Thursday, May 12, 2016
IRC Drop Bag Raffle
This amazing Handmade Idiots Running Club Drop Bag will be raffled for the Relay for Life. This is the same (minus the minor differences that come from custom made products) as the bag that was previously brought $1,000 in our online auction.
Raffle tickets are $11.27 each and can be purchased by making a direct donation to the Relay for Life via this link ----> http://bit.ly/PrizeEyeing
Tickets will be sold until 10 pm on June 10th and a winner will be chosen via a random number generator at that time. The drawing will be streamed live but nobody will watch so I will contact the winner that night.
After you make your donation I will send you your raffle ticket #. It may not be an immediate reply so please be patient.
Thanks to Springfield, MO firefighter and Idiot, Jim Lane, for his extraordinary craftsmanship, generosity and dedication in the fight against the evil that is cancer.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
ElliptiGo Arc Relay for Life Raffle
****0 TICKETS REMANING**** updated at 10:50 CST 5/29/2016
Congrats to Norman Eubank from Pontiac, MO on winning the first ElliptiGo Arc Raffle. Stay tuned for another opportunity.
You know you NEED one of these.
Raffle tickets are $16.58 each with a limited quantity of 181 available. Retail value is $1299.
Why the weird numbers? Because.
All proceeds above my costs will benefit the ACS via the Idiots Running Club Relay for Life Team.
After you complete your purchase I will send you the potentially winning number. On June 10th (or before if the 181st ticket is sold prior to the 10th) a winner will be selected using a random number generator app and will be streamed live for all to witness. That's as fair as it gets.
Delivery will be approximately 10 days after a winner is chosen. Free Shipping included in the continental U.S. Only.
Use the paypal button to purchase ALL the tickets. Good luck.
Congrats to Norman Eubank from Pontiac, MO on winning the first ElliptiGo Arc Raffle. Stay tuned for another opportunity.
You know you NEED one of these.
Raffle tickets are $16.58 each with a limited quantity of 181 available. Retail value is $1299.
Why the weird numbers? Because.
All proceeds above my costs will benefit the ACS via the Idiots Running Club Relay for Life Team.
After you complete your purchase I will send you the potentially winning number. On June 10th (or before if the 181st ticket is sold prior to the 10th) a winner will be selected using a random number generator app and will be streamed live for all to witness. That's as fair as it gets.
Delivery will be approximately 10 days after a winner is chosen. Free Shipping included in the continental U.S. Only.
Use the paypal button to purchase ALL the tickets. Good luck.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Just Say No
We don't know what the future holds but the one thing we can count on with absolute certainty is that we are in the driver’s seat and have the ability to choose how fast we get there and the direction we drive.
Many times in life we find ourselves involved in things we really don't want to do. For runners it happens all the time. Why? Because, while running is a personal journey, it is also a very socially active community. You can show up to a race as a stranger and leave with many new friends. This is a very cool aspect of our dumb hobby but it can also cause us to do silly things. Like sign up for an event because everybody else is or it feels like people expect you to join them. Here's some solid advice- If it's not your idea, really and truly your idea, then don't do it. Don't rush the process. Just say no. Here's why….
The best part of accomplishing any goal is the journey to get there, the hours of hard work you put in and the feeling of knowing that every ounce of sweat is bringing you closer to the dream. If that is compromised then every step will follow and when the big day comes, regardless of how others view the results, you will be unhappy knowing that you could have done more along the way. Putting something on hold until you can dedicate yourself fully to the mission is much different than abandoning any notion of chasing the dream.
I had a very vivid moment of clarity during my DNF at Leadville a couple of years ago. It was something I already knew but had never really understood or tested. If YOU don't want something, if you are doing it for anybody other than yourself, for any reason other than the simple fact that YOU want to do it, if you don't feel the fire to train then YOU don't really want it and should take a hard look at why you are there in the first place. Running isn't always a selfish sport, helping others is top of the list awesome, but the decision to chase YOUR goals is, and must be, a selfish decision.
I have run many races and raised money for charities, specifically the ACS, simply because I thought it was expected of me. Note the word ‘thought’ in that statement. In reality, nothing was expected of me from anyone other than myself in some self absorbed and warped egotistical world. I can go back on my blog entries and read between the words of many race reports and tell you exactly which ones were driven by this nonsense and my mindset wasn't right for the day. I don't regret any of it, because money and awareness was always raised and that is very important to me, but there have been many life lessons learned through those experiences.
Take your time, get your head right and decide what it is you want to accomplish before jumping in with both feet. Once you KNOW what it is everything else will fall into place. It doesn't have to be a half marathon, full, 50k, 100 miler or something that will impress anybody else. Just has to be something that impresses you and makes you proud of yourself. Going from "talk" to actually doing something is an internal and very personal decision that starts and ends with you.
It's fun to dream about running the Barkleys or Badwater but timing is everything. Right now if either of those opportunities presented themselves I would choose not to take them. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't pursue them later or I couldn't get it done. Just means that right now I am at a point in my life where I am not ready to commit and truly focus on what is required to do it right. In fact, just last year I had to pass on an amazing opportunity to join a team for an adventure race of epic proportions. It was a truly tough decision but I knew that I wouldn't be able to give everything needed to truly help the team. I could have been selfish and went anyway but that wouldn't have been fair to anybody - especially myself.
The future holds many opportunities. Nothing has to happen today, tomorrow or even this year. Once in a great while something comes along that is truly a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity but those are incredibly rare. Most things can wait until the time is right for you. Run your race on your terms.
Many times in life we find ourselves involved in things we really don't want to do. For runners it happens all the time. Why? Because, while running is a personal journey, it is also a very socially active community. You can show up to a race as a stranger and leave with many new friends. This is a very cool aspect of our dumb hobby but it can also cause us to do silly things. Like sign up for an event because everybody else is or it feels like people expect you to join them. Here's some solid advice- If it's not your idea, really and truly your idea, then don't do it. Don't rush the process. Just say no. Here's why….
The best part of accomplishing any goal is the journey to get there, the hours of hard work you put in and the feeling of knowing that every ounce of sweat is bringing you closer to the dream. If that is compromised then every step will follow and when the big day comes, regardless of how others view the results, you will be unhappy knowing that you could have done more along the way. Putting something on hold until you can dedicate yourself fully to the mission is much different than abandoning any notion of chasing the dream.
I had a very vivid moment of clarity during my DNF at Leadville a couple of years ago. It was something I already knew but had never really understood or tested. If YOU don't want something, if you are doing it for anybody other than yourself, for any reason other than the simple fact that YOU want to do it, if you don't feel the fire to train then YOU don't really want it and should take a hard look at why you are there in the first place. Running isn't always a selfish sport, helping others is top of the list awesome, but the decision to chase YOUR goals is, and must be, a selfish decision.
I have run many races and raised money for charities, specifically the ACS, simply because I thought it was expected of me. Note the word ‘thought’ in that statement. In reality, nothing was expected of me from anyone other than myself in some self absorbed and warped egotistical world. I can go back on my blog entries and read between the words of many race reports and tell you exactly which ones were driven by this nonsense and my mindset wasn't right for the day. I don't regret any of it, because money and awareness was always raised and that is very important to me, but there have been many life lessons learned through those experiences.
Take your time, get your head right and decide what it is you want to accomplish before jumping in with both feet. Once you KNOW what it is everything else will fall into place. It doesn't have to be a half marathon, full, 50k, 100 miler or something that will impress anybody else. Just has to be something that impresses you and makes you proud of yourself. Going from "talk" to actually doing something is an internal and very personal decision that starts and ends with you.
It's fun to dream about running the Barkleys or Badwater but timing is everything. Right now if either of those opportunities presented themselves I would choose not to take them. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't pursue them later or I couldn't get it done. Just means that right now I am at a point in my life where I am not ready to commit and truly focus on what is required to do it right. In fact, just last year I had to pass on an amazing opportunity to join a team for an adventure race of epic proportions. It was a truly tough decision but I knew that I wouldn't be able to give everything needed to truly help the team. I could have been selfish and went anyway but that wouldn't have been fair to anybody - especially myself.
The future holds many opportunities. Nothing has to happen today, tomorrow or even this year. Once in a great while something comes along that is truly a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity but those are incredibly rare. Most things can wait until the time is right for you. Run your race on your terms.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Inspired
It's been a while since I last wrote about running, racing or life in general. The reasons are many but it basically comes down to an all around lack of motivation to share my meaningless thoughts. My definition of motivation is simply the desire to gain reward or accomplish a goal. Any steps required to reach the reward or goal are just the means to make it happen. The motivation for writing, for me, has always been to release some inner thoughts, views or to process something that is personal to me. Whether or not anybody actually read any of it was inconsequential and unimportant. So let that be a warning before you proceed. The nonsense written here today is basically a therapy session for me.
Often times, as adults, we struggle between real life, grown up things and holding on to our youth. As a runner, it is sometimes difficult to balance life, work, kids, bills, health and our hobbies. Over the past year or two I have found it increasingly difficult to find time for myself to continue chasing PR’s or collecting more 100 mile buckles. This is not a complaint- I have a very good life. I've been married to a wonderful and beautiful woman for 18 years, have 3 kids that I love more than anything in this world, hold a decent job, own a home in a wonderful community and am able to enjoy great moments with those who are most important to me. I am lucky and happy in those regards.
As with all things in life, there are areas that could be better. I love to run. I love to run long. I love running down a challenge and testing myself against the trail. Lately I haven't made enough time for those things. The list of reasons seem long but as I scan through them I see they are merely excuses. I coach one football team or another year round. I go to every basketball game that my boys play. I help coach little league baseball. I have a daughter that is one year old. I work a lot of hours in my “real job” and spend many hours each day going over data, workout logs and messages from the runners that I coach. I spend way too much time building and finding ways to make the Idiots Running Club a better environment and worthwhile community for runners of all abilities and backgrounds.
Each one of these things really have no bearing on why I am not training like I should. So… It brings me back around to motivation. In order to run 100 miles, or any distance, well it takes the motivation to accomplish the goal. Without the motivation to seriously challenge myself I am left with an attitude of nonchalance towards getting in the daily miles. I don't run for fitness. I don't preach a healthy, active lifestyle to those I meet. That stuff is just a byproduct of going the distance. I run to challenge myself, to feel good about myself, to push myself to a higher standard of me and to cash in on accomplishments that mean nothing to everybody else but give me a sense of inner pride.
Often times, we find ourselves in situations that seem to have no impact on us at the time but are later revealed as a turning point or ah-ha moment. I recently had one of those encounters and the fire to push myself to a new level has never been brighter. The character and motivation witnessed at the 2016 Rocky Raccoon 100 miler over the past weekend has served as a great reminder of personal goals that I have yet to achieve.
Over the period of 24 hours I witnessed a display of super human strength and endurance from normal people. People with a real life, jobs, kids, bills, families and all the extra stuff that accompanies. What I did not witness was any excuses to fail or quit. They came into the day prepared for the long journey ahead and the motivated ability to make it happen. Nobody said they didn't train because they were too busy, nobody complained about the bad weather during the training cycle and nobody thought they would not finish.
I don't advertise or discuss the fact that I coach ultra runners much in public or on social media despite having a decent audience to pimp this stuff. Not because I don't enjoy it or am somehow embarrassed by it but because I don't see a need. Coaching is very rewarding and enjoyable to me but it's not something that is for everybody. Most runners start out reading books, magazines or blogs and, in my opinion, need to figure out the basics that work for them before finding a coach. I am not certified, don't claim to be and don't have any plans at this time to hang anything on my wall. I don't say this as a slight against anybody that has any certifications, just making it clear that I don't as I know there are many for whom that is important. The athletes I coach all know this and are very much okay hiring me based on my running history and are okay with this fact.
I do coach Derek. He is a good friend and we worked together for his first 100 miler back in 2014 and he did very well. For Rocky Raccoon he wanted to do better and we put a plan together with the goal of finishing around 18 hours. He worked hard, didn't skip any workouts and never complained. Watching, crewing and eventually pacing him for the final 20 miles is a highlight in my running life. His splits were near perfect for where I had hoped and his resolve to hit the goal never wavered. At the end of a grueling day he crossed the line in 17:44:44, 11th overall and 7th in the USATF 100 Mile National Trail Championships. I was beyond excited and happy for him. He did the work and made it happen. This was his “victory” and a great finish that really and very little to do with me but… It kicked up the fires for me.
I also coach Indika. She is an amazing person and solid runner. She has been beat up by this same course before and was looking for redemption. Her training cycle was excellent. The long runs were spot on and recovery was fast. Going in, we both had zero doubts about her finishing and collecting the coveted belt buckle. Her splits through the day were spot on and she remained strong passing through each aid station. As she ticked the miles down it was clear to me that her hard work was going to pay off in a big way. Of course, nothing is ever guaranteed on these things and she encountered some trouble deep into the race. The course is notorious for its root covered trails and Indika stepped on one wrong causing severe pain and swelling in her foot. She pushed through for another 20 miles before it became evident that this was not just a simple bruise and had to pull the plug. Obviously she was very disappointed but I remain extremely proud of her and the resolve she showed. The disappointment she feels is not shared by others, we feel sympathy and an understanding that an unfortunate misstep ended her day at mile 72.5. There are many things we can't control and the only way to deal with them is to continue looking forward. Calling this attempt a failure would be stupid. Failure is an internal thing that occurs when we quit. Indika does not know how to quit.
Jeff is a dick. Not really. He is great dude and good friend. I don't coach him. (Though there is an open ended offer if he ever chooses that path) Jeff is one of those ultra runners that has more talent than most but, for some reason, never really capitalizes on his ability. We talked about this before the race, during the race and after the race. The conversation evolved from me asking him why he didn't ever just go for broke and smash a sub 20 hour finish to me telling him to keep it steady and eventually ended with me screaming and congratulating him on a great 19:30 finish. He ran very smart and focused that day. He did everything right. Derek and I passed Jeff and his pacer, Justin, on a short out and back late in the race. Jeff was at mile 85 and told me he was shooting for a 19:30 finish. I loved seeing him looking so strong and hearing him declare, out loud, that he was taking a shot. It was about freaking time. His 19:30 finish beat my own course PR by 7 minutes and, despite our never ending friendly competition, I was ecstatic for him. It also kicked the fires a little brighter.
Crewing, pacing and just being around these three amazing people over the weekend was a blast. If you ever wonder if you could run a 100 miler then sign up and make it happen. If you want to know what a 100 miler is really all about then go crew some friends and the real story will be revealed. Character, perseverance, happiness, pain, mental strength and courage are all on display throughout the day and night.
Watching from the sidelines of a 100 is a lot like watching a Rocky movie for the first time. Or the twentieth time. You come out full of adrenaline and are ready to conquer the world. Being a small part of these three runners extraordinary weekend has me thinking that just maybe there are a few goals left to chase…..
Often times, as adults, we struggle between real life, grown up things and holding on to our youth. As a runner, it is sometimes difficult to balance life, work, kids, bills, health and our hobbies. Over the past year or two I have found it increasingly difficult to find time for myself to continue chasing PR’s or collecting more 100 mile buckles. This is not a complaint- I have a very good life. I've been married to a wonderful and beautiful woman for 18 years, have 3 kids that I love more than anything in this world, hold a decent job, own a home in a wonderful community and am able to enjoy great moments with those who are most important to me. I am lucky and happy in those regards.
As with all things in life, there are areas that could be better. I love to run. I love to run long. I love running down a challenge and testing myself against the trail. Lately I haven't made enough time for those things. The list of reasons seem long but as I scan through them I see they are merely excuses. I coach one football team or another year round. I go to every basketball game that my boys play. I help coach little league baseball. I have a daughter that is one year old. I work a lot of hours in my “real job” and spend many hours each day going over data, workout logs and messages from the runners that I coach. I spend way too much time building and finding ways to make the Idiots Running Club a better environment and worthwhile community for runners of all abilities and backgrounds.
Each one of these things really have no bearing on why I am not training like I should. So… It brings me back around to motivation. In order to run 100 miles, or any distance, well it takes the motivation to accomplish the goal. Without the motivation to seriously challenge myself I am left with an attitude of nonchalance towards getting in the daily miles. I don't run for fitness. I don't preach a healthy, active lifestyle to those I meet. That stuff is just a byproduct of going the distance. I run to challenge myself, to feel good about myself, to push myself to a higher standard of me and to cash in on accomplishments that mean nothing to everybody else but give me a sense of inner pride.
Often times, we find ourselves in situations that seem to have no impact on us at the time but are later revealed as a turning point or ah-ha moment. I recently had one of those encounters and the fire to push myself to a new level has never been brighter. The character and motivation witnessed at the 2016 Rocky Raccoon 100 miler over the past weekend has served as a great reminder of personal goals that I have yet to achieve.
Over the period of 24 hours I witnessed a display of super human strength and endurance from normal people. People with a real life, jobs, kids, bills, families and all the extra stuff that accompanies. What I did not witness was any excuses to fail or quit. They came into the day prepared for the long journey ahead and the motivated ability to make it happen. Nobody said they didn't train because they were too busy, nobody complained about the bad weather during the training cycle and nobody thought they would not finish.
I don't advertise or discuss the fact that I coach ultra runners much in public or on social media despite having a decent audience to pimp this stuff. Not because I don't enjoy it or am somehow embarrassed by it but because I don't see a need. Coaching is very rewarding and enjoyable to me but it's not something that is for everybody. Most runners start out reading books, magazines or blogs and, in my opinion, need to figure out the basics that work for them before finding a coach. I am not certified, don't claim to be and don't have any plans at this time to hang anything on my wall. I don't say this as a slight against anybody that has any certifications, just making it clear that I don't as I know there are many for whom that is important. The athletes I coach all know this and are very much okay hiring me based on my running history and are okay with this fact.
I do coach Derek. He is a good friend and we worked together for his first 100 miler back in 2014 and he did very well. For Rocky Raccoon he wanted to do better and we put a plan together with the goal of finishing around 18 hours. He worked hard, didn't skip any workouts and never complained. Watching, crewing and eventually pacing him for the final 20 miles is a highlight in my running life. His splits were near perfect for where I had hoped and his resolve to hit the goal never wavered. At the end of a grueling day he crossed the line in 17:44:44, 11th overall and 7th in the USATF 100 Mile National Trail Championships. I was beyond excited and happy for him. He did the work and made it happen. This was his “victory” and a great finish that really and very little to do with me but… It kicked up the fires for me.
I also coach Indika. She is an amazing person and solid runner. She has been beat up by this same course before and was looking for redemption. Her training cycle was excellent. The long runs were spot on and recovery was fast. Going in, we both had zero doubts about her finishing and collecting the coveted belt buckle. Her splits through the day were spot on and she remained strong passing through each aid station. As she ticked the miles down it was clear to me that her hard work was going to pay off in a big way. Of course, nothing is ever guaranteed on these things and she encountered some trouble deep into the race. The course is notorious for its root covered trails and Indika stepped on one wrong causing severe pain and swelling in her foot. She pushed through for another 20 miles before it became evident that this was not just a simple bruise and had to pull the plug. Obviously she was very disappointed but I remain extremely proud of her and the resolve she showed. The disappointment she feels is not shared by others, we feel sympathy and an understanding that an unfortunate misstep ended her day at mile 72.5. There are many things we can't control and the only way to deal with them is to continue looking forward. Calling this attempt a failure would be stupid. Failure is an internal thing that occurs when we quit. Indika does not know how to quit.
Jeff is a dick. Not really. He is great dude and good friend. I don't coach him. (Though there is an open ended offer if he ever chooses that path) Jeff is one of those ultra runners that has more talent than most but, for some reason, never really capitalizes on his ability. We talked about this before the race, during the race and after the race. The conversation evolved from me asking him why he didn't ever just go for broke and smash a sub 20 hour finish to me telling him to keep it steady and eventually ended with me screaming and congratulating him on a great 19:30 finish. He ran very smart and focused that day. He did everything right. Derek and I passed Jeff and his pacer, Justin, on a short out and back late in the race. Jeff was at mile 85 and told me he was shooting for a 19:30 finish. I loved seeing him looking so strong and hearing him declare, out loud, that he was taking a shot. It was about freaking time. His 19:30 finish beat my own course PR by 7 minutes and, despite our never ending friendly competition, I was ecstatic for him. It also kicked the fires a little brighter.
Crewing, pacing and just being around these three amazing people over the weekend was a blast. If you ever wonder if you could run a 100 miler then sign up and make it happen. If you want to know what a 100 miler is really all about then go crew some friends and the real story will be revealed. Character, perseverance, happiness, pain, mental strength and courage are all on display throughout the day and night.
Watching from the sidelines of a 100 is a lot like watching a Rocky movie for the first time. Or the twentieth time. You come out full of adrenaline and are ready to conquer the world. Being a small part of these three runners extraordinary weekend has me thinking that just maybe there are a few goals left to chase…..
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