thought “this is pretty stupid, ride yourself into the ground two days before a 50k running race? You call yourself a coach?” I certainly would never recommend this to anyone!

So mistake number one left me with tired legs right from the start. At least I had the sense to hold back and let the lead group go. Max ran the first lap with me and this proved to be lesson number two. Max and I do the majority of our running before daylight when the temps are still in the mid-20s to mid-30s. The temperature was already between 45 and 50 at the start. The race consisted of 4 laps of approximately 8 miles. With the heat, Max was done after one lap. He is also not used to running on a leash, so he was dragging by the end of the lap. As the race went on it continually got warmer, climbing into the 70s. This took its toll on me. Burning River is going to be exponentially worse; time to start running in the daylight hours.

At the end of one lap Max was done!

Lesson three became obvious by the third lap. I have not been doing enough hill work. This race had about 3000 feet of climbing with the altitude between 7,000 and 7,300 feet. All the climbs were gradual so very runnable. But this really wore on me after 18 miles or so. 3000 feet in 31 miles extrapolates to just over 9,000 for 100 miles which I believe is pretty close to total elevation gain for Burning River. Got to work on rolling hills!

Lessons 4 & 5 were just stupid mistakes. I didn’t bring any bandages to cover my nipples not thinking I was going to sweat that much. By the end of the second lap my nipples were rubbed raw and I had to do the last two laps shirtless. I also had some pretty serious chafing in the crotch area, but I don’t think it would have been a good decision to go short-less, so I just had to endure it - made for a VERY painful shower afterward. Lesson 5 was even stupider. I didn’t bring any electrolytes or Perpetuem. So I did the whole race on four gels and water. For the first time ever in a race I got nauseous, but luckily didn’t have to puke.

With Bleeding Nipples was Forced to run Shirtless

So despite all these blunders I finished the first lap somewhere in the top 30 or 35 and even though I was on a death march the 3^rd and 4^th lap I whittled it down to 22^nd overall and won the 50+ age group. I was told about half way through the last lap that I was winning the masters. With a long climb and 4 miles to go I didn’t really care. But then a guy that looked to be 50 passed me. Somehow I found something inside me and I picked up the pace and stayed with him. Approximately two miles from the finish I made a move and was able to go by him. This was incredibly painful and I had to dig with everything I had. Turns out he was 50 and I beat him by 25 seconds. The race was designated the RRCA Western Region Ultra Championship so I was named the 2015 “Grand Master” Ultra Champion.

Deep in the Pain Cave & Somehow Finding It within to Finish Strong

This race was certainly a wakeup call. I think I was beginning to get cocky since training has been going so well. This is why these training races are so valuable; they present a nice reality check. I’ve got some adjustments to make for Burning River!

Very Happy to Cross that Line!

Burning River for Ben: Crazy vs Normal

Another Awesome CRUD Run - The top of Iron Mountain on an 18 mile fun run

I love riding my bike and I love running for as long as I can. It makes me feel alive; sitting on my butt all day makes me feel dead. This week, work colleagues from the east coast came to Colorado Springs on a business trip and we had the opportunity to go out have dinner and lunch together and just shoot the crap. For some reason I found it embarrassing when I was asked about running, how many miles I run, how many miles I ride, how many hours I train, etc. These are numbers and I believe for people who don’t do ultra-endurance events these numbers give the wrong impression.  I think from the expressions on their faces they must have been thinking – why? Or that I must really be a glutton for punishment, or crazy. But that is not the point. The numbers don’t describe the awesome trails, running and riding with awesome friends, incredible views, breaking track in fresh snow, feeling the sting in my hands and feet when riding to work on the cold mornings, pushing the envelope and feeling stronger each day, and having time to myself where I can just enjoy the awesome sensation of a body that has everything working in efficient synchronicity. There is no other feeling like it, drugs & alcohol don’t do it, I went down that path many years ago and there is just no comparison. But so many people look at fitness as a chore and running 100 miles or doing multi day adventure races is beyond their comprehension. But it’s not a chore; it’s a passion and an absolute joy.

To continue on this subject, I am periodically asked why I do what I do and often told I’m crazy. It’s amazing what we’ve come to call crazy. Running long distances and physical endurance is something we were actually designed to do. There are many studies that show we are the most endurance gifted animals on the planet. It seems to me crazy is sucking in chemicals such as tobacco into perfectly good lungs, eating foods with all the natural nutrients taken out, gluttonizing on junk food with absolutely no nutritional value, inducing oneself to cardiovascular diseases, cancers, strokes, hypertension, then having to take cocktails of drugs just to carry on this abusive existence; this should be called crazy. But unfortunately that has become the norm, and doing what we are designed to do, physical work, has become crazy.

Steve Bremner Leading the way of 22 mile run on his 60th birthday

This morning’s run with Coloradans Running Ultra Distances (CRUD) was awesome. These runs are just so incredibly fun it’s beyond description. And it’s obvious that the dogs of CRUD are of the same opinion. When we pulled up to the trailhead Max saw Steve Bremner’s dog Chewy and Rich Muzzy’s dog Calvin, and started whining and pacing in the truck to go be with his running buddies. As we were getting ready to run the dogs were running back and forth like caged animals whining to get going! By the way it’s Steve’s 60^th birthday and he’s out running just under 22 miles on challenging trails with us a week after he competed in a 40 mile ski race over several passes from Crested Butte to Aspen; The Grand Traverse.  And he is doing a 50 mile running race in two weeks. Absolutely crazy! Normal would have him riding around in a golf cart taking blood thinners and blood pressure medicine worrying about breaking a hip.

Steve and his dog Chewy - Happy 60th!

OK enough of that. Training for Burning River is going awesome. Sometimes I think it is going so well it’s scary. I love the training so much; every run, every gym workout, and every bike ride, it’s just pure joy; which brings me to the core of why I am running Burning River. Sometimes I wish I could take the feeling of a great run or bike ride, bottle it and share it with everyone. Weird I know. Sometimes I even feel guilty or selfish for experiencing so much joy. So the best thing I can do is take my passion and use it to help others that are experiencing incredible suffering and are not capable at the moment to go out and run and play and do what is natural; kids that are suffering from childhood cancers. 

Ben 2012
The visits by the Doggie Brigade were the absolute best!
The volunteers and dogs bring smiles to SO many sick children.

The whole Burning River for Ben project is based on a brave young man named Ben and his mother who have been going through this ordeal for over three years. They both have been incredibly brave and positive. Both have been a genuine inspiration. Ben is in remission after three long years of chemo and he is going to run the last mile of the Burning River 100 with me. I will finish it even if I have to crawl. It’s going to be so incredibly emotional. This was the bases of this run. It has evolved into a project to help the kids that are currently going through what Ben has gone through and those that will in the future. Unfortunately many of them will not survive. The Showers Family Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at Akron Children's Hospital is an incredible non-profit that does everything they can to make these kids’ lives a little better. Check out this video for a very fun music production as an example what the staff and volunteers do for these kids. I can't watch this video enough, it brings a big smile to my face every time. They also arranged a prom for the kids, just one of the many things kids going through chemo don’t normally get to experience. We are dedicating this run in Ben’s honor for all the kids, staff, and volunteers at the Childhood Cancer center. Donations go directly to this cause and really do help. Please find it in your heart to help with whatever you can. I think about crossing that finish line every day and it just adds to my passion to, as one of the greatest philosophers of all time, Larry the Cable Guy, would say; “Get er done!”

Ben 2015
Its been three years since Ben was diagnosed with
 Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ( Leukemia A.L.L.) B cell.
 It’s amazing how staff becomes like family there.
 We are so grateful to have her helping him through this time.

You can help project “BurningRiver for Ben” by contributing here. Every contribution, big or small, helps!

Thanks so much and thanks for reading.

larry

Burning River for Ben: Time to Step it Up!

Wow time is going by fast and we are already down to 21 weeks before toeing the starting line of the Burning River 100. Before February, although doing a lot of running, I wasn’t specifically training; just getting in the habit of running, establishing a decent base to train from, and form somewhat of a pattern. February marked six months from race day and training started in earnest. Since running track and cross country in high school, I’ve been racing every distance from 800 meters to 100 miles, mountain bike races across entire countries, 24 hour races, multi day races, and road bike races, for over 40 years. I have not been this motivated and excited about doing a specific race for as long as I can remember, if at all. I can’t explain why other than it must be because this race is not about me. It’s not about placing, it’s not about competing, and it’s not about any of the reasons I’ve raced throughout my life. Sure I’ve used ultra-distance racing to try to set an example for those I love to never quit, never give-up and to show what hard consistent training can produce. But this is different. For the first time in all these years I feel like I’m using the little talent I have to use racing for a greater cause than myself. It’s a good feeling. I thought with all the people and organizations getting involved and donating to our cause I would feel tremendous pressure to finish. So far that is not the case. All I feel is an amazing motivation and love of every footstep taken while training for this incredible race and cause.

Early Morning Runs with Max and Primus

The last week has been a test in resolve as we’ve been getting snow storm after snow storm. The past week was consistently in the single digits each morning with new snow. The snow melts a bit in the daylight hours then refreezes at night, making it a bit tricky in the mornings. Last Saturday, Max and I got a 24 mile run in just before a shower that brought about a foot of new snow. The next day after spending a couple miles post holing through knee deep snow, I ended up running 12 miles on the treadmill, only the fourth time I’ve ran on a treadmill in my life.

A Typical Run This Week

Only the Fourth time on a Treadmill!

Getting up early and running in this incredible winter wonderland is quite invigorating. Wednesday morning for example, the snow was too deep to run the trails. So I ran on the roads, spent about 20 minutes helping people dig their cars out of the snow, and then rode my bike to work. When at work I asked a colleague how it was going. His response was a grumpy “I don’t know ask me after I’ve had my coffee”.

Max and Me Loving our Winter Runs

Anyone that has run ultra-distances knows that there is more to completing these races than just running. Pacing, nutrition, and crew support are all critical aspects as well. One challenge us Coloradans are going to have to plan for is not to go out too fast. Since our races are typically in the mountains there are almost always sections we are forced to walk, which can be a good thing. It gives the running muscles and energy systems somewhat of a break. We also have altitude to deal with which naturally slows us down and makes running more work than at lower elevations.  Going to lower elevation is going to make running faster seem easier. A seven minute pace could potentially feel like an eight or nine minute pace. The lack of huge climbs (although there are plenty of rollers) will also encourage us to run more and faster than we usually would. So last week I tried and experiment. I ran 24 miles, running 25 minutes, walking 5 minutes throughout the entire run. I was amazed. At the end I felt I could easily run another 2 hours or more. And the average pace was about the same as if I had not taken the walking breaks! This is probably because I was still so fresh in the last 10 miles. I definitely need to experiment with this more.

At 11 degrees it's a bit Balmy compared to other mornings (Jeff Mulder & Matt Larsen)

Matt and Jeff getting in their miles for Burning River

Max, Matt and I stop for a quick pose during an 18 miles run

On the fund raising front we reached our first milestone of $500 for the Showers Family Center for ChildhoodCancer and Blood Disorders at Akron Children’s Hospital. This really is a fantastic organization and the support they provide for these kids and their families is amazing. I’ve always been very shy and hesitant to solicit for non-profits but after seeing the good that this organization does along with the dedication and passion of its staff and volunteers, I’ve crossed that line and ask that you give what you can. I just want to thank everyone that has contributed so far and all of you that will help out. Every little bit helps and it really does make a difference.

Burning River for Ben: Passion and Commitment

The Weekly Gathering of the CRUD
For Another Fun Run in the Mountains

 One of the things I love about training for an ultra be it a 24 hour mountain bike race, a 100 mile run, or any other ultra-endurance event is the training. Maybe I should call it playing instead of training, because that is really what it is to me. I know this sounds weird but I love getting up in the morning and dealing with whatever weather happens to greet me. I love running/riding in the snow, cold, heat, sunrise, mornings, afternoons, I love it all. I love weather, which is why I didn’t move to Southern California when I had the opportunity. I think to really appreciate summer you’ve got to have winter and vice versa. I love running and riding alone as well as with friends who are just as passionate for being in nature and pushing themselves  as hard and far as they can go.

Matt's Definitely Loving It!

This year Jeff Mulder, Matt Larsen, and I have committed to running 100 miles on July 25 - in Ohio of all places. The comradery has been awesome and every time we run together the miles seem effortless. Tania Ellsworth Smith, another passionate ultra-runner, cancer survivor, and friend, wrote a very moving piece on commitment . Which is what inspired me to write this.

Jeff Mulder - Making the Commitment!

Turn-around point of 18 Mile Run
Max's Enthusiasm is always a Great Motivator

I think she hit it right on the nose. I also believe the moment you truly commit to something is the moment that all the hard work, the early mornings, and the innumerable challenges become fun instead of tedious. In 2009 I committed to competing and winning the Leadman competition. That was truly an amazing year. The commitment to accomplish that goal was so intense that it never seemed like work, just pure joy. To this day I can look back at that year and feel that incredible sense of true commitment to a goal and the joy that went with it. It’s a great feeling! This year I’m  having those same feelings about the Burning River 100. 

Matt and Jeff Heading Home from Another Long Run

Another aspect that makes the Burning River even more exciting is our commitment to raising money to help the kids and families being served by the Akron Children’s Hospital Cancer Treatment Center.  We are committed to helping these kids and if we can do it by raising money and awareness through something we love then I feel this is truly a win-win opportunity. We’ve committed to raising $10,000 by race day in July. It’s a huge commitment, but so is running 100 miles and we're committed to both. So if  you’d like to join our cause there are a lot of kids that will truly benefit. Just $20 more and we’ll have already surpassed our first milestone of $500! Helping out is easy just press this link. And remember every bit no matter how little adds up. Thank you so much! 

Burning River for Ben: Super Half Marathon

Every year in Colorado Springs, on Super Bowl Sunday, the Pikes Peak Road Runners put on the Super Half Marathon and 5k. It has grown steadily each year setting a record of over 1,100 runners this year. I’ve never done this race and this year I decided it would be a milestone marker to begin specific training for the Burning River 100. Up to this point I have been getting back into the habit of running after a year of mountain bike racing, steadily building the miles but continuing to ride my bike and workout at the gym. From the Super Half to Burning River is exactly six months, a good time to start specific Burning River training.

I went to the Super Half with no expectations other than to run a smart race. It’s and out and back course along the Santa Fe Trail, slightly uphill on the way out and slightly downhill on the way back. My plan was to go out relaxed and keep the pace relatively easy then run a faster second half.  Problem is I didn’t stick to the plan.

Dave, Cristina, Roswitha, and Terry all smiles before the start.
Cristina, Larry, and Terry ran the 1/2 Marathon and Roswitha ran the 5K

From the start I was with a group that hit the 1^st mile at 6:51… Ouch! Most of my running for the last four months has been 10:00 min per mile and slower. This was way too fast! But it felt easy and comfortable. I slowed down to what I thought was significant and the next mile was 7:01. I got into a pack of about five and we knocked out three 7:02 miles in a row. I felt relaxed but wondered if I could keep this pace for 13 miles. At mile six one guy surged and for some reason I went with him. We knocked out two 6:58 miles and then he pulled away. This is where things started falling apart. As he pulled away I could feel my hamstrings begin to tighten like banjo strings. I was sure I was going to cramp or pull a muscle. I shortened my stride and tried my best to relax. We were just over half way and I was tying up all over. My pace slowed and every time I tried to push it, I would tie up even more and slow even more.  I had arguments with myself; one side was saying "think only positive thoughts, focus on staying relaxed", the other side was saying "you idiot why did you go out so fast, why did you work out at the gym yesterday, man my hamstrings are going to snap, I feel like I’m running backwards so many people are passing me". No matter what I thought I was slowing down; 7:06, 7:11, 7:17, 7:19, 7:20, and finally I was able to shut my mind off and run the last mile in 7:16.

I finished a bit upset with myself for running such a stupid race and having such negative thoughts. The second half should have been faster; it was downhill. I felt like I was running backwards and a million people passed me. (Turns out only four passed as I dropped from 37^th to 41^st overall from the turn-around point). Roswitha kept saying that she was sure I won my age group because she didn’t see any old guys come in. I was sure I wasn’t even in the top five. Turns out that somehow I not only won the old farts category but set an age group course record in the process... That was a surprise.

I left everything out on the course

Never -EVER thought I would own a trophy with a football on it!

So I planned on starting in earnest training for the Burning River 100 this week. Problem was that pace left me so sore I couldn’t do much more than hobble the next couple days. By Wednesday I was feeling good but had a 7:00 AM meeting at work. Normally I get up at 4:00 or 4:30 AM to run 1 to 2 hours before work then ride my bike 45 – 50 min to work, then shower and be at my desk between 7:30 and 8:00. For this meeting I got up at 3:30 cut my run a bit short and took a shorter route to work. The meeting was cancelled. No big deal I slept very well that night.

Training is now real, six months to the start. And please remember I am working with a group to raise money for the Children’s Cancer Ward at the Akron Children’s Hospital. They serve cancer stricken children from all over the country and do an incredible job. Every dollar helps make this very rough time just a little more tolerable for these kids and their families. We've created a tax -exempt non-profit and we are dedicating our 100 mile race to an incredibly brave young man named Ben. Ben picked this organization because they do so much for the kids. All donations will be in his honor. Please donate if you feel it in you at BurningRiverForBen. Thanks!

Burning River 100 for Ben: 28 Weeks - Thoughts on the Run

The 3 Amigos pose on a Burning River Training Run
Max is saying "Screw the picture let's run!"

I’ve been thinking about how to run the Burning River a lot during my runs this week. It will certainly be different than any 100 mile race I’ve ran thus far. Races in the mountains have forced walking sections, sometimes for hours. When running 100 miles in the Rocky Mountains we are faced with steep climbs that can take hours and reach elevations over 13,000 feet. These sections usually become “power walks” and once above 12,000 feet “survival shuffles”. Burning River is going to be different. The first 40 miles is fairly flat, all runnable, and with the lower altitude it will be very hard not to go out too fast. The issue I’ve been struggling with is do I run the whole thing or take five minute walking breaks every 20 minutes?  Logic and experience says I should take the 5 minute walks every 20 or so minutes, pride says to just run. If I am going to take the walking breaks I need to implement it into my training and anyone who calls him/herself a runner never wants to be seen walking! But I think it’s something that needs to be done. Going out too fast in a 100 mile race may gain an hour in the first 50 – 70 miles but it will cost many hours if not a DNF “Did Not Finish” in the end.  Not to mention excruciating suffering in the second half of the race. So I’ve decided that I need to incorporate power walking into my training, even on the flats. This is going to take some real discipline and pride swallowing for sure.

Nutrition is another issue that needs to be figured out long before the race. I’ve  been pretty good with this in every ultra-endurance event I’ve ever done; I’ve stuck with liquid nutrition only and no more than 300 calories an hour. So far I’ve never got sick or nauseated as I’ve seen so many others have. When running or riding an ultra-endurance event it is impossible to process as many calories as being burned. I’ve seen many racers try to only to become sick and puke their guts out, eventually distressing their digestive system so bad they can’t keep anything down. There is a ton of research that shows that when running or riding long distances the body just cannot process more than 300 calories (if that) an hour. So it makes no sense to try to eat more; it just puts more stress on the system and uses more energy to try and digest it all.

So another part of training, especially for ultra’s is to teach the body to get very efficient at burning fat for fuel and save carbohydrates. I’ve been working on this a lot by not eating breakfast before rides or runs, to include long runs, then only eating 100 calories or less an hour in liquid form during my long runs. So far it seems to be working as I have not had any problems with bonking. I’ve got just over six months and a couple thousand miles to experiment, so it will be interesting what I come up with.

This week was a recovery week. I shortened the runs a bit except for my Saturday run. I planned on running less but it ended up being 18 miles anyway. And that was after doing a very hard VO2 Max test on the bike earlier in the morning. Not sure how that happened. I guess I was just really enjoying the run.

Lab Rat - Volunteered for a graduate study by taking a VO2 Max Test
An Hour of Serious Suffering!

Loving Life with Max on an 18 mile fun run!

Finally, as I’ve stated since firing the blog back up is that one of the reason’s I running the Burning River 100 is to honor a brave young man, Ben, who has been battling cancer for over two years. He and his mother’s positive attitude and bravery have been very inspiring to me. I had a small taste of how brutal chemo type treatment can be several years ago and want to raise awareness and do something to help kids and families going through this very hard treatment.  We decided to use this run to raise money for a non-profit of Ben’s choice. He chose the Akron Children's Showers Family Center forChildhood Cancer and Blood Disorders. They were voted the best Children’s cancer treatment center by US News for 2014 – 2015. Ben chose them for what they did for him and for what they do for the kids that come from all over the country that don’t have the support system that he has. 

We now have a donationpage and our goal is to raise $10,000 by the start of the race. I’m not very good at going out and soliciting people for money, but this is a cause I feel strongly about, it will help a lot of kids, and I think worth supporting. Any contribution no matter how big or small will help. Thanks!

This Week’s Training:

Mon:

·         Took the day off

Tue:

·         AM: Run (8.3 Miles)

·         PM: Ride Home (7.2 Miles)

Wed:

·         AM: Run (4.7 Miles), Ride to Work (8.5 Miles)

·         PM: Ride from Work to Gym (10.3 Miles), Strength Workout

Thu:

·         AM: Run (8 Miles), Ride to Work (8.5 Miles)

·         PM: Ride Home (7 Miles)

Fri:

·         AM: Ride to work (8.5 Miles)

Sat:

·         AM: VO2 Max Test (Bike) (20 Miles), Run (18 Miles)

Sun:

·         AM: run (9.3 Miles)

Total: 159.3 Miles (Bike 110.8, Run 48.5)

Burning River for Ben: Week 29 - Icy conditions!

We are under 30 weeks now until the Burning River 100. Wow the weeks are going by fast! But when your a kid going through chemo I can only imagine that time goes incredibly slow; especially when treatment lasting 2+ years – if you survive. Running a 100 miles will be a piece of cake compared to what these kids endure. 

As I’ve stated before we (Jeff Mulder, Matt Larsen, and myself) are going to travel from Colorado to Cleveland/Akron Ohio to run the Burning River 100. This will be Jeff’s first 100 mile run and he is so motivated by this cause. In the beginning our goal was for me to run the Burning River 100 with Ben, who is going on 2 ½ years of treatment, running the last mile with me. One thing led to another and we’ve decided to raise money for the awesome clinic that cares for these kids. Jeff and Matt joined the cause. Matt is a veteran 100 mile runner who has completed the Leadville Trail 100, among the toughest 100 mile races in the country. We are still working out the details to set up a donation site and will hopefully have it up soon.

The more I learn about Ben’s journey, the amazing staff, and amazing people that have been involved with his journey, the more I am humbled by the kindness and love. That's why real life is so much better than watching it on a screen. If one's experience of the world is through the news media this kind of love and support doesn't exist. Throughout this whole ordeal Ben and his mother have been ever so positive and inspiring. She talks only of the  awesomeness of her neighbors, school, hospital staff, doctor, friends, doggy brigade and so many others that dedicate their lives and time to helping these kids and family through a very rough time. We have created a Facebook page with the intention to inspire, help & encourage others who are facing the crisis of Childhood cancers.

Ben’s journey has been incredible, going from being so sick from the chemo he couldn’t even pet a dog from the doggy brigade to running, cycling, and cross fit. 

There were times when Ben was too sick to even sit up in bed. Even to pet one of the wonderful dogs from the Doggie Brigade he LOVED so much was a big deal for him... So, since he couldn’t reach down to pet them, they would just hop on his bed to greet him!

Look at Ben now - 2+ years later still receiving chemo treatments and working out at CrossFit Cadre in Hudson, Ohio, with incredible people who really care.

Ben with Allen of CrossFit Cadre

Since Ben was on such high doses of chemo, certain ones such as vincristine can cause side effects. Ben had developed a condition called “drop foot” or neuropothy... It can be pretty painful and cause your feet to drag, prohibiting your foot to flex, bend/rotate. Anyway, Ben had started Physical therapy to work on this... but needed something more, something more consistent. Being in bed for a year, Ben was so determined to “beat” this and get the braces off and develop full range of motion with walking.... So, meet Allen, one of the trainers at CrossFit. Allen was/is phenomenal. Took Ben in another area of the gym and started working with him. One on one instruction, helping him regain his strength and mobility. Encouraging, helping, supporting Ben along the way. Truely inspirational!

As far as training, things are going very well. I’m really happy how I’m feeling, the energy level, and how my joints are feeling. This week had some interesting days as we had some very icy days; the type where people are falling going to and from their cars. This required special equipment and I was prepared. Studded tires are awesome. I rode to and from work on icy roads and bike paths while everyone else was complaining how they couldn’t drive or even walk to their cars. Another tool I used for running was YacTrax, basically snow/ice chains for shoes. They work awesome and I could run in the most slick conditions without a trace of slippage.

Studded Tires - The Bomb!

And These are Perfect for Running on Ice

This Week’s Training:

Mon:

·         PM: Ride Home from Work (7.1 Miles)

Tue:

·         AM: Run (10.3 Miles), Ride to Work (8.5 Miles)

·         PM: Ride Home from Work (7.5 Miles)

Wed:

·         AM: Run (6.2 Miles), Ride to Work (8.5 Miles)

·         PM: Ride from Work to Gym (10.5 Miles), Strength Training

Thu:

·         AM: Run (10.4 miles), Ride to Work (5.2 Miles)

·         PM: Ride Home from Work (7.5 Miles)

Fri:

·         AM: Ride to Work (8.5 Miles)

Sat:

·         AM: Run (18.4 Miles), Road Bike Ride (26 Miles)

·         PM: Gym Workout

Sun:

·         AM: run (10.2 Miles), Road Bike Ride (36 Miles)

Total: 181 Miles (Bike 125, Run 56)