Cool Moon 24 Hour Run

The Plan:  Endorphin Dude drives from San Francisco to Oakland to pick up Ultra Woof.  We leave Oakland at 9pm and arrive in Sacramento by 11pm.  Sleep in a Motel 6 and head to race early in the morning.

Fail!

 
What Actually Happened: 11pm, the Mini Cooper is packed with ultra gear, we're plugging along on I-80, and then chug chug chug chug ka-plowy!  Yes, I realize that my onomatopoeia for the tire exploding may look cartoonish in writing, but believe me, the actual incident was pretty extreme. The rear passenger tire of the Mini exploded, and the impact was so intense it ripped off a chunk of the bumper, shattered the brake lights, and mangled up the side panel. Thankfully, we were near an exit and were able to safely make to a gas station in Vacaville.  Sadly, Ultra Woof and I were halfway to Sacramento, so this minor setback not only put a dent in my car, but also in our spirits!  

Fortunately, I had just renewed my AAA roadside assistance and was able to get the Mini towed back to San Francisco, some 60 miles away.  Chris Bliss, the chiweenie's doggie nanny, rescued us by coming out, loading all our stuff into her car, and driving Ultra Woof back to her place in Oakland while I had my car towed to the other side of the bay.  My running partner in crime then crossed the bridge to pick me up in San Francisco and we headed back to Sacramento.  We finally arrived at about 5am.  Oh, did I mention that we got pulled over because the Woof-mobile's brake lights weren't working? Boy oh boy.

In any case, we made to Sacramento in one piece and were able to squeeze in a two hour nap before our 24 hour ultra race.  The math just doesn't add up: 2 hour sleep before a 24 hour race.  Oh boy!  To top it off, the 9 mile loop was a treacherous course!  To complete the loop, we had to climb steep rocky hills, hop from stone to stone Frogger style to cross a creek, and run through snake infested and horse manure filled "Lovely Bones" fields.  For those unfamiliar with the Lovely Bones reference, this was a book and film about a 14 year old girl who was murdered in the fields very much like the one we had to walk through.  Ultra Woof was quite disturbed by this.  I don't blame her, because honestly, I was a bit perturbed by this too.  Even in broad daylight, a serial killer could very well be lurking in those fields, and if anyone fell prey to him or her, their screams would not be heard.  Imagine being out there at 2am under the pale moon light. Think I'm being over dramatic, just ask Ultra Woof and she'll tell you just how unnerving it was!  In any case, the Cool Moon 24 Hour Run course is by far the toughest course I've ever set my Mizuno-clad feet on.

The start.

Dennis Mori and Ernie Nunes.  These two are every race.  Notice the rocky terrain.  This was actually the flat portion.  There was one section where the rocky hills felt like they went for miles!

Ready for a game of Frogger?  Notice the giant chop sticks in my hands.  More on that later.

I wasn't lying about the snakes!

Ah yes, the lovely bones.

My goal for the weekend was to hit 50k, the bare minimum number of mileage for Marathon Maniac qualification.  Ultra Woof wanted to hit 100.  The problem was that this course was pretty intense during the day, one can only imagine what it would be like at night.  I told my running partner in crime that I would do my best to pace her through the night.  In theory, this sounded like the perfect plan, but in practice, it was very difficult.  It took roughly four hours to complete each of the 9 mile loop, and as the day went on, it lingered longer and longer. 

The good news is that Endorphin Dude discovered the chop sticks, thanks to Ultra Woof and Dianasaur!  These two have been using sticks for some time and Woofie introduced me to them this weekend.  Endorphin Dude caught on to the stick quite quick!  This marathon caped crusader flew with those chop sticks, pulling in an 11 minute pace after mile 28 up rocky terrain at 2am! It was a very liberating feeling.  The sticks helped me make it through the night, which I desperately needed.  Night time at Cool proved to be quite interesting.

You can call me Stick Boy.

This way?

Endorphin Dude and Ultra Woof with Ultra Royalty Ed "Mad Hatter Fancy Pants" Ettinghausen.

This lake started out as puddle at the beginning of the day.

Ugh.

And delirium kicks in...

That final loop took us over 6 hours to complete.  Crazy things happened.  I'll be writing a book about this race one of these days, and in it I will give all the gory details.  For the purpose of brevity in this blog, I will only bullet point these strange happenings:

• I swear, we didn't smoke any shrooms, but dude, the flora kept growing and growing!  What started as a flower turned into a tree by 4am!  I know it wasn't delirium because we witnessed this phenomenon throughout the day.  Very Alice in Wonderland.
• The sticks pumped up my upper body, and by midnight I felt like the Incredible Pussy Cat Hulk.  I MEOWED at the moon!  This clearly is an inside joke, and I bet most of you are confused by this.  Just go with it.  I'll explain in detail in the forthcoming book.
• Mad Hatter Fancy Pants, Mr. Badwater 135 Marathons In One Year Guinness Book Record Holder, was completely dejected by midnight.  He plopped himself in a chair at the aid station and asked Ultra Woof and I if he could walk with us the final six miles of our fourth loop.  The guy looked beat, so we figured we would all be at the same pace.  WRONG!  That jester's walk pace is our running pace!  We had to politely and diplomatically ask him to keep moving ahead!
• There was the invasion of the sticky burs which crept into Ultra Woofs skirt when she squatted during a bio break.  Perhaps this had something to do with the "presence" that she felt earlier.  The girl was spooked.
• There was the slip of the foot and Endorphin Dude went rolling down a hill.
• There were noises in the night. Were there wild bores roaming the trails of the Sierra Nevada?  Or was it really just bull frogs?

Together, we toiled to get done with those 6 miles done.  Ultra Woof and I finished that fourth loop at about 5am.  When we crossed that finish line, I said, "NO MORE!"  We had been out there for 21 hours and my body just couldn't handle it any more.  Ultra Woof was ok with that.  She did not get her 100 miles, but she did manage to squeak out 37.  There's certainly no shame in that.  The two of us devoured all the food we saw in sight, packed up the Woof mobile, and headed back to the Motel 6 for a nap before heading back home.

Titanium score board: 20 down, 32 to go!

I thought the Cool Moon 24 Hour Run would be a breeze, but boy was I wrong.  Both Ultra Woof and I had to work our Camelbacks off to get to that finish line.  I'm glad I got my 36 miles in, because it's 5 more miles than what I came in to do!  Most importantly, I am injury free and healthy, and I'm back on track to hit Titanium.  The rest of the year will be very challenging, but I'm ready to take the bull by its horns! 

Dolphin South End 6 Hour Run

My running club put on a 6 hour race one day after the Dirty Dozen 12 Hour Endurance Run.  I knew there was no possible way I could pull off a 50k in six hours, so pushed myself to run the half marathon distance.  Any other day, this would have been possible, but my legs just couldn't bear it after being attacked by killer acorns and murderous twigs at the Dirty Dozen!  I was only able to squeeze out 10 miles.

Feeling a lot lighter!  I lost 20 pounds!

Now this is team work!

There's Mae!

Me and one of my favorite Marathon Maniacs, Martha!

Here I am with the DSE President!

Congrats to Chris Bliss for pulling out two back to back half marathons!  Congrats to Ultra Woof for pulling out the triple: DSE 6 Hour, DSE 5k, and the Dirty Dozen 34 miler!

I am totally ok with my 10 miles. Even if I hadn't run the 12 hour race the day before, I would have been perfectly fine with not hitting the half marathon mark.  The reason why is because this was a DSE event.  I love my running club.  It's always like a family reunion. I summed up my feelings about this club in my Dolby South End Awards Ceremony & Gala race report.  Here is the repost:

I woke up at 7am every Sunday I wasn't running a marathon or half last year so that I could hang out with these folks.  These people have made my life better in so many ways. When I received my first DSE ribbon, I gushed like a little kid who just won an award.  I absolutely loved that ribbon, and I proudly displayed it on my wall! Until the 2009 San Jose Rock & Roll Half Marathon, my first 13.1 miler, I had never won any award for any sporting event. I was that fat kid who always got picked last in PE, so any award I received for running, big or small, is cherished.  Since that first race with this cool running club, I have collected many more ribbons as well as 38 half marathon and 26 full marathon medals.  I have come a long way with my running, and I owe a lot of it to the folks at DSE.  There is definitely a sense of community here.  The support I receive from them helps me to improve.  I know that I am always in the back of the pack, but I work hard to finish, and it's so nice to have cheerleaders on the sidelines encouraging me when I cross that finish line at every race.  I am very lucky to be a part of this awesome club.

Woo Hoo!

Dirty Dozen And Half Dozen Endurance Run

Fly Endorphin Dude, Fly!

The Dirty Dozen And Half Dozen Endurance Run marked Endorphin Dude's 26th life time marathon, and coincidentally enough, the marathon caped crusader's bib number was 26! This was definitely a good sign.  Karma was on my side this time around.  For the first time in weeks, I felt healthy!  Acupuncture has done wonders for my nagging injuries, and I seriously feel like a born again runner.  Different things work for different people, and I am ecstatic to have found the treatment that works for me.  Being on the injured reserve list is no fun, and I am so happy to be back on the marathon circuit!

I chose to run a local twelve hour race as my comeback 50k.  To get Marathon Maniac credit, any 12 or 24 hour race is considered an ultra, so the minimum mileage needed is 31.  I can comfortably walk a 50k in about 10 hours, so I had no concern about finishing. The course is a 3.1 mile loop with approximately 98% dirt fire trails. Total elevation gain on the loop is about 150 feet. An additional .7 mile loop was available to run for the last hour of each timed event, starting at hour 5 for the 6-hour runners and hour 11 for the 12-hour runners.  My plan to finish in 10 hours got thwarted by headaches caused by the sun and killer acorns and murderous twigs.

Fortunately, Tylenol alleviated my mini migraines, but sadly, there was nothing I could have done about the acorns and twigs.  I swear, with every step that I took, these forest props would ricochet off my Mizunos and hit my eye, leg, arm, and throat!  I got pegged so many times that at times I felt like Tessie Hutchinson, the reluctant winner of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery."  It's not often that Endorphin Dude will make a literary reference, but this is one of the marathon caped crusader's all time favorite short stories.  Others include William Faulkner's "A Rose For Emily," and Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell Tale Heart." And just for the record, my all time favorite novel is Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights" and I totally dig William Shakespeare's "Macbeth."  Really.  Bet you didn't know that about Endorphin Dude!  In any case, these little oak nuts and rogue branches made life somewhat difficult, but I made it through the day with minimal cuts and scrapes.

I wasn't kidding about those acorns!

I believe this was at mile 1.5.  We all still look so fresh.

I can play the evil paparazzi game too!  By the way, Not That Lucas (the guy in the photo) qualified for Marathon Maniacs with this race.  He looks more like he's going to beat up the paparazzi than running!

There's Cora and Christine. Sounds kinda like a band: Cora & Christine.

According to Not That Lucas, this person is known as "Weird Haired Mom."  I think she looks more like Pink.  I kinda want to break out into song and dance right now. I'm comin' up so you better get this party started!

Fellow Marathon Maniac Valerie Hower running. She must have passed me a dozen times.

"Uncle Mike." This guy ran 69.3 miles. Wow.

Action Shot!

When I hit the half way mark, I had to take a break.  My head pounded so hard that I needed to sit down to fuel myself with a hot dog and a Tylenol.  The good thing was that I felt much better after doing this.  The not so good thing is that I sat there for over 45 minutes, which really cut into my goal of completing the 50k in 12 hours.  Thankfully, I had Ultra Woof around to pace me.  Furthermore, my sciatic nerve wasn't acting up!  However, I knew I couldn't goof off at the aid stations for the remainder of the day, so I hustled.  I limited the aid station pit stops to the bare minimum.  I dodged all the evil acorns and killer twigs.  My diligence paid off, as I finished my 50k with 13 minutes to spare.  Woo Hoo!

Yay!

Yeah, we're a good looking bunch, what can I say.

Not That Lucas, Weird Haired Mom, and Endorphin Dude. Sounds like the Justice League of America!

Titanium Score Board: 19 Down, 33 To Go.

Strawberry Hill 5k

Woo Hoo! 5k finishes for Endorphin Dude and The Epinephrine Pup!

I'm smiling ear to ear in this photo for a few reasons.  The most obvious is because I'm holding my dog.  I'm always smiling when I'm with that little mutt.  You can probably figure out that the second reason is because I have just completed another race. The ribbons kinda gives it away, don't you think?  Notice that I said ribbons, as in plural.  I got one and the chiweenie got one too!  Yup, Endorphin Dude and The Epinephrine Pup both finished 5ks.  Woo Hoo!

There's more.  I did say in my opening paragraph that there are a few reasons for the smile, and that last one may not seem so obvious.  You may recall from my Seattle Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon race report that I couldn't finish the full marathon and detoured to the half.  I had some pesky kidney stones that wrecked havoc in my body.  Well, there is actually more to that story.  Though I did finish 13.1 miles, I cut my trip short and went home, opting to skip out on the Firecracker Triple in Portland the following week.  It was a very tough decision, but in the end, I had to think of my health, both physical and mental.  I'm not going to lie, I was completely dejected.

I headed home on Tuesday so that I could reboot.  I went back to the basics and took Chewbacca for a long walk.  I had lost my mojo and I desperately needed to get it back, and I knew the chiweenie would be able to help me find it.  Sure enough, that little six pound mutt lead me to my healer.  Up to this point, I had tried physical therapy, chiropractics, drugs, and cortisone shots for my sciatica, but nothing worked.  I had my reservations about acupuncture, but I just figured I had nothing to lose.  I gave it a shot and it did wonders for me.  I went in for another session the next day and felt even better.  All of a sudden, my confidence returned and on race day, I boldly ran!  For the first time in weeks, I felt awesome running.  I couldn't believe it!  When I crossed that finish line, I let out a roar as if I had just finished a full marathon.  It was only a 5k, but I ran it pain free.  I knew then that acupuncture was it.  Who would have thought that me turning into a voodoo doll would cure all my sciatic issues?  I am now a believer, and this explains why in the photo above I am smiling ear to ear.

On another note, I ended up passing those kidney stones...ON MY BIRTHDAY.  Now there's another reason to smile!  Well, passing the kidney stones and being pain free, that is, not it happening on my birthday.

DAMN YOU KIDNEY STONES!!!

Seattle Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon

What to do, what to do...

And the moment of truth...two roads diverged on the marathon course. Did Endorphin Dude take the left or the right? Drum roll please...the answer is...drum roll please...13.1. This marathon caped crusader gave his best, but after being hit with kidney stones the day before, he just couldn't muster up the energy to complete the full marathon. E-Dude veered off and completed the half.

I don't like downgrading.  If I'm registered for a full marathon, I want to run that full marathon!  However, it just wasn't in the cards for me this time around.  I showed up on race day with every intent of running 26.2 miles, but by mile three, I came to the realization that that was a fantasy.  Exhaustion kicked in quickly and my lungs felt deflated.  All this because of a kidney stone bulldozing its way through my insides.  

It all started right before I boarded my flight to Seattle.  I saw the first two signs of kidney stones and I immediately knew that my weekend was doomed.  On the plane, I drank as much water as I possibly could in order to flush that little sucker out.  I began to feel sharp pains and when the plane landed, nausea kicked in.  I'm not going to get into the gory details, but let's just say that for the next 12 hours, my sister, nephew, and niece had to endure the unpleasant sight and sounds of a very sick Endorphin Dude in pain!  Thankfully, I packed some prescription pain killers which alleviated some of the pain.  All night long, I drank gallons and gallons of water hoping to pass that stone.  No luck.  Fortunately, by mid morning, the stone must have moved to a different part of my body because I didn't feel that sharp pain anymore.  However, by then, all my energy was completely zapped, and making it to the expo proved to be a huge challenge.  Nonetheless, I put on my game face and showed no sign of agony!  Seeing all my running friends at the expo and then later at the carbo load dinner definitely helped get me into the spirit of the marathon.

It's Endorphin Dude and Scott Jurek!

Finally, I get to meet the running Calley family!

Who the heck is this guy anyway? I see him everywhere.

Me and the boys.

Endorphin Dude and the funniest chick in Seattle.

Aside from the disappointment of me not being able to count this marathon toward my Titanium quest, I was really bummed that I couldn't give 100% at the race where my nephew Michael and niece Teresa were makng their half marathon debuts.  It would have been nice to have been able to cross the finish line at roughly the same time, but I struggled and ultimately completed the 13.1 miles in about 4 hours and 15 minutes.  I just couldn't bear the thought of the DNF in Seattle, especially with my family there.  I'm bummed that I wasn't able to get the 26.2 miles in, but at least I did finish the half marathon and still stayed on track for the Rock Idol medal.  The road to that finish line was tough, but what got me there was my drive and the many familiar faces out there who knew I was in pain and cheered me on.

There's my awesome niece Teresa.  She passed up Uncle Endorphin Dude at mile 6!

Gotta get that group shot in.

This guy saved me. Dr. Soriano was my psychiatrist at my mile 11 his mile 14. A colossal melt down nearly derailed me but he got me back on track.  Thanks Louie!

Gotta get the shot with the cheerleaders!

And toenails are for sissies, too!

Finish line group shot with some Marathon Maniacs. Only two of them are in Maniac gear!

Malain and Natalie of The Competitor Group at the finish line.  I love these girls.

You gotta love this shot.  I do.

And here I am with Steven Yee, Mr. Marathon Maniac President!

I am proud to say that I completed my 39th life time half marathon.  Do you know what makes me even prouder?  Michael and Teresa.  These two are running superstars.  Teresa finished in a little over two and half hours and speedy Michael got the job done in 2:09!  Now here's the kicker: later that night Michael said to me, "I want to become a Half Fanatic."  SCORE!!!!  I pulled up the Half Fanatics race calendar and together we found races that would qualify him.  Teresa then said, "Hey, I want to become a Half Fanatic too!"  First my sister Diane, and now the my nephew and niece.  Woo Hoo!

Congratulations Michael & Teresa!

Fort Point 10K

I had really wanted to run this morning's 10k Fort Point with my running club, but when I woke up, I just wasn't feeling it.  So instead I volunteered and helped out at the registration table.  When I arrived, the race director handed me this:

WHOA!  Endorphin Dude made it into the sports section of the San Francisco Examiner, and right next to LeBron James!  A few weeks back, your marathon caped crusader was interviewed by David Liepman of The Examiner, but I wasn't really expecting this to go to print until the San Francisco Marathon at the end of July.  Therefore, this was a very exciting surprise to see this!  "Endorphin Dude born after a wake-up call."  I love it.

On another note, I gotta say that I love my running club.  I know I've said this before and I will continue to say it again and again.  Dolphin South End breathed new life into me.  Without DSE, I'd be sleeping in every Sunday unitl the late afternoon, vegetate the rest of the day away, and watch my health decline.  If I am injured or just simply can't run, you can be sure that I'll be out there supporting my fellow DSE runners.  I can proudly say that this club changed my life for the better, and I am very happy to be a part of this family.

San Diego Rock 'N' Roll Marathon

Endorphin Dude has a theme song!  How random is this?  There I was at mile 17 and there sat on a lawn chair this spunky ukelele strumming crooner.  He would come up with a very quick and creative impromptu anthem for every runner who ran by!  Of course, I had to stop to get a video clip of him.  This guy is truly amazing.  He came up with this song on the spot!

The other amazing thing about this theme song is that it almost didn't happen.  I'm not going to sugar coat this and I'm just going to be straight up blunt: I struggled in San Diego and I almost detoured off the full course and joined the halfers.  My sciatic nerve flared up at about mile 14, and I pretty much walked the second half with a bag of ice tucked in my compression pants.  Fatigue and exhaustion also played a huge role in my down fall in San Diego as well.  I have run many races over the past few years, so I have a lot of experience and pretty much know what to do to survive.  However, something happened to me in San Diego that has never ever happened on the course before: I fell asleep.  It's true!  Half way through the marathon, I felt so tired that I pulled over to a bench to stretch out my leg, and the next thing I knew, I fell asleep for six minutes, according to my Garmin!  I had never fallen asleep on the course ever before.  Fortunately, there was a liquor store near by, so I was able to quickly jump in and get a double expresso cappuccino canned drink.  The caffeine gave me that zing, but that pain in my back and leg kept me from running, and at the end of the day, it took me over eight and a half hours to cross that finish line.

BQ Baby!!! I led my 3:30 pace group to a 2:43 finish!!! Oh wait, does 3:30 mean I have to finish 26.2 miles in 3 hours and 30 minutes and not at 3:30pm? I finished at 2:43pm. The race started at 6:15am. Oh snap!

What kept me off that sag wagon was the fact that there were at least 100 people still behind me.  Team In Training also saved me, as I knew that the finish line would not close until the final TNT participant crossed.  There were a lot of people struggling behind me, so I knew I could drop my pace and still finish.  At about mile 22, I saw a 3:30 pace sign on the ground, and I had to pick it up.  It was one of the only things out there that kept me sane.  I felt like Tom Hanks in the film "The Castaway," because by mile 23, I was on this dreadful place called Fiesta Island and I had my version of his soccer ball "Wilson."  That sign kept me sane on that island because it garnered me a lot of laughs and looks of confusion.

The only other thing that kept me going was seeing all my Marathon Maniac friends along the course.  Sadly, though, when I got to the later miles, everyone had already finished, so I didn't get to see any people on Fiesta Island, which by now you've probably figured that it wasn't very festive!

There's Tyler Rich, the Teddy Bear Factory Doctor!

Me and Eli!  I hadn't seen this guy since Rock 'N' Roll Arizona.

Mad Dog!

Lyle Lyle Crocodile.

So Asian!

I always get a shot of energy when I see MG.  What class act.

This guy may look like a jester, but he's my hero.

Thank you Elizabeth Mckay and Mohan Dutt for waiting for me and running me in. It's so nice to see a familiar friendly face at the finish line.

At the end of the day, I got the job done.  This was an extremely difficult race for me.  It's amazing how defeated you can feel, but if you just keep telling yourself to never give it, the power of positive thinking will prevail.  I had to play mind games to get to that finish line, and I am extremely happy to have this hard earned medal hanging around my neck.  My life time marathon total is now up to 25.  Wow.

Titanium Score Board: 18 down, 34 to go!