On December 28th and 29th, 2021 I competed in the Across the Years 24 Hour footrace. I completed 100.5 miles, putting me in the top 10% of finishers. Here is the race report. Goals Results New PR for 50 Miles – (Current PR = 11 hours 24 minutes) – ACCOMPLISHED (new PR 10 hours 29 minutes) New personal record for distance in 24 hours – (Current Record = 89 miles) – ACCOMPLISHED Complete >100 miles – ACCOMPLISHED Complete >120 miles – Failed Complete >200k (124.25 miles) – Failed Complete >130 miles – Failed Tactics Break race into three segments of 8 hours – ACCOMPLISHED First segment easy – kept <120 bpm – Partially Accomplished – Averaged 119 but had some spikes at 130 and 140 Second segment working – ~120 but can dig some – Failed only averaged 116 Final segment digging – whatever you can muster – ACCOMPLISHED 5 miles every
On August 28th, 2021 DNFd the Cascade Crest 100. I dropped out at mile 35 after 9.5 hours and 8k ft of climbing. Here is the race report Goals Results Don’t die – ACCOMPLISHED Enjoy being outside – ACCOMPLISHED Finish the course (even if after the allowed time) Officially finish (under the official 34 hour cutoff) Finish in under 30 hours Top 50% of finishers Finish in under 27 hours Top 25% of finishers Finish in under 24 hours (my bucket list item for this year) Tactics Be in last place at the start – ACCOMPLISHED Don’t exceed 140bpm in the first 26 miles – Failed No mile in the first 50 faster than 8 minute pace – ACCOMPLISHED 5 minutes or less at aid stations and stops – don’t stop moving – ACCOMPLISHED No single mile (and mid-mile stopping) is >30 minutes – ACCOMPLISHED 400 calories an hour for the first 50
On Saturday June 19th, 2021 I did not finish the Gulch Countdown race, getting disqualified after ~30 miles. Out of 46 runners, I finished 7th overall. This is the race report. Goals I ran this race in 2019 and wanted to beat my result there, where I was DQd on the 12th lap Make it to the 12 lap (26.2 miles) – ACCOMPLISHED Make it to 14th lap ~50k – ACCOMPLISHED Make it to the 16th lap (Previous Race Record) – Not Accomplished Be the last man standing – Not Accomplished Successes What am I proud of from race day? Excellent restraint early – had covered a half marathon before my heart rate went over 140 bpm Had a lot of fun meeting other runners and talking on the trail Failures What areas could I improve for future races? Failed in the exact same way as in 2019, didn’t push
On Thursday July 25th, 2019 completed the RAMROD (Ride Around Mt. Rainier in One Day). This is the ride report. Goals I was just there to finish the ride. This was something that was on my bucket list and I jumped on the opportunity to join a few coworkers who wanted to do it together. I also used this as a training ride and litmus test for this year’s real bucket list item, a 93 mile run around the same mountain. Finish – ACCOMPLISHED Finish before the time cutoff – ACCOMPLISHED Finish strong – SORT OF ACCOMPLISHED Successes What am I proud of from ride day? Longest bike ride I have ever done Longest duration I have ever done a physical activity for Completed a fairly challenging ride on 5 training rides of 100 miles total Failures What areas could I improve for future rides? Should have eaten more breakfast
On Saturday January 5th, 2019 I did not finish the Gulch Countdown race, getting disqualified after ~27 miles. This is the race report. Goals I really didn’t have goals for this race, I was just out there to have fun. Part of me wanted to see how far I could run untrained though to see if it was going to be a good idea to attempt to go on a 93 mile run this summer. Make it to 6 laps (13.1 miles) – ACCOMPLISHED Make it to 12 laps (26.2 miles) – ACCOMPLISHED Make it past 50k -Not Accomplished Be the last man standing – Not Accomplished Successes What am I proud of from race day? Somehow ran the farthest I had ever run in a day, despite low training Did a great job implementing my pacing strategy Had a lot of fun meeting other runners and talking on the trail
On June 10, 2018 I ran the 108th running of the legendary Dipsea race. I finished in a time of 1:08:26 – good enough to requalify for next year. Goals Finish/Survive – ACCOMPLISHED Requalify for 2019- 450 spots – ACCOMPLISHED – with 117 to spare Average heart rate 170+ – ACCOMPLISHED – averaged 175 BPM Sub 1:02:04 (My course best) – Not Accomplished Average heart rate 180+ – Not Accomplished Do not walk or speed hike – Not Accomplished Top 100 – Not Accomplished Sub 1 hour – Not Accomplished Black Shirt – Not Accomplished Successes What am I proud of from race day? Both Chris and I requalified and live to race another year Great effort & performance on minimal training Managed to stay upright the whole time & avoid rolling my ankle Discovered a new shortcut that will save me some time (this is legal in this race) Brought a frozen water bottle to drip on
On April 16, 2018 I ran the Boston Marathon, finishing in 2nd to last place overall with a time of 8:09:48 (its a long story…). Here is the race report. Synopsis It isn’t every day you get to be one of the last people to cross the finish line of one of the most famous marathons in the world. After logging 20 miles at 6:30 pace, trying my best to fight through horrible weather that I was not dressed for, my body began to shut down. At mile 23 and I dropped out of the race to get treatment for symptoms of hypothermia. 5 hours later, once safe and warm, I decided that I needed to finish. I put on some warm clothes and went back to where I had dropped out to finish the last miles of the race. Goals Finish – ACCOMPLISHED (I list this as a goal in every
In 2017 I decided to mix up my running races. In 2016 I had a great season, but I realized I couldn’t keep training at that intensity as my number of kids went from 2 to 4. I would have to approach futures years a bit differently. Because of that, I took 2017 as a chance to experiment a bit with a few major changes. I’ve found that these types of changes can often add fresh life into an old habit. They are familiar enough that it feels like comfortable but different enough that it feels fresh again. They make the future seem expansive rather than defined. So here are a few of the things I tried to mix up my running in 2017: 1. Running A Trail Race – For Christmas 2016 my wife told me she’s sign me up for the Dipsea race, a long-running and unique race
On July 30, 2017 I ran the Jack & Jill Marathon, finishing in 5th place overall with a time of 2:51:07. The guys I ran, Wes & Jonathan Coopersmith, finished in 3rd & 4th place respectively, with times of 2:47:23 and 2:49:02. Here is the race report. Synopsis This is a race I should be happy with. I didn’t plan on racing this year and only did so to train with my friend Coop so we could get a Boston Marathon Qualifying time for next year. After the time stress of my 2016 season, I had a conversation with my wife and we decided that I should cut my training to three runs per week, 1-2 of which I’d take kids in the running stroller. I averaged just 27 miles (just barely longer than a marathon) each week. Running a 2:51:07 off of that training plan is more than I had
On August 26, 2017 I ran the Run-A-Muk 10k while pushing two children in a double stroller, finishing in 5th place overall with a time of 39:58. Here is the race report. Synopsis My first ever race with a running stroller. I was invited by my friend Abram (who is also my brother-in-law-in-law) who was putting together a group of dads that were going to run the race with strollers. Throughout 2017 I got pretty good running with the stroller, bringing one or two kids on more than 50% of my runs. I had mastered the art of snack management for keeping kids occupied, I had made adjustments to the stroller to allow me to clock sub-6 miles, I had even turned my kids into an onboard cheering unit, ‘run faster Daddy’ their cry whenever I slowed down (even if because of a hill). This race let me put that