Fall 10Ks

I love to race...all distances. And since I was a little burned out after the Oregon Trail Series, I planned to run some shorter distance races this fall.

NW Mountain Running Championship - 56:20 - This race was first up, about two weeks after McKenzie...it wasn't quite a 10K, but at 6 miles, it was close. The Pain Train talked me into running it...and I had to do it...there was prize money involved! Thinking we had a shot, we decided to form a team to go for the team prize money ($500), assuming that the normal X-Dog runners would show up. The Pain Train recruited Mark Robins and Mike Tyler...both fast and running very well. But when we got to Timberline we discovered that a little prize money attracts some serious runners...Max King, Eric and Kyle Skaggs, and Ian Torrence had made the trip and I found myself a little disheartened...I started thinking about the mid-pack prize money ($300)!

The race itself was brutal...see the video below...and for some reason I felt totally unprepared for the weather which was pretty bad...cold, foggy, rainy, windy...I didn't even bring gloves. We started off by heading down the paved road from Timberline Lodge and eventually turned and headed up the mountain underneath the ski lift. I'm not sure how long the uphill was, but it was very steep and seemed to go on forever. I can't say I'd call myself a "mountain runner"...I did a lot of walking up that mountain. At the top, we did a short traverse and then hit a crazy downhill...my legs felt like Jell-O and just staying on the trail was a challenge at times. By the time I hit the homestretch, the same road section we ran down at the start, I was dying...I wanted to walk up that hill so bad, but I knew there were a couple ladies not far behind me...have some pride!

Needless to say, the real mountain runners took home all the prize money...and it turns out I ran a few minutes too fast, so I missed the mid-pack prize money too! I do have to say, that's a race I would like to try again.

Fall Festival 10K - 38:50 - A week after mountain running, I was looking forward to seeing what I could do on flat ground. This race is an annual event in Corvallis, and I had run it once before in 2006. My pre-race preparation probably wasn't the best...I ran the course on Friday, ran a hard 12 miles in McDonald Forest on Saturday, and did not race well on Sunday. I should have run the 5K, because that's the point in the race I was wishing it was over. My first mile was about 5:45...whoa, I had never run a 10K at better than 6:05 per mile before. At this point I definitely slowed down, but in the next two miles I ran out of gas...a big group passed me...the group I should have been running with from the start. The second half of the race was not real fun...I had pretty much thrown in the towel...so much so that I didn't even beat my time from 2006...38:43. I was a little disappointed and planned to be smarter before the next 10K in two weeks.


Great Pumpkin 10K - 36:56 - I spent the weekend between the Fall Festival 10K and the Great Pumpkin 10K trying to find some new road and trail shoes. I still had a gift certificate from my birthday for Gallagher Fitness Resources, so I went up to Salem...they didn't really have any trail shoes I was interested in, so I decided to get a pair of road shoes. For road shoes, I have been stuck on the Nike Air Max 360 for some time now...only problem is they're pretty expensive and I was in the mood for something different. At the store, I noticed they had the relatively new LunarLite shoes that Nike had released this past summer...I had read about these shoes and was definitely interested. And if I hadn't read this post by Sean Meissner, I probably would have bought the trainer model...Sean gave a glowing review of the Lunaracer...that was good enough for me. I bought a pair of them. I needed road and trail shoes and only came home with racing shoes!

Needless to say, I was very excited to try out my new shoes...and my pre-race preparation was better in the sense that I came into this race fresh. At the start, I noticed that Penny McDermott was running this 10K too...she had run the Fall Festival 10K and was in the big group that passed me about 3 miles into the race...my plan was to not run ahead of her this time. This definitely helped me start off under control...the first mile was right around 6:00...and so were most of the other miles. I ended up keeping her in sight the whole way and finished in under 37:00! Based on my race at the 4th of July 10K this past summer, I figured I could run in the low 37:00 range eventually, so I was a little surprised that sub-37:00 seemed to come so quickly...could it be the shoes?

It's all about the shoes

Run Like Hell 10K - 36:09 - This race was not in my original plans, but I decided to try it for a couple reasons...I wanted to run with Kristin and Carlos again and FMR was the post-race entertainment! I was pretty satisfied with my performance at the Great Pumpkin 10K, so I didn't exactly take preparation for this race too seriously. I only ran a few times between the two races, so I was pretty fresh...a couple of those runs were on the McDonald Forest 15K course in preparation for that race. Since this race was in Portland, my plan was to stay with Kristin and Carlos on Saturday night...I made a few stops on my way up there. First, I went over to my parent's house to watch Game 6 of the ALCS with my dad...I had a couple burgers for dinner...not my normal pre-race dinner. Once the game was over, I stopped by my friend Josh's because he was having some friends over to watch a UFC fight...we ended up going out and I had a few beers...not my normal pre-race hydration strategy. I didn't get up to Portland until after midnight...and the race started at 7:30 AM!

I guess you could say I'm a big fan of 'running how you feel' because there was no way I went into this race thinking I would do that well...I felt so good through almost the entire race...I'd say it wasn't until about mile 5 that I started to feel a little uncomfortable...I was just cruising. After I finished, I was on such a high...I was walking around looking for anyone I knew to talk to...I ended up seeing a couple people. I talked to Mark Robins before and after the race...he ran the half marathon in under 1:21:00...and I talked to Darin Swanson...he was pacing a friend in the 5K. I also got to see Kristin and Carlos finish. After they finished we all went back to the car to get our warm clothes on...it was really cold. Then it was time for beer, buffalo wings, and FMR...but it was so cold that I didn't last too long, and unfortunately, by the time I got home, I was feeling very sick. I had planned to go back up to my parents to watch Game 7 of the ALCS that evening, but I could barely move off the couch. I did my best to make it through the game...but in the end, the Red Sox made me throw up...literally.

2008 Oregon Trail Series Recap

First of all, I'd like to say...I train with the champ! The Pain Train has really made a name for himself this year. Here's a quick recap of the 2008 Oregon Trail Series...

Hagg Lake 50K - 4:21:03 - Possibly the best trail conditions ever at Hagg Lake in February...this race is known for mud and there was very little of it this year. Thanks to Jasmine Nahorniak for the pictures.

Peterson Ridge Rumble 30K - 2:50:52 - I ran the 30K instead of the 60K since it was about one week before the Boston Marathon. I wanted to run it in just under 3:00:00 since that was my goal at Boston and that would keep me from going too fast, but my Garmin was DOA...dead battery just prior to the start of the race, so I had no watch at all! I ran about half the race with Carlos, Kristin, and Amy. Then I took off...definitely faster than I wanted to, but I had no watch...psychologically I wanted to make sure I broke 3:00:00. It was a really nice day...and fun hanging out after the 30K watching all the 60K runners finishing. I'd like to try running the 60K one of these days, but the Boston Marathon has priority for at least one more year.

Amy, Carlos, Kevin, and Kristin before the start of the 30K


Carlos crusing down the trail


The Pain Train running the 60K


Kristin and Amy coming into an aid station


Photo finish on the track


Hanging out after the race

McDonald Forest 50K - 4:46:37

Siskiyou Out Back 50K - I didn't run this race, but would certainly like to one of these days.

Mt. Hood PCT 50M - I didn't run this race, but my son Will and I went over to cheer the runners on. Our plan was to meet the Pain Train at Timberline, the half-way point, then follow him back down. He had a great race...a training run turns into a 6th place finish in 7:40:26...and Will and I had a lot of fun going from aid station to aid station to cheer all the runners on.

The Pain Train arriving at Timberline


Headed back up and then down to Timothy Lake


Dennis Gamroth arriving at Timberline


Will doing some trail running


Waiting for the Pain Train at the Frog Lake aid station


Will doing some more trail running


At the Little Crater Lake aid station


The Pain Train on the homestretch

Where's Waldo 100K - 14:52:49

McKenzie River 50K - 4:21:56

Next year is looking like more of the same for me...I'd like to run the 50 miler and Waldo before trying to tackle a 100 miler in 2010.

McKenzie River 50K

After Waldo, I was seriously considering a DNS for this race. Then I ran HTC, did really well, and decided to go for 4:15! What a difference a week makes. I came up with some splits based on one year of experience running this race...really there was no basis for them. I didn't really stick to them...definitely ran too fast from aid station 1 to 2...and missed 4:15 by about 7 minutes...4:21:56.

5.7 miles, 47:54, 8:24 pace
5.5 miles, 41:05, 7:28 pace
5.5 miles, 46:10, 8:24 pace
5.1 miles, 45:06, 8:51 pace
3.3 miles, 29:08, 8:50 pace
5.9 miles, 52:33, 8:54 pace

I rode over to the race with the Pain Train, Dennis Gamroth, and Mike Tyler...needless to say, it was fun ride. Big props to Dennis for running a great race even though he was sick...4:49:57. Here's how my race went...

It really felt like I was running hard from the start to the first aid station...I had the debate going on in my head...am I going too fast? No Garmin to know for sure. There was a guy right behind me for most of the way up...I felt like I was letting him push me a little too hard. When I got to the first aid station, I wasn't sure if the split was right there or after the short out and back. I hit it after the out and back and was actually about a minute behind where I wanted to be!

So naturally I pushed a little harder on the next section. I saw the Pain Train on my way back down the trail and was pretty surprised he was so far back...I wasn't really sure what he had planned for this race since he already had the Trail Series wrapped up. A short time later I caught up to Will Kalenius because he had made a pit stop off the trail...when he got back out on the trail, just ahead of me, he really put the hammer down...or at least it felt to me like he did...I decided I would try and stick with him, but I knew I was going too fast. This was confirmed a mile or two later when up ahead I could see a group of Rogue Valley Runners! It's one thing to try and run with them...it's quite another to catch up to them...so at this point I slowed down and let Will go. Needless to say, I was several minutes ahead of my split time for this section. By the way, Will ran an awesome race...4:05:07...it was nice to get to talk to him a little after the race.

The next section was the technical section...lots of lava rock...this was definitely not factored into my splits. I made it through OK...no trips. After this section I was still a little ahead of the pace for 4:15.

Surprisingly, I had trouble on the next section. I was running along on a nice flat/soft section of trail and must have missed a root, as in, I didn't see it...I went flying...landed face down on the trail and when I hit, my water bottle went flying out of my hand and over the cliff, down into the river! It only took a split second for me to realize it was gone for good, so I just got back up and took off. Luckily, someone at the next aid station had a bottle I could use for the rest of the race...thank-you! When I got to this aid station, I was pretty sure 4:15 was out of the question.

The next short section went by pretty quick...but the whole time I was dreading the final long section to the finish. I was pretty much spent by this point and really just trying to hang on. A mile or two into the last section, Jeff Phillips went flying by me...literally...he was out of sight real fast. And a mile or two after that Mike Tyler caught up to me. I got the impression he was kind of hurting too...he didn't seem to want to pass me, so we ran the rest of the way together...I have to say, he really pushed me...I would not have been going that fast otherwise. So we finished, and before I can even catch my breath, here comes the Pain Train! I have to admit, I was a little surprised...he may not be real happy with the race he ran, but I was impressed. This guy has incredible patience...it really serves him well in these long distance races.

Below are a couple pictures of me from the race...thanks to Tom Riley for the pictures.

My lower legs, right below my calf muscles, were really hurting for days after the race. I hate to blame a pair of shoes, but I've had some trouble with the Montrail Streaks...I hadn't ever had this kind of problem with other trail shoes. I also don't think they have enough cushioning for me...I need to find some new shoes.

2008 Hood to Coast Relay

For the 4th year in a row, I ran the Hood to Coast Relay with Kult Kevorkian. This is one of those legacy teams that has been around for something like 20 years. Look for our team on the Hood to Coast documentary. So how did I get hooked up with them? Well, it just so happens that one of Tonya's friends from grad school, Leah Henriksen, has been on the team for a number of years. In 2005 they needed runners, so Tonya and I both ran...and in the years since then, Tonya has been nice enough to let me continue to run with the team now that we have kids.

This van probably has more HTC's under its belt than I do

I have really enjoyed running with this team...they're out to have fun...they're not overly competitive, but they are very particular about getting the numbers right and keeping track of the details...time, pace, etc. And I have to admit, it's been a big ego boost for me every year...I am known as the fast guy and the long-distance runner. Because of this I have been type cast as the guy who should run the longest legs every year. I don't mind...it's been interesting to look back over the years and see my improvement. Some of the legs have changed slightly over the years, but they're more or less the same.

2008 Kult Kevorkian T-shirts and theme: 'Cause Tramps Like Us, Baby We Were Born to Run'

One other important note about Kult Kevorkian...they are organized! This is a very good thing, but it means commitment to participate has to be made close to 10 months in advance...at the time last year, I knew HTC was the week after the Where's Waldo 100K, but I wasn't too worried...I thought if I had nothing left after Waldo it wouldn't be a big deal...like I said before, this HTC team is not super competitive. Well, I had a tough time at Waldo, so I was really curious how HTC would go...was I over tired and in need of a break...if HTC went poorly, there would be no question. I made sure to wear my Waldo shirt because I was sure I was the only one out there crazy enough to run HTC less than a week later...but I wasn't...I saw Gary Lear in his shirt and I also recently heard that Randy Benthin ran both. Surprisingly, HTC went very well...I ran it all out...I guess I had something left in the tank after all...below are my stats.

Leg 9 - According to the HTC handbook this leg is a gentle downhill run...there is no way...it is definitely a gentle uphill run. By the time I was getting ready to start (about 9:00PM), the conditions were perfect for a fast run, except for the darkness...footing was sometimes tricky...part of the Springwater Trail is gravel. When I started off, I had no idea how fast I was going. There was one guy up ahead of me that I wasn't catching very quickly...I ended up catching him within the first mile, but I could tell he was going a little too fast for me...I let him go, but shortly afterward he stopped to tie his shoe or something. He caught me again with a couple miles to go, I think...I tried to find him after I finished because I wanted to know what his 10K PR was! I was surprised with my pace considering I'd never run that fast in a 10K.
2005 - 7.30 miles, 50:30, 6:55 pace
2006 - 7.30 miles, 46:18, 6:21 pace
2007 - 6.89 miles, 44:28, 6:27 pace
2008 - 6.89 miles, 40:48, 5:55 pace

After our first set of legs, our van stopped at St. Helens High School to sleep for a few hours. I was really looking forward to getting some Burgerville burgers and a milkshake...but our team had started from Mt. Hood much later than we had in the past, so it was too late when we got to St. Helens...Burgerville was closed! I paid a couple bucks to sleep on the floor of the St. Helens High School gym.

Leg 21 - I've decided that this leg is much better at night...you can't see all the dust you're breathing (it's a gravel road). In years past, I've always run it in the dark...this year I ran a little after sunrise. After my first leg, I definitely wanted to run under 6:00 minute miles. I knew the leg had a pretty nice downhill, but early on, I was wondering where it was...finally I found it and cruised.
2005 - 5.00 miles, 34:09, 6:50 pace
2006 - 5.00 miles, 32:15, 6:27 pace
2007 - 5.00 miles, 31:08, 6:14 pace
2008 - 5.00 miles, 29:26, 5:53 pace

After Leg 21

After our second set of legs, our van stopped in a big field near the last van exchange to sleep...it was hot and noisy. Darin Swanson describes this well.

Leg 33 - This leg is long and rolling...I knew there was no way I was going to run sub 6:00 minute miles again, so I just went hard...I definitely faded toward the end...probably the last two miles. It was early afternoon, so it was warm...I was glad I took some water with me. And it's always good to be done...we made it to Seaside, found a place to park, and got to the finish in time to run across the finish line with the whole team. Then, as is tradition for our van, it was off to pizza...I was so hungry. As we sat down to eat we got to watch the finish of the Men's Olympic Marathon...cool, I had wanted to watch it.
2005 - 7.90 miles, 58:46, 7:26 pace
2006 - 7.10 miles, 50:32, 7:07 pace (Leg 32)
2007 - 7.72 miles, 51:49, 6:42 pace
2008 - 7.72 miles, 49:37, 6:25 pace

Thanks again to everyone in the Kult for another great year. And good news...Waldo and HTC do not fall on the same weekend next year! I'm in....

Where's Waldo 100K Details

Needless to say, this race did not go too well for me. The race starts at the Willamette Pass ski lodge and basically goes straight up the ski run...so it's a walking start...I remember feeling really anxious...I wanted to run. My Garmin stopped working a few weeks before the race...I had some aid station splits in mind, but I really had no idea how fast I was going until I got to the first aid station. I followed Kelly Woodke for a while...at one point I even tried to follow him into the woods for a pit stop, but he directed me back onto the trail...pretty embarrassing...sorry, Kelly. In my defense, it was still dark and I was just following the guy in front of me.

In hindsight, I was definitely going too fast, but I don't think that was my main problem. I got to the first aid station several minutes ahead of what I thought was a 12:00 pace...since I had plenty of time to spare, I stopped to use the Gold Lake Campground bathroom. Next up was the climb up Fuji Mountain...I definitely backed off a little here and felt pretty good up to the Fuji Mountain aid station. From there to the top seemed a little tougher...I had run this part of the course a week earlier with the Pain Train and Dennis...I definitely felt the altitude then, but I didn't really feel it as strongly during the race. Heading up to the top of Fuji, I was still a little concerned I was going too fast, but I saw plenty of people on their way down and felt better about where I was at. The view from the top was great.

Heading down Fuji Mountain to the Mt. Ray aid station, I could tell something was not quite right...the Pain Train caught me shortly after hitting the Fuji aid station for the second time. I stayed with him all the way down to Mt. Ray, but I didn't feel very good...I would describe the feeling as a lack of energy...it felt like I was running out of gas...a little early for that to happen. At Mt. Ray, the Pain Train made it out of the aid station just ahead of me and quickly disappeared from sight. Because of the way I was feeling, I got pretty down on myself and had a lot of trouble on this section...I knew it was going to be a very long day.

By the time I made it to the Twins aid station, I noticed it was getting hot. I literally stumbled into the aid station and Dennis and crew took care of me and gave me the race update. I headed off toward Charlton Lake and was a little discouraged that it took so long to finally get to that downhill section. Just before I made it to the Charlton Lake aid station I was surprised to catch up to Kurt Eisele...he wasn't doing too well either...he said he had walked the whole section from the Twins to Charlton Lake, which I think must have been where he dropped. I told him I had to start running again because my crew was waiting for me up ahead.

My Mom, Dad, and Will were waiting for me at the Charlton Lake aid station. Not only that, but the aid station was manned by the Corvallis trail running crew and families...so, as you can see from the picture above, I was pretty excited to make it here. My answer to how I was doing...I didn't feel terrible, just not very good.

Someone suggested I take a dip in the lake...it took a little time, but it felt really good. I took off for the Road 4290 aid station feeling a lot better than I did when I arrived. I don't know how long that feeling lasted, but it couldn't have been more than half way to Road 4290...this was a very hot section. I hit another wall and eventually Leif Rustvold and Robert Pool caught up to me. They encouraged me to try to run with them, but I was having a lot of trouble...I felt like I could run fairly normally for a little while, then this wave of complete exhaustion would come over me.

Eventually I made it to the aid station and my Mom, Dad, and Will were waiting for me there. The middle picture above does a good job of showing how I was feeling at this point. I never seriously considered quitting, but I was thinking, how long is it going to take me to go another 25 miles in this condition? It turns out that the answer was almost as much time as it took to go the first 37. I took some extra time at this aid station...sat in the shade, got sponged off...I knew the next section would be very long...and it was. This was another section of the course I had run before...it was nice to know where the spring was to fill up my bottles...I needed it. I finally made it back to the Twins...got another race update from Dennis, saw some carnage (several people dropped here)...it was really uplifting to hear the Pain Train was doing so well...sounded like he was going to hold on and win the Oregon Trail Series. That gave me a boost...I ran the next section pretty well, under the circumstances, until the trail started heading uphill to the Maiden Peak aid station.

I REALLY struggled going up Maiden Peak. That's all I have to say about that.

And once I made it to the top, I wasn't in a big hurry to head back down. Frank Schnekenburger caught me at the top...it was nice to see a familiar face, so I headed down behind him...and Ken Ward was right behind me, as you can see in the video above. Frank ran hard down to the last aid station and I tried to keep up...it took all I had. At the Maiden Lake aid station, he took off well before I was ready...he had a great finish. I saw some more carnage at this aid station...someone was being wheeled off on a stretcher. After leaving the aid station, I got to chat a little with Ken on this last stretch of trail...he's really a great guy...he seemed a little concerned about me. The Rosary Lakes were very nice...unfortunately, I didn't see any swimmers.

By the time I got back on the PCT, I was really wanting to be done. Thankfully, not too far down the trail, Kristin and Carlos appeared in front of me and paced me to the finish. I tried to run "hard" with them, but just couldn't keep it up all the way to the finish. They definitely helped get me there, though. If only they could have been with me for the last 25 miles!

I finished, got my hat, and laid down on a bench. The Pain Train got me some food and drink...thanks for that. It took awhile, but I eventually felt like eating and drinking again. Where's Waldo is one hell of a tough race...I guess that's why they say on the website, "It is not a beginner-level ultra and participation in the race should not be taken lightly." I feel like I had a healthy amount of respect for the race beforehand, but now I know I underestimated it to some degree. It's bothered me that I can't really pinpoint exactly what went wrong, but it only took a couple days off for me to start thinking about next year...I want another shot. I want to come back better prepared and run smarter.

While I was having my fun, Will was having a lot of fun waiting for me...he really wore my Mom and Dad out. After waiting for me at Charlton Lake and Road 4290, they went over to Waldo Lake, then back to the finish to wait for me again. Will had a lot of fun playing in the dirt and rocks...he even got himself a new girlfriend. Later in the day, the weather turned and we got some clouds and rain...and a rainbow too...from the picture, you can see Will was pretty amazed. Thanks, Mom, Dad, Kristin, and Carlos for all your help!

Where's Waldo 100K

Please excuse the language used in this video, but the chase scene plays out a lot like this race...me trying to keep up with the Pain Train.



Congratulations William Swint, eventual winner of the 2008 Oregon Trail Series, on a great race and a great season...sure there's one more race, but it will be your victory lap. I know how hard you worked this year...you earned it.

Old-Time 4th of July 10K

What better way to start off the 4th of July than with a race? This year I ran in the 25th annual Stayton 10K...it was my second year running the race. Last year, there were a number of factors that added up to make a tough race for me (I barely broke 40:00)...I was training for the PCT 50 miler, so I wasn't doing a lot of fast running (I remember my legs feeling "dead" during the race)...July 4th was in the middle of the week, so I was training right through the race...the course is pretty challenging (it's out-and-back with several significant hills)...and it was very hot. This year I was hoping for a better performance, but wasn't expecting great things because my recovery from the Newport Marathon had been pretty rough...most training runs were not feeling good, but things were starting to get better.

Another interesting subplot was that I had recently lost a bet and was given some clothes to wear for the race. Below are a couple pictures of me before the race...don't disrespect the half shirt...Will is looking like he doesn't even know me.

As the race began, I fell in behind the lead pack and watched the Pain Train lead us through the first mile...I remember thinking, he must be feeling good! I found myself right behind Mark Robins and thought I'd try and hang with him since he had just run a 38:04 10K a couple weeks ago. But just before we hit the first big hill heading into Sublimity, he stopped for water and I kept going. As I ran up the hill, I noticed I was getting closer to a couple guys ahead of me so I reeled them in...and at this point I was feeling good so I thought, let 'er fly. I caught one more guy on the way back and I also got a few interesting looks as I passed people heading the opposite direction...several smiles! As with most 10K races, I was able to "hang on" in the end and not get passed. I finished 5th in 37:43...a 10K PR on a tough course. Thanks to everyone for a great cheering section at the finish (see the video below)...and thanks to Bullseye and the Pain Train for not finding shorts for me to wear...don't think I would have been able to run that fast in cut-offs.

It was really nice to run a good race after all the tough training lately. Next up is the Where's Waldo 100K...not only is this race challenging with good training, but I'll have the added challenge of training with a new baby. Lately I've been doing lots of running with Will in the jogging stroller, the Pain Train has made many trips down to Corvallis to run with me, and the grandparents have been very supportive on the weekends helping Tonya with the kids while I try to get the long runs in...thanks everyone, especially you, Tonya, for the support!