Aloha Athletes and Friends !
This past Saturday (4-21-07) marked the beginning of several longer training runs to be disbursed over the remainder of my Badwater training. Folks, this long, hot, grueling stuff can actually be fun if you have the support of great running friends, especially when they are accomplished endurance athletes. The only down-side is that these psychos won't put up with whining...no sir ! The good side is that I never have to listen to any whining. For example, Ernest Tay, who knocked-off the HURT 100 miler in January (on his first try!) agreed to join me for the full 56 miles of training. Ernest, viewing it as "only 56 miles" (so how tough could it be?) decided to try out a new, state-ot-the-art pair of road shoes, with some nice thin socks. Well folks, they worked great for about 40, until Mr. Blister paid him a visit in spades. However, even at around 52 miles, as I struggled to keep up with this limping maniac powering down Kahekili highway, there was absolutely no whining. He finished strong, by running up the last hill ! Go Ernest !
Earlier that morning, at around 10 miles into the day, another maniac running buddy, Mad Man Mike Muench drove over from Manoa to give us grief. Mike was a little grumpy from a combination of lack of sleep(after doing a 5:50 Hurt night loop the night before) and having to chase Ernest and I down (we didn't know he was behind us). On rare occasions like this one, I really delight in payback (he always loves making me suffer!). The closest I would get to hear complaining came when he said "if I didn't catch you guys in a few more minutes, I was going to turn around and go back home". I was ready to give Ernest a high-five !
At around 22 miles, Ironman Rex Vlcek drove over, (from surfing in Ewa Beach) to taunt us with fresh legs. We had just pigged-out at Taco Bell and weren't in our best form, so having to watch a frisky guy, all smiles, laughing, jumping up on benches, fire-hydrants and curbs along the way (and telling us to pick up the pace) wasn't blowing-up our skirts. I will have to admit that Rex turned out to be a very welcome addition and made the 12 miles he did with us in the heat of the day a lot of fun. Shortly after Rex left, I got a kick out of watching Mike and Ernest race up Kalama hill. Both are excellent hill climbers and out of my league, so I didn't let them sucker me into making a fool out of myself. Wild Woman Cheryl Loomis made a special appearance later in the afternoon, bringing us smiles, chips and cold Red Bull to brighten our day, and telling us lies about how good we all still looked. It was great to see her ! Thanks c !
It was gratifying to see that although our pace was not fast, it was steady. Bonks were few and short lived, as 7/11's provided adequate aid startions along the way. Personally, I re-learned the importance of "real food", as opposed to a steady diet of sugar-based gels, bars and fluids (which I used sparingly), and was pleased with a stronger-than-expected finish and shorter recovery time. My wonderful wife Heather picked-up Italian dinners from Zia's, which were ready for Ernest and I immediately after showers, aiding the recovery process. Eating a nutritious meal as soon as possible after extreme exercise is imperative !
Although ultramarathons are viewed as lonely, selfish endeavors, you can clearly see how many lives are touched along the way and hopefully made better (in some way) in the process. For me, (the selfish one in this scenario) seeing what my friends and loved-ones are doing on my behalf, really touches me. There's no doubt in my mind that I'm a better person today, because of them. Thanks all !
Don
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