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Half Marathon training run is what she told me

2010-02-03T18:34:00.013-05:00

Yup, for those who follow this blog know I don't do races to train ...and yes this is my first half marathon I ever did because Natalia had the wisdom to sign me up then put this event into my training calendar, under training run.

Well after some grumbling and waking up at 4am this past Sunday we headed down to Miami. I find myself amongst 11,000 plus runners ready to do my first half... This is a lot different from my 100 or so ultra running buddies at the starting line - lol

When the gun went off it took me 7 mins to get to the actual start line, then I start weaving in and out of runners and was soaked by mile 4 on a very humid morning . It was weird running with so many people, at mile 6 someone was lying on the ground bleeding after it looks like he took a hard spill and at mile 9 another runner was sitting on the side of the road yelling "water, I need water" I was like WTF is going on here?

At times I had people next to me breathing/gasping so hard I had to speed up to get away from them because of fear they would take all of my oxygen - lol also it was very annoying. Around mile 11 I heard this lady crying very hard behind me, I glanced back as she continued to run with a limp, her friends seemed supportive. All I was thinking was "Honey if your in that much pain walk it out for a bit, your in 4,000 plus place".

Geesh, it was a lot of drama for 13 miles huh, (well my Garmin said I ran 13.52 miles--extra half mile bonus for weaving I guess) hmmm I think this may be my first and last half marathon, not really my thing. I will stick to running with the sane/normal folks that do the 100 milers :-)

and Good news, the winner of the full marathon was Michael Wardian, an awesome ultra runner ...Congrats Michael!!

Steppin' Up and Forward,

Bob

action shot at the 10k marker :-)

lol checking my garmin... middle of pic-

Back in Stride!

Natalia closes strong at the finish and splits between two dudes.

Look at the persons face below on her left... Nat's checking out her time and said to him
"I win" -- hehe

(inside joke - when we run together we always sprint at the end and winner says "I win", anyways, it was funny she did it to these two guys who she never met - lmaoo )

He did eventually smile!

They are left with hands on head in defeat...

(click on pic to enlarge)

I am happy with my time and felt good the whole run.

Nat did great considering she just got back into her training 2 weeks ago for Boston in April. Her half PR is 1:40:12

Legs Feelin' Good!

2010-01-21T10:10:00.002-05:00

With less than 2 months to go when you minus out the taper to Umstead, I so feel a sense of urgency to get the miles in thus keeping me busy.

My legs are feeling good and I am very excited to get back to consistent trainings finally, seems like it's been a long time. Natalia has helped me put together my training calendar, peaking out at a 65 mile week. This will be the most I have done but ramping up smart (avg.48 ish) should make this easy to do and not trash or risk injury by logging to many miles at once.

The missing factor on race day has always been my feet, how trashed will they get??. I just have to make sure I address them EARLY and OFTEN.

My trashed feet after my first 100 mile finish... One ugly ass choo choo train!

In the past I didn't know how to FIX them on the spot, which I have now learned! Back then I was too lazy, miserable or tired (all of the above to stop) and just grinded the miles out till blood came through the shoes, not smart (sadface)

For some reason I didn't stop when a BLISTER was BIGGER than my Big TOE... (geesh) WTF Bob! Great video reminder of what NOT to do!

LAST 8 seconds of "My BIG TOE BLISTER" video with Dusty my pacer in the background, commentating -- Take 8 secs to enjoy my pain.

My toenail PR is 8 out of 10 toenails...LOL yupper some very sad feet in the past huh, this is one PR I hope never to get close to again. Full sad post here

ALL good lessons for future races right?! RIGHT!! Okay so this is a very selfish post, a reminder to me on what NOT to do for my next ultra event.

Here's to the next 100 miler, happy feet and toes for me, myself and I as WE cross the finish line :-)

Bob

Time to get my chittt together for 2010'

2010-01-14T09:40:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year fellow bloggers,

I hope you all had a good Holiday Season and are ready for 2010'. I was up North for most of December visiting family and friends on a whirlwind tour, it was a blast and flew bye but now it's time to get ready for the 2010' Ultra Running Season. I have 2 months ISH to train for my first 100 of the year (Umstead 100 on March 27th) plenty of time, right?! Yes, Right!!

Below are some pictures of the Holidays, AC Trip, and Snow Trail runs.

I wish you all a very Healthy, Happy and prosperous New Year and look forward to stopping by your blogs and catching up with you all.

Bob
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Getting back on da SLOWerr Road

2009-11-09T18:32:00.005-05:00

After two months of on and mostly OFF the road, I am back to running! The behind knee pain is still around but I have succumbed to the fact that it might just be like that for a while. I am not training for any 100 at this time I am just trying to maintain my fitness.

Past 4 days I averaged 5 - 6 miles per run at a 10 - 12 min pace. This is manageable and by running again it helps keep my sanity - lol and keeps my weight steady for the upcoming HOLIDAY Season. (Yes that was a pillow under the shirt from my Halloween pic but if I don't run and continue eating Mini- Wafers like the

Cookie Monster this could be a reality very, very soon - lol)

Hopefully the shorter slow runs (umm I think it's actually called Jogging-LOL) will still give my leg a chance to heal up some more so I can go on longer treks but for now I am HAPPY to be on the road and treadmill again.

I missed it!

Bob

DNS for JJ

2009-10-23T09:58:00.002-04:00

After running a 6 miler the other day (after 10 days resting and icing) my leg hurt the whole time. So it was time to unfortunately pull out of Javelina and not prevent further damage.

No doubt it's a huge bummer but will recover and run another race. Only thing I CAN do for now is Thank you all for your kind comments/support on prior post & emails :-)

Best wishes to my friends and all the other ultra crazies toeing the Javelina line!!

I can't run BUT I can ....

2009-10-17T10:40:00.003-04:00

Javelina 100 is fast approaching, less than 2 weeks away now. I been focusing more on what I CAN do and less on what I cannot.

Sad to say but Bottom line is I am under-trained going into this 100 miler. The Past 2 months have been awful as far as consistent running goes because of a pain along the back of my knee. Diagnoses is a strained Popliteus Muscle, which is a thin, triangular muscle in the back of the knee. Its action bends the knee and rotates the leg.

The Popliteus assists in flexing the leg upon the thigh; when the leg is flexed, it will rotate the tibia inward. It is especially called into action at the beginning of the act of bending the knee, in as much as it produces the slight inward rotation of the tibia, which is essential in the early stage of this movement.

Okay, so since I can't run I NEED to focus on things I CAN DO: or I will lose it and DNF mentally before I even get started.

So what CAN I DO?!?! -

I can work my CORE (sit up's and push up's)

I can eat healthy, keep my weight level somewhat even though I am not burning a lot doing cardio.

I can rest (smile)

I can ICE, massage and stretch the area several times a day.

I can Spin (well somewhat but that's been aggravating it a bit lately but not as much as running- helps me to get some cardio in though which is positive).

I can whine, bitch & complain to my friends, family and neighbors (oops delete this)

I can keep a Good Attitude ( smile )

I can power walk ( past few days added in some walking at a good pace and it's been fine )

I can crawl (haha)

I can make the 30 hour cutoff !!

and Yup, I can finish !!!!

I look forward to going back to this fun event this year...Jamil Coury the Race Director puts on a great race. Going to be a blast seeing all my ultra friends and to close out this long running year with a finish. I already warned my fast pacer (Dusty) who helped me finish my first 100 miler last year that this is going to a long day plus, so be patient and bring a lot of energy. I promised her I will bring a lot of laughs and my camera. She said "Let's get it done"

Steppin' Up & Forward,

Bob

North Face re-cap, photo's, videos (including Nat's ice bath - burrrrr)

2009-09-27T15:30:00.004-04:00

Natalia and I flew in to DC Thursday night and stayed at her friends place Roger...He was a great host and also let us borrow his car for a few days.

Thanks Roger. Friday we headed over to The North Face retail store at the mall to pick up our race packet and some nice swag. (NF water bottle, technical shirt, NF socks, Goretex bag) Meet up with a few runners and then off to Panera Bread for lunch and food/drop bag shopping.

Race morning weather was awesome low 60's, nice buzz in the air at the start area with music blasting... I caught up with fellow ultra running buddy, Derek Hills...Last time we saw each other was at Umstead as we both battle bad blisters. He was looking good and ready for the day.

The plan was to do one loop with Natalia then we go run our own race, in other words go ahead Natalia--lol she runs faster than me. Start time was 5 am so obviously we needed our headlamps...Not only was this Natalia's first 50 miler but also her first time running with a headlamp and because we are from FL...practically her first time on a trail for a decent amount of time. She was fired up and didn't seem nervous at all.

First section was a blast with all the runners bouncing lights in front and behind as we go up and down the rolling single trails. A few sections had some gnarly 2 to 3 foot short drops causing a few runners to bite the trail hard as they came up quickly and unexpectedly.

Natalia managed to get across them unscathed BUT (smile) during a flat rooty section Natalia said

" I am feeling pretty good, this is blast Bob "

(half second later - POOF she is on the ground- LOL ) ahhhh GOD does have a sense of humor huh :-) She managed to muddy up her shirt a bit and scrape her chin. She lied there in shock for a moment then we both LAUGHED out loud as she GOT UP we headed back on the dark morning trail ... ahhh Good times already :-) and it's early still.

The back of my knee was ok (wearing ace bandage and had heat cream applied before the start) but I was going out to fast and about mile 14 told Natalia to GOOOOOOO leave my slow ass behind - LOL and that biatch left me like the wind -- ( hahaha)

Whew, thank GOD now I can slow it up for a bit. Sun was coming up not a cloud in the sky, weather all day was awesome high 78ish ... I headed into Great Falls and difficult run sections for THREE loops (about 21 miles total). You saw a lot of runners because of the out and backs and loop sections. I had a chance to see Natalia twice, she was doing great and keeping up on her fuel.( a lot of solid foods unlike me and my ALL liquid plan of boost, powerbar gels and nuun)

Prior to the race I lubed up my feet with Sportslick and Drymax socks...it's the combo that has been working for me. Normally you don't need any lube with Drymax but I need it. Really helps keeps the friction away...I changed my socks once during the race and stopped twice to lube some hot spots on the front bottom and sides. Overall just a few small blisters, very happy about this for Javelina 100 in Oct.

OK back to the race, the 3 loop section was not that bad except for the rocky boulder section... huge rocks to climb over but it was short, only took a few minutes and yes it was fun too, up high near a cliff over looking the Potomac river.

The third and last time I went over the rocks I caught up to Gabe, a first timer from New Orleans who had bad shin splints on his left leg. He was also falling behind a bit on his fuel, I gave him an S-cap and we both ran into the aid station to re-fuel and head back towards the finish line about 15 miles away, the three loops are done!

This section was along the river and it was 6.7 miles to the next aid station... Gabe was doing great running when I did and holding on, he only had one water bottle ...I had 2 bottles so gave him some of my water and a power gel. The best part of Gabe is how he didn't want to run but RAN when I did which helped pull him along. We had plenty of time for cut offs and could have walked it in but I told him the big problem with walking tooooo much is you get stiffer and stiffer SO I need to run on and off and avoid the Frankenstein walk-- LOL

Got to the 42 mile aid station and we both felt good and needed to refill the bottles and keep moving. Only 8 more miles to go, we continued the on and off running/walking and shared stories about our past races. Gabe is a three time FL Ironman finisher.

Finally a mile to go and I see Natalia walking up the trail wondering what is taking me so long and hoping my leg is OK... which was fine! Gave Natalia a quick hug then headed to finish line to close this out and drink a few cold Miller Lites that Gabe's gf said she will pick up for us back at mile 35...

We Finished in 11 hours 49 mins and Natalia finished in 10 hours 56 mins which was so awesome for her first 50. She had zero blisters and closed out the last 2 miles with 8:30 min pace (what a sandbagger huh -- LOL ) Congrats Baby you done good. Congrats to my friends Derek H. finished in 11hours and Eric G. 9 hours 18 mins!!

PLEASE Check out the photo slide show and videos and you must watch Natalia's ICE Bath (turn up the volume as she begs for help -awww )

Re-cap PHOTO's !

Thanks all for your support and Next year I will be back running North Face in DC it was that much fun.

Bob

Northface 50

2009-09-22T18:36:00.004-04:00

We had a blast at the North face Endurance Challenge in Washington DC ... Here are a few pics to share of our finish. The recap, photos and videos will be up in a few days.

Results Here

PS: the weather ended up being PERFECT, not a cloud in the sky!!!

PS: Always a good trip when u see me with a burger and a few cold beers - LOLOL

Interesting race weekend coming up

2009-09-15T10:44:00.006-04:00

"Interesting" upcoming weekend. Here's a few reasons why!!!

Going to run North Face 50 Miler in Washington DC this weekend... going to be very interesting.

First off it's suppose to rain (or at least be a muddy course ),

Sept 17 Thursday

Showers possible. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the mid 60s.

Sept 18 Friday

Cloudy with showers and thunderstorms.. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the low 60s.

*Sept 19 Saturday (race day)

Few showers. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the low 50s.

Sept 20 Sunday

Mainly sunny. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 50s

Secondly, it's going to be Natalia's first 50 miler and she like many first timers is freaking out a bit especially about the weather cause like you all know we here in Sunny FL don't train on trails so when it's wet/muddy it adds to the "freak out meter" lol She will do great!

Part of NF Course description:
(The real fun begins when runners turn onto the River Trail. This is the most technical section of the course and boasts spectacular views of Mather Gorge and the river. Runners will be challenged by steep ups and downs in this very rocky section. Gore-Tex 50 Mile runners will make 3 loops of this Great Falls Park loop).

Lastly on my end...I am injured (GRRRRR) I have a weird leg strain/pain on the back inside of my knee for the past 2 weeks and doesn't seem to be going away (sigh) ....Hurts to just try and touch my toes...I am hoping it just stays about the same, annoying pain and doesn't get too crazy. Will give me an Opportunity to practice my mental side of redirecting my focus on something else- haha

Hence the post title "INTERESTING" very interesting to see how this weekend unfolds.

Merriam-Webster - Interesting

Main Entry: in·ter·est·ing
Pronunciation: \ˈin-t(ə-)rəs-tiŋ; ˈin-tə-ˌres-, ˈin-ˌtres-; ˈin-tərs-\
Function: adjective
Date: 1768

: holding the attention : arousing interest

I will be bringing my camera on the trails so hopefully come back with some good videos and pictures of this "interesting" Weekend Adventure :-)

Steppin' UP and Forward,

Bob

Makes sense to me, I been peeing upright for many years - LOL

2009-09-03T16:11:00.003-04:00

OK ladies for those who don't want to squat anymore during your next Ultra Marathon or any outdoor activity ....Here you go! You GO Girl :-)

WATCH this clip!!

Damn Good idea and YES ladies it was a MALE who invented the idea over two decades ago- lol... but took a good marketing WOMAN to roll it out successfully -- Way to Go!!

Play DEMO Here !!

Check out the site to place your order !!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GOOD News Natalia and I just got into North Face 50 Miler in Washington DC on Sept.19th...We were on the waiting list.

(next race 50 miler in DC)

I think I will buy her a GO-GIRL so she can try it out on the DC trails for her First Ultra. Okayyyy, I will try not to peak at her peeing standing Upright but no promises - lol

Have a Safe Labor Day Weekend all and treat yourself to some yummy Ice Cream :-)

Bob

Nice long run with Miss Looper - lol

2009-08-04T11:24:00.006-04:00

Natalia and I ran an early morning 14 miler from Delray to Boynton Beach and back to Delray this past Saturday. Two things I haven't done in a while, is run on pavement and early runs, this was both... looks like it's back to training.

A pic of Natalia (soon to be Miss Looper) and I crewing for Bob Becker in March.

We got up at 5am to head out the door by 5:30 (yawn) I was half awake, thinking of WAY more sleep and Natalia the "morning" person was up, doing her sit ups - lol ...As I walked over her to the bathroom, she told me she already cut up some fruit for us on the kitchen counter... as I mumbled, "okay thanks" (but thinking to myself, I really don't like mornings at all)

After eating some fruit & me drinking a cup of coffee and Natalia chugging half of EAS, we walked out the door...ahhh it was pouring rain, how freakin' wonderful...I said "Nice, let's go back to bed baby (smile)" of course Natalia said "Get in the car now, it's training time" dang Marathoners "okayyyyyyyy"

(Natalia is coming off of knee surgery and is focused on getting her speed & conditioning back... she has won/placed in a lot of local 5k's and is training hard now to break her 3:40 marathon PR by years end.)

By the time we got to the beach the rain has passed and we were ready to run a humid / hot Florida 14 miler... Our pace the first half was fast for me & my long runs at 8:47 per mile - 1st 7 miles ... I knew I would be slowing up the second half or die-- LOL no fun training with these Marathoners- haha

The course we took along the beach takes us on the bike path/road and the cyclist were all out today. MOST were very nice and of course you have a few idiots that couldn't get over for us runners... at one point Natalia put her hands out to these two lady cyclists that had plenty of room but headed right towards us to MOVE OVER!

Nat said something like "Come Onnnn, do U need more Rooom" ahhhh don't get in Natalia's way when she is training - LOL unfortunately for me that was near our turnaround point and now heading back the other way (7 miles in) Natalia was warming up, getting faster and the two ladies got her more fired up!!

I was going too fast already and knew the second seven miles would be slower... SOOOO she would run up ahead then looped back to my slow ass and do this repeatedly until we finished.

Hence her new knickname, "Miss Looper" :-)

When I was by one of the local parks I headed in to fill up my water bottle, of course Natalia couldn't do that she would fill her bottle by a local sprinkler that was on - lol

Total Run was 14 miles for me and 15.3 miles for Miss Looper...

It really was great to see that she had no knee issues and is getting her speed back. She is one talented runner and I can learn a lot from her and ya maybe get some more speed, maybe - lol

.... Miss Looper and I all done and sweaty by 8:15ish, it was high humidity and almost 90 degrees -- Time to go swim in the ocean baby :-) and then look for some coffee and breakfast, I am starving !!!!

VT hills, mud, caffeine, 3 pukes, 62 miles, done - (sigh)

2009-07-23T10:14:00.001-04:00

That about somes it all up...Rookie mistake of too much caffeine, tooooo fast, (caffeinated gels & coke from aid station ...then continued this combo three stations in a row because I was running good - bad idea! ) stomach went South hard, all this happened between mile 47 to 62. (4 caffeinated gels & three cups coke)

Hard to explain my need for coke (none the first half) but I was running good and the coke looked & tasted great at that time. I puked hard at mile 55 ish and nothing could go back in, I tried some solid foods (puked it up) then more water (puked it up) and was holding a gel in my hand for 3 miles and knew my day was over....u always second guess and do a lot of "what if's" but now time to end this VT chapter and turn the page.

Dropping sucks and really no mood to post much more than this, sorry ... next event Javelina Jundred, I will be smarter on my caffeine intake second half that's for sure.

Good News is I did stay ahead of my blisters -- changed socks twice by mile 47 and fixed one blister on the trail, smashed a few toenails running the downhills but overall feet & legs are great and I worked out yesterday!

Thank you Tony for helping crew Kira and myself after finishing Badwater a few days earlier (crazy) and thanks to you and Ginette for being such great hosts and letting me stay at your home.

Kira you kicked ass and congrats on your finish. Also big congrats to other VT Finishers Emmy, Tammy, Frank, Scott, and John...Way to Go!!

PS: VT was a fun course and will be back to finish it!

It's 100 miler weekend, Bring on the Rain VT!!

2009-07-16T08:23:00.004-04:00

My Feet don't have a shot anyways!!! Well, I was going to change my socks every 20 - 30 miles, try and stay ahead of them... You know don't let them get tooooo wet BUT oh let's look at the weather for the race this weekend -- LOLOL .... ok I will still change the socks a few times but I know what I will do at some point and just say "fck it, keep moving Gentile" (smile)

How wonderful :-)

Rain Baby Rain!!

Yup, it's a bummer but if that is the call, no worries my feet are use to getting friggin' trashed anyways. VT 100 Goal is 27 hours, first half 12 hours, second half 15 hours! (30 hour cutoff)

from VT100 site

In a nutshell (Executive Summary, if you will), the course is going up or down most of the time with only a few stretches that are flat. Equal ascent/descent of approximately 14,000'. Some of those hills, primarily on the 70% which is smooth gravel road, are quite steep. 27% of the course is on single track trail or jeep road, with only a small amount of that being lumpy. Basically the footing is quite good overall. About 3% is on 5 segments of paved road, with the longest of those being 1.0 mile long. The last 30 miles are rather challenging.

When folks ask me how hard this course is, I tell them it doesn't have the high elevation or rough footing like other 100's out west or down in the southeast, but it certainly does have hills.

In the words of Devon Crosby-Helms, the 2008 women's winner: "Vermont ain't no joke!"

HUGE Congrats to a few of my good friends who battled some of the toughest ultra's in the world and FINISHED this past week ... Tony, Leigh, Jamie (1st women) Badwater Buckle Finishers and Olga, Ronda (2nd female) & Jamil Coury Hardrockers!!

Heading to NY today to stay at Tony & Ginette's place, then drive in with him to VT tomorrow... Get to here all about his BW battle!!

Do you think Tony is going to need a lot of Coffee this weekend ?? after being up for 2 days straight -- whew!

Steppin' Up and Forward,

Bob

Windy, Foggy Headlands, Ferry trip and beers - good times

2009-07-08T13:08:00.002-04:00

The first day in SF Rick took me to the friggin track -- lol well he made up for it by taking me to the trails the next day included a run over the Golden Gate Foggy Bridge to start the trail 3 hour run!
Rick runs through the passing fog.

I run up and over, this ain't FL -- huffin' and puffin' lol

(click on pics to enlarge)

burrrrrrrr

On the headland windy trails now, getting closer to the fog :-)

down from the trails, Keep Moving Gentile we can catch the ferry back, they have beer :-)click on pic to see Ricks "BEER Determined Look"-- HAHA

here's our ride back to SF

nothing like a few cold beers after a 3 hour run ...Burppppp!

Happy 4th !

2009-07-03T15:31:00.001-04:00

Happy 4th all have a safe and happy Holiday weekend! My Western states trip by way of San Francisco was awesome. My runner Dave James had a rough go of it at Western, the fuel was just off practically from the beginning and had to call it a day at 55.7 miles all still battling hard and staying in the top 15 ... ( more details to follow ).

My good friend Rick was an amazing host and took me all around SF and across the Golden Gate Bridge through the Headland Trails... We had a blast and I appreciate Ricks efforts to show me his city. I have plenty of photos and a few more video clips of the entire trip that I will share over the next week.

On my last day in SF, Rick took me for some Roasted Duck and then ice cream- (yummy) Video below is me asking him where is the ice cream place ... lol

Turn the volume up.

OK time to eat less and taper for Vermont now- haha

off to WS

2009-06-23T14:10:00.003-04:00

Flying into SF for a "fun" Western States 100 Weekend to crew Dave James and watch an amazing field compete.

Tomorrow I will meet up with speedy ultra runner Rick, Stay at his place Weds and Thurs.. Our workout agenda he said, "TRACK workout Weds night (WTF ?!?!! - LOL ) then off to the Headland trails (ahhh much better Rick- haha) on Thurs." Olga (who has been training for the very tough HARDROCK 100 event ) will join us Thursday night. We will hang out for the night and LEAVE Bright an EARLY Friday to Squaw Valley for the Big Dance :-)

Friday at Squaw Valley should be a blast, I finally get to meet up with so many runners that I have followed the past few years.

Around noon Olga and myself will have a team meeting with Dave James, the other crew person Hugo and Dave's pacer Nick Coury to finalize the game plan for the weekend... He is fired up and ready to leave it ALL out on the course and we will be ready to support him, Game-On Bro !!

You can FOLLOW us along HERE for LIVE RACE Updates (Dave James Bib # 272) and send all the WS runners lot's of positive energy as they check off one Aid Station at a time... Please send those good online vibes to the participants all the way to the Auburn Finish Line!

See ya on the other side of WS with lot's of pictures, videos and stories, (YES probably a few really FUNNY Ridiculous ones too :-)

ruN DaVe RunNnNnN and then RUNNNNNN FaSt'eRRR !!!

Steppin' UP and Forward,

Bob

OK need to Finish up my packing

God is great, beer is good and people are crazy

2009-06-10T10:37:00.007-04:00

That about sums it up!! I been in sales and marketing for 20 years and YES people are crazy, met ALL different kinds...and the past 3 years of being involved in Ultra Running I have met some MORE crazy "Awesome" people :-) I like crazy people, NO I didn't say "wackos" ...I said Crazy - lol The title of the post comes from a new song by Billy Currington... songs pretty good but the title is perfect :-)

Let me get you in the crazy mode first ...watch clips (courtesy of Dusty's blog -- some funny chitt...turn up the sound right from the beginning.

Running Superfans - Ultramarathon

OK one more short clip for all you crazy people :-) enjoy!!

Running Superfans - Border Crossing

Speaking of Crazies ...Congrats to Brian Krogmann 18:23:27 third place (top three finished within 7 mins of each other) and Rick Gaston in sixth 20:00:25 ...Both guys kicked butt, had a blast and ready for another... way to go!!

My trainings are going really well for Vermont 100, getting leaner and stronger, logging more and more miles each week and thanks to Natalia who got me into this spinning thing also, which I can tell has helped my overall fitness ... building my quads and increasing leg turnover without the pounding (she helped me also score some sweet spinning shoes from eBay at a bargain price, thanks hun)

I got a great running/treadmill tip from Lisa Bliss to run for one hour at MINUS 3 % on the treadmill at my GYM (thankfully my treadmill has a decline) She said it's a great QUAD buster and did it a lot when she lived in Chicago(no trails) and was training for Western States) & boy was she correct. Thanks Lisa for this addition to my weekly lineup! The next day I had that oh so good sore feeling & you all know what I mean :-)

I have been applying that Tuf-Foot lotion to my feet a few times a week, and can feel them getting tougher... pretty wild. Oh please ultra Gods no blisters for my upcoming race, ok just reduce them to only 20% of my feet--haha

Lastly, Exciting NEWS, well for me :-) I am heading out to the historic Ultra Daddy event of the year, Western States 100 in a few weeks. It's not claimed to be the hardest ultra BUT it will be THE DEEPEST Lineup of ELITE runners in the History of the USA 100 milers. (at least 25 runners will be competing for top 10 plus finishing times) Smart the first half, all guts the second half will score big results this year!

I am going out to crew a very fast, gutsy FIRST time participant of WS100, Dave James... Umstead100 First Place winner in a smokin' 15:05 time and he recently won a very tough new 50 miler Pocatello 50 Miler (a few experienced runners who ran the course that day have claimed it might be the toughest 50 miler in the states) ... Dave's been training extremely hard the past 2 months and I look forward to supporting him out there to help him reach his goals. My good friend Olga is going to help crew Dave too, then go help another runner....typical Olga fashion!!

Like I said earlier, the Western States field is the deepest lineup of elite runners ever for 100 miler race in the USA. Not sure if that is exactly true but YES the competition amongst the top male and top female are thick and will be a blast to witness first hand & foot :-)

Best wishes to all the WS "crazy" runners, now rest up and toe the line healthy!

Ahhhh good beer!

Cheers All \_/~ \_/

Bob

All "KEYed" UP!! Keys100 Miler Weekend Wrap-up

2009-05-28T12:28:00.004-04:00

YES very late on the re-cap but nonetheless an awesome ride--eerr RUN (smile) Had the opportunity to follow, help, support, crew and pace four determined runners ... It was a BLAST!!

The Keys100 is a self sufficient race, you need to have a vehicle and crew to support you because there are no aid stations...you have a rolling aid station, like the Badwater race... The rainy day before got a lot of us nervous but it managed to stay away for the most part the entire weekend.

(Kudos to Race Director Bob Becker and his volunteers/staff for putting on an awesome event)

I started out in the morning crewing and pacing Alan Giraldi for the first 50 miles with Will Reynolds other crew person ... who stayed with Alan the entire 100, Will did a great job for a first time crew and ultra participant.. He went the distance. Alan was only going to do the 50 miler but found some crew support and even though he was undertrained (coming off of a Honeymoon last month) decided to do the 100...Alan is an ultra running stud who completed Badwater, Leadville and Mont Blanc ...crazy tough ultra events!!

PLEASE CLICK below to read his report...

IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT....DON'T RUN THE KEYS 100

After a long trek giving him a big congrats just a few steps to the finish... it was one of those moments of Thank Goodness this one is done ... I Need a BEER, and we gave him one :-)

He had one of those Ultra days that truly test your mental limits on what the Flock am I doing out here still, battling some serious blisters but he FINISHED and it was a well deserved effort. Please stop by and read his report for complete details !!

Alan's Crew- Me, Will, Alan and Karen.

Next Runner that goes to my local gym and was only going to do the 50 miler UNTIL we spoke..LOL yes I nicely convinced Robyn Flores to upgrade to the 100 miler instead of the 50. NOW it was easy to do because her trainings were going great and SHE really wanted to do the 100 miler anyways.

Well Robyn FINISHED and did SO awesome, staying focused, great attitude and kept Moving...dispite her knee pain!!

Excerpt from her race re-cap: Bob met up with me again and gave me an ice bandanna to tie around my neck...great idea. It literally kept my whole body cool. He ran with me for 2 miles and told me to make sure to Powerwalk, as I had not walked at all. He also told me a phrase that stuck in my mind, "Beware of the Chair!" I was determined not to sit down unless I absolutely had to.

She wrote up a fantastic re-cap report on her blog ... CHECK OUT Here!!!

Looking like an ULTRA RUNNER FINISHER to me early on :-)

CONGRATS Robyn on your First 100 miler and YES She emailed me the next week, saying that she is HOOKED and will be doing another one in the near future -- WOOOT!

Also finishing their First 100 miler was Ryan Ravinsky, he like a lot out there on the course had his battles on getting it done...but the good news was he kept moving, had awesome crew support and Got it done. Congrats Ryan on your Finish!!

Ryan almost to the finish line with his crew behind him cheering him in !

LASTLY the opportunity to Help support/ crew the FIRST Place Course Record in 16:31 finishers amazing last 24 mile push. This guy CRUSHED the Course, He doesn't have a blog but was kind enough to put a report together and sent it over...

Keys 100 Course Record in 16:31

FIRST PLACE Finishers Race Re-Cap - Brian Krogmann

Once again I just have to say thank you to everyone because each one of you was crucial in one aspect or another to this finish; especially the one person crew that I had for the first 76 miles and due to scheduling conflicts must remain nameless and out of all photos!

Here we go at my second attempt at a race report so if you get bored just delete and when I get more photos to send you can just look at those.

A few days before the race begins I am scrambling to find another person to round out my crew of 1 and get a call from the RD Bob Becker who hooks me up with Bob Gentile. We exchange a couple of emails and a phone call and we have a game plan set for the day. The day before I leave for the race I get a call from the RD and he wants to switch my crew around and offers me a mother and daughter team and since being an RD is an extremely difficult task I agree. From the get go I did not get the same reassurance from them that I got from Bob but it was out of my hands.

We arrive in Key Largo 2 days before the race to get all settled in and stock up on supplies. On Friday I go to the pre race meeting and meet up with Bob Gentile and Tony Portera (who I am crewing at Badwater) and afterwards head out for your typically pre 100 race meal – plain grilled chicken breast and some steam broccoli. While at dinner I get a call from the mother and daughter and all of a sudden they have car troubles and will not be able to make it down to the race. It is now 9 pm and the race starts at 6 am. I was not concerned with the running just someone to keep my one person crew occupied for the next 100 miles.

Enough of the prologue and to the event itself. We all meet at the Publix parking lot to meet up, get in some last minute strategy and fuel and then we take a short walk down US Highway 1 to the start at mile marker 101. The race starts off slow as there really is no need to hurry things up as you have a 100 miles to go except for these two guys who take off like it is a 5k championship. I thought to myself that these guys will either burn themselves out or they are US National Team 100k road runners and in which case I would not be able to hang with them. I settled in early to a pace and was soon between an 8 and 8:20 pace and slowly moving up the ranks. The first 18 miles are brutal as the scenery is just plain boring and not at all what I thought the Keys would look like. After 18 miles or so and you hit the first of about 40 bridges that all changes and everything that you imagine the Keys to be it was. The change of scenery helped me picked up my pace and the miles started to go by and by mile 24 I had passed both 5k track superstars and checked into the first checkpoint at 28 miles into the race in a little under 4 hours. At this point my one person crew is working their tail off and we are well in sync – ice bandanas and ice water ready at each stop. As the bandana would be changed out I would grab some food and off I would go. 72 miles left and I was in the lead; that was extremely tough on me mentally as I did not know how to hold a lead for that long and I had no way to find out where the other runners where on the course.

Looking Smooth in his protective sun gear

The race from mile 28 to mile 51 was uneventful as I kept my focus on knocking out the miles and a few times I caught myself talking with the relay teams and I can remember crossing a fishing bridge and seeing a relay guy in front on me and I was trying to catch him. Here I am at mile 40 running across a bridge at a sub 7 min mile trying to catch a relay guy. There were a few times when I got caught up in that but quickly would settle back down into my pace.

After the check in at mile 50 is where the real fun begins. You have about 3 miles to go before you hit 7 mile bridge and as the name implies it is just that 7 miles long and since it is US Highway 1 there is not place for your crew to stop. There is a place to stop about a mile before the bridge but basically it is 8 miles unsupported with a few small climbs while on the bridge. It hit the bridge around 2 pm and by that time the ice bandana and ice water that I just filled up were already melted and the sun was getting hotter and hotter. I had to take my time across the bridge and conserve my fluids to last me for the entire 7 miles; so I did a combination of running and walking and an hour and 20 minutes later I had survived. Lesson learned next time take 2 handhelds and a camelback to get across that bridge. That was the only point in the race when the sun actually became an issue

Nothing really exciting to report from mile 60 to 76 as my focus on steady and pace was solid. Still 76 miles in my one person crew was on top of their game and I was more impressed with the crewing than my running. That person has been with me before but not as my only support out there so that was a new experience as well and it was handled very well.

(Grabbed these two hot talented runners, Natalia and Jenny to find Brian and close it out )

(Met up with Brian with Natalia and Jenny at mile 76 grabbed his old gels and ready to bring him in strong!)

At mile 76 my mood got even better as Bob Gentile appeared out of nowhere with gels and two other crewmembers Natalia and Jenny. The crew for closing out the race would be a 4 person crew and they kept me in line for those last 24 miles.

This is where I picked up my pacer superwoman Jenny; Bob said she can run a 9 to 10 min mile easily (3:30 marathoner) and thought it would be a great fit, she was game so off we went. We started out making a lot of small talk at keeping a pretty good pace with a few walk breaks scattered in between.

We would make stops every 2 to 3 miles depending on crew access and would take whatever fuel and caps Bob thought would be best and man gels never tasted so good. I kept asking the team to let me know where the next runner was so I could make any adjustments necessary and that is when it happened – they lied!!

My lead was down to 45 minutes they informed me and superwoman and I did not even look at each other and instead left the aid station in a shot. We were running 7:30 to 8 minute pace for a while until I thought I was going to throw up as I could not hold that pace much longer. Miles 87 to 99 seemed to take forever and really do not recall much of it other than a lot of road construction and one final gel – chocolate and was that nasty but it gave me the final boost that I needed. I really wanted to walk across that finish line with the entire team that got me from Key Largo to Key West because without them I would still be in Key Largo pushing my food and water to Key West. With about a tenth of a mile left though I heard from my team to sprint it in and somehow that is just what I did. Someone mentioned that my last mile was done at a 5:30 pace!

POP TART Finishing celebration because Brian doesn't eat sugary snacks BUT TREATED Himself - lol

A lot of HAPPY Tears at the Finish Line!

Da Crew :-) with the Champion!

Next day Brian said HMMMM Cuba is only 90 miles away, maybe I will go for a swim -- LOL

I had a great time out there and met so many wonderful people from the east coast and to all of you thank you but once again especially to my one person crew for the first 76 miles I do not know how you did it.

Well that was extremely boring and all over the place. What can I say I work with numbers and next time I will have my brother (the writer and creative one) do a better job.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Congrats to all the KEYS Finishers it was a BLAST ... PS: My Training is going well for Vermont 100 in July.

Good Enough for Dogs Paws, Well . . .

2009-04-29T12:37:00.002-04:00

dang it , it is good enough for Gentile ... On my quest to rid my blister issue ways, I ordered TUF-FOOT skin lotion - lol Yupper !!! Now Man's best friend can share with us their dog tough Feet - wooot !!

From site :

Whether your dog needs to assist in the hunt, pull a sled, search through rubble, or just hang out in the yard TUF-FOOT can keep his sensitive paws and pads in excellent condition. TUF-FOOT is guaranteed to toughen and protect soft, sore and tender paws and pads on your dog. TUF-FOOT has been shown to aid in the healing of sore paws and pads, cut pads, and bruises often having remarkable results within a few days. TUF-FOOT also prevents cracking and bleeding of of your dog's pads

OK I ordered the "Tuf-Foot for Humans" but come on folks you and I both know it is probably the same friggin' formula and just a marketing ploy to get Humans to try it as well -- AND guess what it worked :-) should arrive in a few days !! This was actually recommended from a friend who does adventure races...thanks Kathy.

I will keep u posted on how "TUF" my feet get!!

Ok stop laughing and go read another blog or better yet go train, we got races to run :-)

even the dogs are laughing at this attempt to do whatever it takes to stop my blister madness.

Bob
Hoping this works and No more sitting to address blisters!

2 week post 100 celebration is over.

2009-04-21T12:06:00.004-04:00

After every race I take two weeks to JUNK Up on Beer and food, (very limited training during this time, just some biking and sauna to losen up a bit ) ... I gained a few pounds and lost a few more brain cells -lol which is good because I now forgot the misery of the last 100 mile loop (well almost) and now time to start my training again towards my 2009' goal of three 100's.

Blisters have healed up well, only lost Three toenails so a much better improvement from Javelina Jundred when I lost my PR of Eight toenails-LOL

My legs are OK, but the painful stiff walking of the last loop (12.5miles) of Umstead beat them up worse than Javelina which I was able to run on and off at the end... in other words it was harder on my overall recovery on walking it in then running. I guess it's because my legs just got so dang stiff and because I was moving so slow at the end that I didn't really bother fueling that much which added more lactic acid to each blister misery step... Oh that is a perfect name for my last loop MMM ... (My Misery Mile Loop) haha

So now back to the grind, next stop Vermont 100... Excited about this event and look forward to the challenge. I have a good 2 months to train for it,... next 2 weeks get back in the grove then ramp up my miles and train hard for 60 days followed by a 10 day taper before I toe the line.

For those that didn't see Boston Marathon Yesterday ...

Here is an awesome re-cap of the last few miles of the men and women finish, amazing battle at the end for the women. Huge Congrats to both USA third place winners Kara Goucher (USA) Ryan Hall (USA)

The women's race: 1) Salina Kosgei (KEN) 2:32:16 ; 2) Dire Tune (ETH) 2:32:17 ; 3) Kara Goucher (USA) 2:32:25.

The men's race: 1) Deriba Merga (ETH) 2:08:42 ; 2) Daniel Rono (KEN) 2:09:32 ; 3) Ryan Hall (USA) 2:09:40.

Steppin' Up and Forward,

Bob

100 miles did me, My bloodstead 100 Re-cap.

2009-04-09T11:42:00.005-04:00

"Perhaps the genius of ultrarunning is its supreme lack of utility. It makes no sense in a world of space ships and supercomputers to run vast distances on foot. There is no money in it and no fame, frequently not even the approval of peers. But as poets, apostles and philosophers have insisted from the dawn of time, there is more to life than logic and common sense.

The ultra runners know this instinctively. And they know something else that is lost on the sedentary. They understand, perhaps better than anyone, that the doors to the spirit will swing open with physical effort. In running such long and taxing distances they answer a call from the deepest realms of their being -- a call that asks who they are ..." (David Blaikie).

This quote was sent to me from a fellow FL Ultra runner, Robyn Flores..Thanks Robin and so fitting for my Umstead Adventure especially the LAST two loops (25 miles), as I trekked every painful step my legs got stiffer and stiffer as each hour passed by... I met up with another runner Derek Hills about a mile in and he was in the same condition so we closed it out together...(see video below of our blazing speed finish)

Derek and I had many laughs, cries & pissed off moments but the BEST LINE by far of that long ass loop was when Derek said

"Forget the dang Buckle, I hope they give us each a belt so we can beat each other with it for doing this chitt in the first place"

LOLOL Classic- some fitting words after being on our feet for 26 hours plus ...

I think at that point we were walking at a 25 min. per mile pace with like 5 miles to go, (I know, it's INSANE and we were both losing it big time!!!!)
We had newborn babies passing us - lmaooo...(read below for the rest of the story)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Roommate and good friend Tony Portera came into this race trained well and proved it on the course with an outstanding performance of 21 hours 39 minutes - a new 100 mile PR by about 1 hour and 45 minutes. It was great to see all those early morning workouts he has done pay off, CONGRATS BRO!!! You rocked the course and HUGE thanks for staying around after wards for my slow ass to finish :-(

PLEASE Go to Tony's blog for complete details and some awesome video clips .Great RE-CAP!

I also met Wayne Bates for the first time, great guy who got in under 24 hours as well in 23 hrs 12mins- Sweet Bro ...

Winner Dave James who I met and had dinner with on Thursday. Layed the Hammer down right from the beginning and never looked back with a time of 15 hours 5 mins -- then after the race he volunteered and ran a few miles on Sunday GEESH!!! Congrats Dave, your a machine, best wishes at Western States this year!!

Other amazing performances to note of some fellow ultra friends :

Dave James (15:05:10) - 1st Place Overall

Doug Vaughn (21:05:48)

Emmy Stocker (22:18:49)

Wayne Bates (23:12:49)

Joe Galioto (23:26:02)

Tammy Massie (27:46:48)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Good News is I have the first 50 miles down but second half is vulnerable to blisters EVERY friggin time and this by far was the worst... because they were on the bottom of both feet (see video below)

First 50 miles: 10 hours 30 mins (on track for 24-25 hours and feeling great)

Had awesome crew support from Therese Triumph Tom's wife and Mary Vaughn Doug's wife. THANKS Ladies for the support ! ! !

Second 50 miles: 17 hours 44 mins ((((((( SIGH))))))))))

Started to get blisters on the bottom of my feet by the 5th of 8 loops and had to drop down to walking more to not tear them off... Stopped TWICE to repair them to no avail unfortunately. Walked like 30 of the last 37.2 miles (last three loops)

LOOP Seven by far was the hardest for me because it was the 2 - 3am ish, it was getting colder and I was moving Slower and was So SLEEPY, did this LOOP all by myself, had no pacers and started to lose it a bit... Nobody was around and a lot of people dropped at the 50 mile mark so the course was very quiet and spread out. Might have come across 2 to 3 runners the entire loop. I was seeing things, I thought I saw the AID Station tent coming up and it was NOT even close --lol Also because I was getting SO cold I was swinging my arms like a freak as my blistered feet said whatever I am not running (ahhh this was a mentally tough loop and the next loop gets even worse (sadface))

The 8th (final loop) I had to walk the ENTIRE loop, the RAW blisters on both feet were getting worse and started to BLEED through my left shoe.
and what really sucks from walking so much is your legs get stiffer and stiffer (another BLISTER BENEFIT --Haha)

About a mile into it I met up with Derek who was moving like I was and we shared the painful walk together the rest of the way...It was our Frankenstein walk

OR

lol....ahhh it was awful how long it took :-(

Feet Before race and after race (click on pics to enlarge if brave enough)

2009 Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run - Bob Gentile and Derek Hills

My fast Umstead Finish provided by Tony Portera, thanks Tony.

Blisters look after race back in hotel room

Derek Hills and I finished in 28 hours 14 mins....cut off time was 30 hours so we had plenty of time - haha

Obviously, I am not excited about this finish and those who spoke with me afterwards will attest to this fact, it was just long and painful but it's done and now time to recover and move on to the next 100 (Vermont 100 in July)

Thanks all for your support and kind words before during and after,

Bob

BONUS CLIPS:

2009 Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run - Suffering Runner

A must watch ! U can't see anything but just the sounds of a puking ultra runner !

My POOR Pinky toe

Ripped My Skin off my toe blister after hitting my luggage WARNING - Very Raw Poor little pinky toe :-(

Time to DO a 100, OR have 100 miles DO Me -- LOL

2009-03-31T11:10:00.004-04:00

I have had many thoughts going into the final weeks before the race ( hope my arch holds up, am I trained enough, can I keep my blisters under control this time, make sure I stay ahead on my fuel )

but ONLY these words basically sums it ALL up for this weekends event ...

Not "It's about Time"

OR "I wish I had more Time"

Just Simply...

Going to be a blast sharing the Umstead course with my friends this weekend, Tony Portera, Tom Triumph, Tammy, Doug Vaughn, Emmy Stocker, Jerry Sullivan, Wayne Bates, Frank Colella, Jim Sullivan.

See ya all on the other side of a 100 :-)

Bob

Speechless Sunday~ a Blimp U-Turn

2009-03-08T10:48:00.001-04:00

While sitting in slow moving traffic on Thursday in Pompano Beach FL last week after an appointment., I was entertained by a Blimp doing a slow U Turn. A rare time when traffic was good-lol

I was lucky enough to have my camera with me to take a few shots... Enjoy!

Click on Pics to Enlarge

Ho Hum just a Saturday Solo 100 mile run

2009-03-04T22:41:00.012-05:00

ummm for Fun :-) that's how Mr. Bob Becker rolls!

Now for the rest of the story. Bob Becker an awesome ultra runner located here in Fort Lauderdale, FL who last year completed the tough ass Badwater race in 40 hours 48 mins...well under the 48 hour cut off time to earn the prestigious silver buckle.

Not bad for 63 years young. He is a great inspiration to many of us and a man who truly cares about giving back to society.

Which brings me to why this past Saturday night I am joined a few others to help crew & pace Bob for about 30 miles. I was part of the third stage team meeting at a Park in West Palm Beach at 7pm.

Bob decided to run this solo 100 miler because he is the Race Director for the Palm 100 mile relay race on March 28th and wanted to get to know the course a little more closely -lol ( oh an also have us help with making notes for good restroom area & parking stops for the relay teams)

(CHECK OUT Site if you know anyone in the area who may be interested Please call Bob.)

I never met anyone of these people on the third stage team but they are all serious runners so I had no worries cause if you are serious about running you are closely tied to an amazing spirit and positive fun attitude. Which exactly was the case with these guys.

Bob Becker got to the "check in spot" earlier than expected around 6:30pm His goal was 25-26 hours to finish the course and was a bit ahead of schedule. He had some blister issues and his feet were getting pretty sore(this entire 100 is on paved roads)

I met up with our team Mark, Deb and Natalia...

Natalia drove the team van and was our Crew Chief, she had a lot of great energy and an awesome laugh!

Deb actually met up with Bob Becker at 3pm after her job and was staying with us until 1am to drive us back to our cars, she was fantastic and getting Bob ready to go for this third stage. Mark was helping us also to get ready. I was pacing Bob for the next 2 hours, he made sure we had our lights and running vests for the road.

and of course Deb said to me "Do you have your cell phone?" as we were leaving

I said "No it's in my bag"

she said "why don't you take it with you?" and of course

I said "No we should be fine" -- and off we went down the road ---OOOPS

Well as the first part of this little adventure begins :-) the van drives up a few miles and waits for us and fills our bottles with water and or energy drinks... this went on rather smoothly the first hour but then our Crew got lost on us --lol

They were waiting on a road that was just one street off on where we were running, so we slipped right past them....they waited about 30 mins and said :Hmm wonder where they are at? than of course they back tracked ?

Bob and I were getting nervous because this was going past an hour...and I of course didn't bring my dang cell phone--(sigh)))) Sorry Deb should have listened to you :-(

We were running low on water, Oh and Bob has been running for over 16 hours now. Well the good news was Bob is a pro and kept positive and focused, we did make a decision that we were going to stop at the local Firehouse to call the crew but they found us before we got to it thankfully... All was good!!, we had a few laughs, fueled up and headed back out again.

My reward after I was done pacing. Yummy! umm excuse me were is my cold beer with these chips ??

Here is a pic of Mark and Deb giving Bob some pacing love before they all ran into the night next. I was now on crew duty to help Natalia, she just had knee surgery so she was rehabbing and couldn't pace but I did notice she gave Bob a really good calf message...I was going to pretend I had a cramp in my calf also --LOL

Here is a video of Natalia giving me whiplash as I video taped Bob, Mark & Deb. Notice how FAST she takes off --LOL

A MUST WATCH!!
I told her to "Keep Going"... (because I noticed a car behind us as we slowed down to film them, well she took off--haha) ahhhh too funny!!

Ahhh good times so far....

The next part of the adventure was when we pulled into a police station to wait for the runners (Oh and this didn't look like your normal police station if we knew we wouldn't have waited here) anyways, a detective pulls up behind us in an unmarked car and I had to explain what we were doing...

as I am explaining it again "Yes we are crewing for a person who is running a solo 100 miler today) as she tilts her head she said " huh you mean all at once ? no stopping? that is crazy, you guys are crazy! Then says well let me call the local patrol car and tell them what's up!

ahhhh so we wait a few minutes for the local police car to show up and I repeat the story again... blah blah...

So I ask can we just stay here (cop parking lot) for a few more minutes he should be coming soon.

Officer sternly said "Yes, that is fine as long as you can help me with my heal/foot issue I am having, I been training for a triathlon" haha too funny

SO I recommend my best book of all time the Trigger Point Workbook and also the Tiger Tail. He was nice and really admired Bob's 100 mile solo effort. Oh he thought we were crazy also :-)

We kept moving and then I paced some more , Mark joined us and Deb and Natalia ran into another officer who was on patrol while they were parked and he was cool also...the word was out across the scanners about the 100 mile solo....

We reached our destination to hand off our crew & pacing duties to the next and final shift-- 1am to 7am finish line.

When we got there someone at the Marriott hotel told us that they heard 100 runners are coming through town tonight... LOL

We said: So sorry it's not 100 runners, it's ONE Runner, running a 100 miles :-) very funny how words got switched around over a few short hours.

Bob's Crew & Pacers

Bob Becker finished in a little over 25 hours :-) Awesome job!!

OK I need to go and read my book before sleep time

FDA finally approves a drug for those happy all the time fkrs :-)

2009-02-28T14:34:00.004-05:00

Do you know someone who is always happy, silly and cheerful? Does it annoy you? Now there is a drug that can help, Despondex.

PLEASE Review this Short Clip to help tone done those happy happy happy all the time peeps :-) and listen closely to the Doctors review (smile)

FDA Approves Depressant Drug For The Annoyingly Cheerful

OK I hope this Post counts towards my community service :-) Your Welcome!! Don't get me wrong fellow bloggers I like people who are cheerful BUT not ALL Friggin THE TIME!!!!!!!!

Bob

determined...

2009-02-21T16:40:00.019-05:00

My favorite all time word "We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history". Sonia Johnson

Without a doubt one of my all time favorite words... determined

I like the way it sounds, I like the meaning of it and I like how you can grit your teeth and say "I am determined to get it done" whatever the project or goal your working on is, if you are determined not much will stop you from getting it done.

* * * What is your favorite word?

Running update: Training is on track, gaining momentum during the peak of my miles going into Umstead in April ... I can tell I am getting stronger I did another 60 miles the past week ... but I am having a tiny little arch problem so small that I am no longer thinking about it --LOL

OK it does bother me more than I am willing to admit, I will keep tabs on it but a warning to my little arch friend. Please DO NOT mess with me, I am no mood for any problems or issues at this point in my training :-) okayyyyyyyyy!! OR I will freeze you in ICE and soak you consistently in warm Epsom Salt baths...it's your call Archie.

Steppin' Up and Forward,

Bob

TreadWILL my way into the ultra 09' running season.

2009-02-11T11:27:00.022-05:00

I am committing to what gives me the best workout and adapt to my surroundings. The area I live in is not conducive to Trail Ultra Running unfortunately, so I have to figure out what will get me in the best shape for the season.

Answer: 95% of my training will be on the "Treadmill" for the rest of the year or until I move :-) (((I know it's a bummer)))

As most of you know I live in flat land Florida, and have zero trails so if I run outside it's on the sidewalk or paved roads, also my loops in the area consists of a lot of traffic lights. Which risks the chance of getting whacked by some old fart in a car on too many meds. (umm ya sad but true here in retirement country) So when I go for a run outside I don't get as good a workout as I would on the treadmill... a lot of running than stopping & waiting for a light and ZERO hill workouts...not good.

But when I get on the treadmill I consciously work the treadmill hard (ups & downs, solid pace) and the treadmill that I use at 24 hour fitness kicks some major ass...

BEST TREADMILL Ever!!

(Adjust incline from -3% to 30% by simply touching a button or scrolling in 0.5% increments).

When I run I keep it consistently between 6 - 7mph(speed workouts & tempo days obviously faster) and when I walk I keep it between 4.2 to 4.4mph...(I always will do on normal workouts 6 to 8 miles ) Also because this treadmill incline and decline adjustments are practically real time I am constantly going from 3% incline for a few minutes than to 6% incline when I walk bump it up to 9% incline for a mile or more then back to 3 %.... Kinda hard to explain but I keep it very challenging and also as much as I can entertaining...and visualize trails.

Bob how can you get on a treadmill for 4 to 6 hours for your long runs and not lose it?

Very Simple, you just do it !!

It will get me in better shape then running outside, I have a 100 mile race coming up and that is that no more no less, so I get on the treadmill and move and move and move.

Also, it's an awesome mental test...I watch some TV, I will switch to my MP3 and listen to some tunes, I check out the hot babes working out on the ellipticals in front of me --lol ... it's all good :-)

Last year going into Javelina Jundred... I never really thought about it that much but I was probably close to 90% training on the treadmill and went into that event good shape & ready. The big difference now is I am working harder at running more on the treadmill and faster walking on the inclines, good news is I can tell the difference and feel stronger in just a few weeks.

Well that's the plan ... a lot of Treadmill and mental visualization training for 2009' also after every treadmill workout I either go into the sauna or steam room for 20mins....great way to loosen up the muscles to help recovery and get me ready for the next day.

Steppin' Up and Forward,

Bob

The Mind Games we play

2009-02-04T12:07:00.038-05:00

to get us through another day of training.

Most people won't attempt 100 milers because they just can't wrap their minds around the distance others simply choose not to do it, obviously either way is fine to me ...

The reason I chose to get into Ultra's was because of the distances, in other words "the mind games"... YES I was one of those peeps who read the Ultramarathon Man book a friend gave to me and said "Hmmmm looks like this ultra thing is great way to test my mind", a way to push through those mental barriers that we have set for ourselves because of our past experiences and the environment we grew up in...

Looks like Ultra's will challenge my mind to break though those limitations/barriers I put in place.

So in Nov. of 06' the MIND GAMES Began, now fast forward 2 years 3 months later and after ONLY "one" 100 mile completion, I don't think nor worry so much about finishing a 100 miler, now my thoughts and worries--LOL are, can I get in or close to getting "one" done in under 24 hours. ....(sidebar, Best Wishes to my friend Tony who is going for under 24 hours this weekend at Rocky Raccoon, Get it Done Portera!)

YES the mental barrier or block from completing a 100 miler has been removed.... "Now don't worry I am not naive enough to think Ho Hum no biggie, I still have to train hard and I greatly respect the distance. It's still a very long time out on the course to finish a 100 and so many variables can enter into play at any time so training hard is very important but you will NOT train hard if you don't play mind games"

SOOOOOOOOO the Reason for this post is Last week was a struggle to train (to just show up), not exactly sure why it was just one of those weeks. GOOD News is I didn't miss a training and logged a total of 58 miles and I look forward to this week and the rest of the month...I am getting my grove back :-)

but last week just to show up was a battle, a grind.

SOOOOOO I had to play a few MIND GAMES to either get me to the workouts OR to keep me focused while working out and not just mope through it...

A few mind games I did last week.

Downloaded some NEW tunes for my mp3 player, read some more race reports and went back to some of my old favorites, looked back at my own reports....the good, bad and ugly...went over to the look at some HARD ROCK 100 Photos, so sick and amazing views CHECK OUT if you never seen these pictures ...( congrats to my friends who got in to HR this year....yeah OLGA!!!!!) . Of course looking at that dang countdown timer on my blog helps me say "Clock is ticking Gentile, So get your ASS moving"

and finally, I watched some inspirational videos...

Here is just one of many that just gets me fired up!! I posted this a few months ago (CHECK OUT HERE for Complete details)

What a great video of a guy pushing the limits and removing a lot of mental barriers and YES I know mixing in a few "shots of Crazy"...but I like a little craziness :-) keeps me sane, in a crazy kind of way -- haha

Enjoy Ryan's Fasttttt UP and OVER Trek !!

This is the movie Steort’s Stupidity (pronounced “stuart’s”) where Ryan McDermott climbs Steort’s Ridge, a 4 pitch 5.6 up Big Cottonwood Canyon outside Salt Lake City Utah, in 9 minutes 48 seconds.

Steppin' Up and Forward and of course some chillin',

Bob

24

2009-01-27T11:01:00.066-05:00

No not the popular TV show, while Jack Bauer has saved the US from major attacks every year... dodged 100 bullets plus, I am pretty confident that Mr. Bauer can't run 100 miles in 24 hours :-) hmmm maybe he can with some good editing --haha chitt probably 200.

But what is REAL, is average people reaching an above average goal of "100 miles in 24 hours" Right now to me though it's looking tough, "Real Tough" (just keepin' it real :-)

This is a mark that anyone who runs ultra's would love to reach (besides the elite runner freaks :-) who crush it most of the time) ...

So YES this is a major goal for me. The past week I been reading articles about this "Magical Number", crunching numbers and taking plenty of notes.

My conclusion is that this CHITT is going to be "REAL" hardddddddddd -- lol

I determined that I NEED to step up my trainings because I am not even close to the 24 hour arena... Some have told me "Bob you are closer then you think", but truthfully the ONLY thing that really counts is my belief "What I THINK I can do", whether right or wrong. Your thoughts are SO powerful and will determine your outcome 99% of the time.

Can I do it? can I REALLY do it?!!

before I toe the line on race day the big question will be "DO I BELIEVE I can Run 100 miles in 24 hours?!!" and More Importantly, am I GOING to GO FOR IT starting at mile ONE, because you cannot make that decision halfway into it...it's an ALL DAY Focus and Commitment, no waivering.

OK Bob so HOW do you change those thoughts to at least get some closer seats in the "24 hour" arena?? How do you start to get your BELIEF level up a few notches?!

That's a Great Question...(my short answers)

I have to train longer ... OK I WILL!

I have to train faster ... OK I WILL

and lastly, I have to combine, add in, some longer faster runs ((sigh)) okay I guess (my meek response silently) oops I mean "OK I WILL" shouting out loud from the rooftop! (that's better Bob)

(longer answer details will follow along with my trainings over the next two months)

Umstead100 (out of my three 100's I have lined up this year) is my best shot to reach this goal but the next 55 days will determine whether I go for it at mile one...right now as of today the answer is NO...not ready, we will see if that changes :-)

I am stepping up my CORE exercises in between the runs as well as more weight training...and a ton of AIR Squats!

So while waiting for my coffee to percolate this morning I was AIR SQUATTING in the Kitchen, ahhhh so glad there are no Big Brother cameras in my house--LOL Game time a coming in a few months so no time a wastin' :-)

I am Re-posting this video for those who haven't tried Air Squats yet or committed to them, my squats have gotten a lot faster compared to when I first started. So TRY them it's an AWESOME heart pumping exercise to help build those legs!

Proper form on Air Squats

Air Squats- compliments of Crossfit, Watch the video till end, I Love the "DoubleMint" Squat -Woo Hoo! DO them in front of a mirror, well sideways looking into the mirror so u can get your form down like those peeps in that video. Then start to increase your speed, you WILL feel da burn :-)

Lastly, "No such thing as unrealistic Goals, ONLY unrealistic time frames" :-) so good news is the GOAL is in place, now work begins on the TIME part!

Steppin' Up and Forward,

Bob

Bright Side of the Road

2009-01-22T10:37:00.009-05:00

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” H. Albright

As people start to come down from the Inauguration Day high & get back to their daily grind. This is when it is so important to stay on the "Bright Side of the Road". I am one that has never took an interest in politics but my interest is coming around because we are in such a mess here in the USA and it's important for me to not BLAME but to look into ways to get things back on track and better.

It is way to easy to join the blame game, shit watch C-SPAN channel for a few hours and that is all you see from both parties all day long it is actually disgusting and validates why for so many years I stayed away from learning about politics. But with that said wisdom comes from being open to learn. So I will, I must, I shall.

I was excited to see how many people came out to our state capital on Tuesday to welcome in our New President. This is a very good sign shows people are ready for change, they are hopeful and that is the first step. But yes ONLY the first step, it takes more then hope, the next steps are daily actions.

So while I am glad people are hopeful and I encourage that, lets give President Obama and his staff some time to do their job and more importantly let's do our part. Whether you agree with him or not, either one is fine but don't let that slow YOU down in doing your part.

I know WE all can agree that we do live in a negative society but let's move over and continue to bring people over to the Bright Side of the Road :-)

Now click on the video below and enjoy my new favorite song by Shakira who is a friggin hottie by the way :-) and yes she has a very unique voice which makes this song even better-lol.

Bright Side of the Road

Shakira performing Van Morrison’s song “Bright Side of the Road” at Neighborhood Inaugural Ball Barack Obama Inauguration Day.

Let's enjoy it while we can
Let's enjoy it while we can
Help me share my load
Help me share my load
From the dark end of the street
To the bright side of the road

From the dark end of the street
(the dark end of the street)
To the bright side of the road
(bright side of the road)
We'll be joined once again
On the bright side of the road

Three 100's for 09'

2009-01-17T10:01:00.010-05:00

Is the plan for this year. The races I chose are spread out equally throughout the year and will keep me focused all year long. Of course the two weeks of junk food and plenty of cold beers after the race will still apply as my reward.

The training agenda WILL step up a few notches because one of the Goals....(maybe a dream--lol) is to finish under 24 hours. I am not sure which race this will be, all three if things fall in place have a shot to reach under 24. The big question will be the trainings and mindset up to that race that will depend on if I "GO FOR IT" or not.

Umstead 100 April 4-5, 2009

Vermont 100 July 18-19, 2009

Javelina Jundred 100 October 31-November 1, 2009

My Trainings overall last year were consistent BUT also not too demanding, this will have to change to reach that 24 hour mark.

I am adding in
**speed work and tempo runs
**more weight training,
**spinning classes
**back to back long runs.

All this with trying to prevent as best I can junk miles, burnout and injuries....fine line huh?!, "Ultra Fine" :-)

Going to test out some more LIQUID types of fuel since that is what works so excellent for me and will not change from ALL liquids until it doesn't work.

Drinks I will try during my long training runs 5 hour Energy Drink, some GREENS Type of drinks, Red Bull and on the Gels front non-flavor Gels, and GU Roctane.

If you have ANY other liquids that I should look into let me know... my main liquids staple though will not change...Clip2 drink, Boost, powerbar power gels and tons of water :-) Something else that will compliment these.

Geesh All this fuel in me I think I might break a course record-haha ORRRRRRRRRRRRR puke and crap like never seen before in Ultra running history. -- lmaoooo

Lastly and most important "The shoes". I still have not found a shoe that fits me perfectly after my blister nightmares from the JJ100...such a pain in the ~~ass~~ umm feet :-)

I bought two trail shoes for the Holidays and ran with them a few times on the trail when I was up north both were OK but will NOT work for hours on hours, just were either to tight around the middle of the foot or too loose in the back area. My shoes have been 11 1/2 and is just a bit too tight around the toe box BUT when I go to 12's it's too big and loose in the back area even with tying the laces in a way to hold the back heel down.... I need a size in between 11 1/2 and 12 of course I do ...friggin ~!@#$%^&* ahhhhhh

I will figure this shoe thing out, I have NO choice. I can fight through blisters but it does slow you up and is unnecessary if you have the proper shoes and socks and I am determined to get there.

I am committed to Drymax socks but this time without lube on the feet or tape, just the socks because the lubes counteract with the socks amazing technology.

Closing out with some VERY GOOD NEWS about areas that are Not FLAT to train on in Florida --yeah!!!!

NO need for me to PULL a TIRE anymore :-)

... a friend sent me this picture and said "Not everything is Flat in FL" )

***CLICK HERE*** ... how right she was :-)

Thanks and will add these hills into my schedule for sure :-) see ya later old tire ! !

From hold my hand It makes me HAPPY

2009-01-08T17:44:00.007-05:00

to "I Kicked your Ass"..huh?! what ?! ok I will explain this in a bit

but first off I had a great Holiday trip minus out the Head cold (resulting in missing my long trail runs with my ultra buddies), the crappy cold weather and weight gain--haha other then that I did truly have a blast. I caught up with some friends and family that I haven't seen in a long time and also had a lot of PLAY Time with my two nephews, Joseph & Christopher. Drank a lot of beers and ate a lot of good Italian food and way to many desserts.

Now let's talk about this "I Kicked your Ass" thingy...

My 4 year old nephew who about 8 short months ago BEGGED me to HOLD His hand as we bounced around on the trampoline...said it Makes me Happy ...here is part of this post from April 08'

Excerpt from Aprils post It Makes Me Happy

My younger Brother Paul (the kids Dad) bought a Huge 14ft Enclosed Trampoline to put in the backyard for the kids and umm the adults (smile) to jump around---WEEEEEEEEEE (sorry the pics came out really blurry-lololol)

Sooooooo I took off my shoes and grab the kids to Play with Uncle Bob in the Trampoline.

As I was putting the kids in, Christopher went right in and started to jump around but Joe wanted me to HOLD HIS Hand...

JOE: Hold my Hand, Hold My Hand...Bobby Hold myyyyy Handddddddddddddd

Uncle Bob: Come on Big Joe, you don't need me to Hold your Hand....Come on look at Chris, just start jumping Joe....you will like it :-)

JOE: Noooo Please Hold my Handdddddddddd, Hold My Handddddddddddd

"It MAKES ME HAPPY" when you hold my handddddddd

Uncle Bob: (lmaooooooooooooooooo) awwww how can I say NO to that?!!, this guy is going to be a good business negotiator when he gets older.

Soooo I held his hand for a little bit and after some coaxing he started to jump around without me holding his hand and YES he was still HAPPY!

NOW let's FAST Forward 8 months later to the little 4 year old that is the MASTER Wii Tennis Champion, Big Joe who smiles but underneath that smile is a determined little kid :-) Have any of you bloggers ever played Wii Tennis? Every time he serves, he smokes it and if I get lucky and serve smoke to him, he returns it :-(

***CLICK ON PICTURE Above*** to see the other side of Big Joe (yikes)

The video below is what Joseph said to me after he SWEPT me three games in a row --best of 5 series.

OK we didn't get it on tape right after he beat me, we actually were laughing to hard on the ground when he first said it. So we had to get it on tape because YES it was that funny and don't worry the boy knows not to say it again...a few days later I said to him "what did you do to me?"...He said. " I am not allowed to say that word anymore, but you lost and I won"--LOLOL ahhhh he is a funny child.

Here are just a few more pics...

on the running/ training front... Have you noticed my Umstead Countdown up top, time to get busy for my first of three 100 milers this year.

Steppin' Up and Forward,

Bob

Next 10 days brings a Cheesy SMile to my face-lol

2009-01-05T07:09:00.002-05:00

Hey Blogland, Back home from a 15 day trip up north in NJ -- YES it was an awesome time but YES it was way tooo cold for my FL heiny :-) YES I got a head cold for 4 days, NO I did not DNF but YES I drank a lot of beers and ate a ton of good food which helped a lot and YES I gained 7 pounds--ooops...and NO I hardly ran and had search parties out looking for me--see a funny post by Tony.... but YES I am back home and time to get back to some serious training...Party time is over!!

The next few days I will post a re-cap of the trip and YES how my four year old nephew Joe KICKED my ASS in Wii Tennis... time and time again --- dang kids (smile)

ahhhh Good to be back in Paradise :-)

I will be stopping by your blogs to catch up with ya'all.

Happy 09'
Big Cheesy SMILE for being back in the WARM Weather

Seriously thinking about a DNF , this is very difficult.

2008-12-23T11:41:00.007-05:00

I been up here in NJ since Thursday and it is friggin COLDDDDDDD. I already have a head cold, I sleep with a hat on my head and a heating pad tooo. I am suppose to be here until Jan. 3rd but I might not be able to finish --lol

Dang SNOW MISER pushing my limits

I might have to DNF my Holiday Stay but NO worries I am totally fine with it, no regrets...I have not been training for COLD weather or mentally prepared myself... it is VERY difficult conditions -- How do people live up here? just sitting inside and LOOKING out the window as I type this post is painful.

BUT Good Weather News, it's suppose to warm up tomorrow to 50 degrees so that might help thaw me out a bit and HELP survive this ~~race~~ trip.

As you can see I am NOT shy about it and will be the first to admit "I HATE COLD Weather" ... YES, I am a candy ass FL Hot weather Lover,(HWL) Cold weather Hater (CWH)... For those that like the four seasons, wonderful for you but I like TWO season WARM and HOT :-) this cold chittt is for da birds, wait they even leave during this crap weather-lol .

Whew, don't I sound like I am in a wonderful Holiday Spirit, well sorry folks My poor Holiday spirit is frozen. Please send me some blogging warmth love my way and a lot of liquor, I really don't want to DNF :-)

Have a safe WARM Holiday,

burrrrBOBerrrrrr

My lights are up BUT my friend

2008-12-16T22:24:00.006-05:00

NEEDS some HELP !!

Here is the email he sent over to me last week!!

Hey Bob,

The wife had been on my case to get the Christmas lights up for a couple of weeks.

They are up now, and for some reason she will not talk to me.

CLICK HERE

He tried to dress the dog up but even the dog was upset about the Christmas Lights :-(

Happy Holidays Blogland, Hope your shopping is going well, I will start soon - lol

Bob

Talk to the HAND Economy, cause I am NOT listening.

2008-12-10T10:16:00.004-05:00

Well I am finally coming down from my JJ100 Finish "High" enjoyed a lot of cold beers, junk food & many laughs. Thanks all for the support and encouragement during the 08' season....what an Amazing "Learning" Year! ...

I did my "Plan Do Review" assessment and yes I have a lot more work to do for next year....which is a GOOD Thing!!

I spoke with a few top elite runners the past 2 weeks about my past trainings and the areas that I need to step up in...YES a lot more of THIS and THAT :-)

Of course I have aggressive Goals for 2009' (100 miles in 24 hours to name one Big Goal for this rookie). It's going to be a very exciting 2009' race season, Three 100 mile events are planned. More to follow on THAT later...

but THIS boy is ready to PUSH harder...Ready to do MORE of this and that ... This is an exciting time of the year fellow bloggers to re-cap your year and figure out what areas you want to improve in and put your 2009' Goals on paper...(YES ON PAPER)

Challenge yourself to do More of THIS and THAT while your neighbors or co-workers are making excuses YOU are Steppin' Up! IN ALL AREAS (Family, relationships, faith, finances, & fitness,)

A few weeks left before 2009' don't be the one without a plan or goal . “Don't be like most a Wondering Generality, BE a Meaningful Specific?”

and when you get around the DOOM and GLOOM person who says the Economy is getting worse and worse...

Ya know the ones, they Love CNN (Constant Negative News) ...

Just put UP your HAND it's a Great way to get rid of people ....teenagers have been using this technique for years -- haha

GET really GOOD at it for 2009' fellow bloggers ...

( the pic below I was practicing for the 09' Naysayers but I am getting MUCH better at it, I now put my hand UP and TURN my head the other way--LOLOL )

I am a BIG believer on " What You THINK ABOUT comes ABOUT" !!!! so let's TRY really hard to NOT THINK about the tough Economy....( I am not being naive...yes times are more difficult today for many people BUT don't FEED it and make that YOUR reason or excuse... geesh can you tell I am having my bad economy fill excuses)

Steppin' Up and Forward,

Bob
Talk to the HAND Economy, cause I am NOT listening :-) I have many Goals to meet next year, so don't get in my way ...okkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

I was only able to TIE my toenail PR :-(

2008-12-04T12:12:00.013-05:00

**Edited post** added short clip

Tony just edited it to the LAST 8 seconds of "My BIG TOE BLISTER" video --Instant Classic :-) with Dusty my pacer in the background, commentating -- Take 8 secs to enjoy my pain.

Thanks Bro to help me re - live this wonderful moment in my life ((( sigh )))

Dang it I should have ran harder and KICKED more rocks, the last TWO toenails are very stubborn and not going anywhere! So I ended up with a lost toenail count of... 8 out of 10 ...same as Kettle Moraine in June...boo hoo (below are some shots of my toenail recovery process)

Toes recovered very well for having such extreme blisters, I never got any infections Thank Goodness.

"Well Bob that is just friggin' wonderful now what are you going to do to prevent this from happening again?"

HMM that is a very good question....

ANSWER: Move to the Mountains would be the best option so I can train on trails and NOT just dust off my trail shoes every 4 months to run a trail race --

But since that is not going to happen anytime soon what is your "Plan B"??? .

Well I ordered several pairs of trail shoes to test out when I am up in NJ for two weeks (19th to Jan 3rd) and will be training a bit with Tony at Rockfeller state park trails. I do know that a main part of my issue at Javelina Jundred was the shoes, they were to tight in the toebox area for 100 miles as you can see.

VALIDATES how much I hate the mornings and NEVER run in the morning except on race days...Click on pic to look at my EYES ...I am sleep running the first few miles--LOL hey proof is in the printout --haha

Right after the finish walking over to the tent to repair the da feet...ahhhh look at my pathetic face, what a rookie puppy huh...suck it up Gentile! Hey next time I get this look, just smack it off me ok ... geesh :-(

Long ass Florida flight home with connections and this is the swollen feet results when I FINALLY got home late Monday night... Sweet huh !

Ready!! Set!!! START the healing process! Lost two big toenails by Tuesday.

My Toes chillin' out and watching some TV

Click on pic to see the same toes on both feet are still good...wonder why & these are the same toes from the last 8-10 toenail lost PR, pretty weird huh

Also I did speak with Bob from Drymax socks a few days after the race. He sincerely wants to help me correct this blister recurring nightmares and we put together a good plan for my trainings and next race...He mailed me out a few pairs of the MAXIMUM Protection socks to test out and also some TRAIL socks for some of my colder trainings up in NJ...Thanks Bob.

So I am pretty positive that with a larger toebox trail shoe and better socks I might get a handle ( ummm TOEle haha ) on these blisters...

***But in the end I have to be realistic ... IF you don't train on trails and then your feet run on them for 100 miles I am not really sure if I can prevent blisters 100% but I will be happy to get them down to 30 - 40% :-)

LOOK at how "Happy" my TOES look next to da Bling :-) Well worth it they told me... but they want to keep that a secret, so don't tell anyone please.

Wild Horses Couldn't Drag Me Away - JJ race report.

2008-11-21T00:33:00.038-05:00

Many levels of emotions, funny times and crazy stuff happened to me this past weekend at Javalina Jundred and yes even wild horses on the trails. Hopefully this report gives you a good idea on how amazing the 100 mile journey was and the forever lasting memories that were created.

A lot of people know my story but here is the cliff notes ...My running resume (smile) as follows: 97' ran a 5k, took 10 years off...maintained my weight but didn't run that much, actually never been a runner but always been active in sports, mostly B-Ball ... 2007' ran TWO 50 milers and one Marathon and this year attempted three 100 milers...first one completed the 100k at Kettle, GTR dropped at 62 miles and finally completed the 100mile mark at Javelina.

I have learned SOOOO friggin' much in less then 2 years (My Blogaversary is Nov.26th) and have made many new friends that will last a lifetime. This has been a priceless journey thus far and it's only the "Beginning" of this Ultra Madness/FUNness :-) Game is so ON !!

On Friday I met up with my good friends Tony and Rick at the Phoenix Airport... We headed to the hotel, they both found out very quickly during the ride over that I was a bit on the edge--LOL because when Tony went toooo slow or missed a turn I said "WTF, can we get to the hotel before Saturday start pleaseeeeee and other wise ass remarks" hahaha (ahhhh i kid cause i luv ya like a brother)

Yupper, I was in major HIGH Stress mode thinking about the race, now in less then 24 hours (deep breaths Bob...whew). Good news was both of them are so awesome, knew the pressure I was feeling to get it done this weekend and were able to take my backseat driving comments in stride and laugh it off :-) (thanks guys)

FINALLY we made it to the hotel :-) after one more u-turn which I know Tony did on purpose just to get my stress level a little bit higher :-( bastard!!OK we checked in and I switched beds twice, on which one I wanted to sleep in...I opted for the one closer to the bathroom... oops prior to check in I forgot we ate some lunch and went food & fuel shopping for the race (picked up boost, red bull, some bagels etc...) then FINALLY got to the hotel :-)

At Pre-Race Packet pickup we met up with all the runners and a few people for the first time from blogland... We saw our good friends Leigh Corbin and George Velasco, these guys have done many ultra events and always have a warm welcome hug ready. Eric who was helping us crew, He had a tent and had his two awesome kids with him. Met up with Angie's pink fuzzy for the first time as well super nice, Jamie Donaldson who made a last minute decision to enter the race with her husband Dave. Lastly met fellow blogger Lisa J-Mom for the first time in person...she is going to crew and pace me for one loop ...Lisa is so awesome. She came up with her friend Paulette (who was running her first 100)

Angie Paulette Rick Tony & me

Tony, Me, Jamie & Dave

Lisa telling me to pay attention to the pacer or else Bobby!!

Tony stress free and goofin' around as we wait in line for packet pick up and me freakin' out on the inside.

Tony, Leigh and me

We had a great time, checked out our Goodie bag swag...Jamil the RD hooked us up with some Black Moeben Sleeves with a Gold JJ100 logo, Kick Ass North Face JJ100 Running Shirt and JJ100 logo water bottle plus some extra nutrition samples....very sweet, everyone was thrilled with the JJ swag...Thanks Jamil. After having some laughs it was time to goooo and finalize my drop bags and get some rest.

I slept ok and not as excited as I was with my other two 100's. I was just ready to start. Got up at 3am, relaxed with a cup of coffee and my morning dump--lol ya baby it's all good now. We packed the car with our coolers and headed over to the park, it was packed and now the excitement level started to rise. Checked in and walked across the chip matt. Game is on now Gentile, let's do this 100 thingy :-)

Loop One: I spent the entire first loop with my good friend Leigh "Turbo" Corbin...first time we had a chance to run together during a race and I really enjoyed her company and the stories we shared...Leigh is such a great friend who is very passionate about Ultra Running and knows what it takes to finish, she has finished many 100's. We ran around 3:20 ish a bit tooo fast and Rick was kind enough to tell me he does not want to see me on the2nd loop in less then 4:15.

Leigh and Bob ....Leigh had a great race, ran strong all day and finished in 28 hours she did have a few nice blisters as well at the end that slowed her up but overall ran awesome.

oops I got Caught checking out Leigh's butt after she flashed the camera guy on the way by --LOL ...she had tights under her skirt so settle down boys :-)

Loop Two: The sun was starting to bake the course and Rick made me a huge ICE "Burrito" Bandanna to wrap around my neck....(highly recommend these, even if you are heat acclimated) I took my time this time out because it is still early in the race and this way does suck cause it is about 5miles of rocks on a gradually uphill, I came in about 4:12 and Rick was now very happy :-) ...

I ALSO met MY PACER Dusty for the FIRST time in person after our many phone conversations up to race day ...she had on a "GO BOB GO" shirt-- ahhh How cool was that... Thanks Dusty You got me fired up for an awesome third loop.

I did Switch from my trail shoes to my road shoes because the trail shoe toe box was just to dang tight...ahhhh I am now committed to 70 more miles on Road shoes this is going to be interesting.

Loop Three (31-46miles): This was the hottest part of the day and so far all my fueling was working out great, NO fueling issues and a ton of energy and I see a field in front of me slowing up. So I took advantage of this time and MY Florida ass passed at least 8 people this loop.... Now Olga told me a while back that if you have a chance to pass people Bob, get up on them slowly then go by them until they can't see you anymore...LOL funny the things you remember when you are out there on the course...and Thank You Olga cause that is exactly what I did....came into the main station 3:43 and Rick said "I am looking a lot better then many runners so keep doing what I am doing" ....

This is when I had the option to pick up my pacer because IF it gets Dark during this loop you can have one, SO since I had two pacers lined up...Dusty got ready, poor girl I just gave her another 15miles extra but she didn't mind....she is such a trooper.

Loop FOUR (46-61miles) OK well this part I pulled a "GENTILE" and went back up the 5 mile Rocky section instead of the other way (hey I did ask a guy and he said go this way and there was one other person that did the samething) anyways it was so Friggin fun the last time so let's repeat it (sigh))) yup should have went the other way but didn't realize it until mile 7 in when I came across Tony and Leigh ... ahhh Leigh's face was priceless ... she said "BOB You should be behind us" of course I needed to ask Tony also and he said "Yup only Gentile would fight the system "-lol ... (well after some brief laughing I had to GO and not let this distract me and see what Jamil will say, so we parted ways Dusty called Jamil the RD and he said "No Worries you just are going to have to go the Rocky Section way AGAIN on your 5th loop" (hence the poor feet)

Now If I had to re-do the seven miles the other way I would have but he said "Nope this is actually harder and that is punishment enough" in my mind "WILD HORSES couldn't drag me away" so I didn't care what had to be done, I am finishing this friggin' 100!!!!!

Now Dusty was awesome on making sure I stayed focused and kept fueling but she could tell I was pissed and the way I handled it was just to RUN and RUN and RUN ...so she let me, thanks Dusty.

She did get a little nervous when we hit an uphill and I ran right by her and kept going for a little longer--lol after that pissed off stretch I was back to my normal power walk and run downhills and flats. I did get a pebble in my shoe that I should have got out quicker but waited to the next aid station and it caused a blister on the bottom of the ball of my foot. Dusty convinced me to get my blisters patched up because I still had 40 miles to go, after looking at my feet after the race you can ask did it really help Bob well yes it did... sad to say it could have been worse, especially the bottom of the feet.

We did have one runner who was going in the opposite direction that he said "I just saw some coyote's so be careful" ... thanks Bro way to freak out my pacer M~!@#$%fk..errrr. Dusty said "OK Bob you can lead now"--lol actually she still lead but sang out loud the whole time--haha whew that was more painful then my feet --( soooo kidding Dusty, ya know I luv ya )

My buddy George Velasco had to walk the entire 100k because of a prior injury BUT he finished and never once complained...way to go Bro.

Loop FIVE (61-76 miles) A lot of people dropped at this 100k mark as I was heading Back out and up the F*ckin' Rocky section again!! Joy, Joy Joy....

But before I heading back out I had to address my blisters (it took 35 minutes and I so was NOT happy on the inside that it was taking this long but kept it pleasant with the person fixing and taping my feet well for the most part then finally I said "Bro I really have to get moving so let's wrap this up please" plus I started to freeze my FL ass off just lying there...

I was told lying down is way better then sitting to help prevent the legs from getting tooo stiff, it did work...and one tip I will remember on future races.

On this loop Lisa was ready to PACE Me but I had to put her on hold to bring me around at the 76 mile mark instead because Dusty was going to run 40 miles total instead of 25 like we originally planned and we wanted to keep her legs moving as well then have her rest a bit to help me closeout the Finish, since 40 miles was also a PR for my fast 5k pacing buddy :-)

OK Dusty and I were finally on the trails again, she picked up this pacing thing so fast for a newbie....After I chugged a Boost energy drink it took a while for me to get moving, this was my first low point of the day (lesson learned for future events to sip BOOSTs after 60 miles, no more chugging them) ...

I was getting worn down and had to mope a bit versus my power walk pace... waiting for the Boost to kick in...Dusty said "Ok Bob let's run and I am like umm NOPE ... she replied "OK, let's run anyway"--LOL ahhhh she was SO good at making me laugh, finally I would submit and we would run for a bit. We started to get our groove back and got in and out of the two aid stations quick...

The last station we did see Jamie Donaldson coming into her FINAL 9 miles and take 4th overall...she gave a big hug and took off, she is such an amazing runner. We made it back to see Lisa in about 4:20ish not bad for almost 3 am in the morning.

Going into LOOP Six (76 to 91 miles) I told Dusty please hurry and find Lisa, I am not going past the chip timed table... I gave Dusty a big hug and told her I will be back in under 5 hours... she found Lisa and we headed back out in under 2 mins with TWO full bottles (water, Clip2) and a very determined attitude to knock out this Final FULL LOOP with my Java Mom--WOOT! ...

Lisa was ready to go an so excited, I picked up on her energy and gave her some quick pacing instructions and what to look for on the course, like find the hard sand to walk and run on, please point out the ankle swallowing creases etc. Like Dusty she picked up things quickly and did an amazing job for the first time pacing and actually being on the trails at night...first funny moment was when I said "OK Lisa let's Run" and woooooosh she took off!!! --LOL I yelled "Wait Lisa, let's run my after 80 mile pace please, it's a little slower" --hehe

The Best part of being out there with Lisa was HOW Much she appreciated the views and how amazing it was to be out there on such a beautiful bright waining moon light...you can tell she was having a blast which made it that much more special for me...

OK another FUNNY moment was when Lisa said

"OK Bob please watch your STEP OVER THIS LOG" I said "OK" as I hopped over the log, a few steps later she said " Bob what is this white/blue flaggy" oh that is an off the course marker---LOL so we hopped back over the log back on the trail.... and laughed our asses off for the next 10 mins to the point of tears ... and of course I had to dig deeper on that move, Like

"OK BOB let me move this Orange Cone over first and then we can run"...LOLOL

or

"OK Bob I know this sign says Pheonix but we are still on the course" LOLOL ya 4am and I was seriously getting whacky...ahhh Good Times.

We picked up a fellow runner named John for a little while tried to let him go by but he said he needed some company and was getting tired...so we had some good laughs then My feet were getting really bad and John moved on but all of us together for a few miles really helped all of us... Thanks John.

Well the SUN was finally coming back out over the mountains, very very cool to watch it slowly appear again as we made our way back for the final 9 miles....

PAIN Moment NOT funny but all I could do was Laugh it off:

With about 2 miles from the Main Aid Station we came upon Tony and his pacer Rick on the last 9 mile loop.... Tony leaned in to give me a hug and said "Good job Bro" well he accidentally stepped with all his weight on my BIG toe.... OMG a shot of pain went up my leg....and f- bombs went flying..., I felt the blister pop under the nail and the nail shifted over, I almost dropped to my knees for a standing eight count, WHEW this was one of those moments when all you could do was just LOOK UP and LAUGH.

Nothing like 13 miles to go, sore blistered feet for past few hours, then a nice stomp to get your ass re-focused... we parted ways I took some deep breaths and limped on till the toe went numb then I was able to walk ok again....ahhhh Ultra's are so fun, huh !!

Lisa you did SO amazing and you are going to be an awesome Ultra runner and it will be my pleasure to pace you one day. (((hugs)))

BIG TOE Blister LOVE!! See video below for some LIVE action :-) don't worry it hurt way more than it looks --wooot wooot!

FINAL 9 Miles: Since my feet are SO trashed at this point and I am heading back out to tackle more rocks, I wanted to get out of this main station ASAP... I big hugged Lisa and Dusty was waiting with her positive cheerful tude' my two bottles, some more energy gels, s-caps, two bottles of BOOST to close out the last friggin' nine...one I chugged and the other I took with me.

top, bottom and sides sums up my blister hell :-) wooot!

In other words NO time for BONKING now...Let's finish this dang 100. Took less then a half mile for Dusty and I to get back in the groove...she can see in my face that I was HURTING with every step and we will be moving pretty slow... I decided to NOT take another Aleve (only took two total) it was time to painfully enjoy the steps closer to my 100 Goal and dang it, I surely did... after the ~!@#$%^ rocks and one more climb we got to the top were we had to check in at the aid station then 3.2 miles to go to the finish all downhill and runnable...

Oh joy, I think... hmmm motivation to close it out let's see ...hmmm OH I see fellow runners and they were moving very slow... So Dusty said "Bob what do you want to do?" as we refilled the bottles and I said "Let's run this FKR in" (the Jersey f-bombs were dropping a lot the last 2 loops) , she said "That's the Bad Ass Bob I know" ... LOL

So I took Two GELS at the same time and we ran and ran and cried and ran and cursed and ran ... by the time we got to the bottom we passed a total of nine runners... the last two at the end HURT really bad but so worth it...and Dusty wouldn't let me stop anyways...She was My Bad ASS Pacer :-)

Watch the video here of my finish and my two Awesome pacers...

147 starters finished 57th - 28 hours 35 mins.

Dusty, Me, Lisa some Pacer Luv.

Lisa still pacing me over to the tent for some minor surgery on my feet :-( Look at the pain in da face--LOL maybe running the last 3 miles was not such a good idea -- ahh ya it was :-)

Getting ready to take off da shoes and see the damage, video below will show some of that.

video courtesy of Tony P...last 10 seconds shows a clear shot of my huge Big Toe...sweeeet!!

HUGE thanks goes out to my Pacers/Crew Dusty, Lisa, Eric, Rick & Chad for supporting Tony, Leigh, George and Myself... You guys were so helpful and sincerely interested in our success out on the course...We truly appreciate your efforts and support to help us reach our Goals. ((BIG HUGS))

Lastly Congrats to my buds, Tony Portera finished in an impressive 26:41, Leigh Corbin 28:07 Paulette Zillmer (first timer) a smokin' 26:11 and George Velasco injured the whole time but would not stop and finished the 100k. Also was great to see superstar runner Jamie Donaldson on the course (see full results here of all the finishers)

FUEL Intake : NO SOLID FOODS the entire race and only two low points that lasted 10 mins. max each. Yes, this Liquid fuel plan works great for me.

12 BOOSTS
26 plus Energy GELS
4 cups Soup Broth Only
15 s-caps
handful of Ginger Chews throughout the day.
Plenty of Bottles of Succeed drink or Clip 2 and tons & tons of Water.

I Pee'd at least 15 times and with one to go before the finish, this was such good news to me because everything was working so great and the last one was still semi- clear pee after 99 miles...woot woot! My Fuel grade an A -

from Rick's blog "Bob doing the "squat test" Monday morning before we headed to the airport. There is no required squat test for ultra runners, this is Bob's own special masochistic test for himself:) Bob way to go, you finished the race and not looking too bad the day after".

Thanks for reading this long ass report from a long ass race :-) and thanks again bloggers for all your support and encouragement. So helped me out there.

Bob

DNF

2008-11-16T14:22:00.010-05:00

Did NOT F*ck-Up

First 100-miler checked off the list.

**EDIT Update** I am working on my report & trying to repair my poor feet, doing some work and eating a lot of junk food...two large pizza's being delivered as I type away-- but here are some short video clips from Rick and a pacing bob report from Lisa... Check out funny stuff!!

http://365ultra.blogspot.com/2008/11/javelina-jundred-videos.html

http://momistri-ing.blogspot.com

2008 Javelina Jundred Results here

147 starters, 72 finishers 49%

Finished 57th - 28 hours 35 mins.

photo by Will LaFollette

Shout to the crew and pacers especially J~Mom and Dusty. Blisters were worse than ever, thank you Kachina Search and Rescue for the minor operation afterwards. LOL.

Race report and details to follow.

Next up Umstead 100, April 2009

Time for da race, Crew & Pacers in Place :-)

2008-11-05T20:56:00.016-05:00

EDIT:

***JJ100 will have LIVE Updates ***

Stop by and track our madness umm FUNness for the weekend...updates approx. every 1/2 hour during the race http://javelinajundred.mylaps.com and JJ100 blog for race updates.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I just checked the 10 day forecast for JJ in Fountain Hills, AZ look how
thoughtful weather.com is for adding 100 mile run for us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey All, 9 days to go for the JJ100! Work has been helping to keep my MIND off the race but now it's getting close and the MIND is slowly winning over work-lol Been a very long training year and now it's time to close out the year and get it done. Then take a break from training/running til after the New Year. SOOO ready to put the feet up for a bit.

Tony & I had a conference call on Sunday with the JJ100 crew and pacers. It was a great call and we talked about the game plan, strategies, goals and some "what if's"... We will meet on Friday before the race for some final details but one thing we all agreed upon is that it is going to be a lot of FUN. I mean let's face it we train so hard for these events and yes I am VERY serious about finishing the task at hand but let's keep it FUN.

The Crew and Pacer line up:

Dusty (crew/pacer), who a few weeks ago ran a loop when they had the JJ100 training day event to check out the course for me and give an update on what I am in for--lol She mailed me some pictures and the map of the course. Thank YOU Dusty YOU ROCK!!!

Dusty will be my pacer for about 30 miles ish ...she is an awesome 5k & 10k runner and places in the top 3 most of the time when she toes the line. YES, she is very SPEEDY but understands this will be WAY slower and she is very excited about the introduction into the Ultra World. We hope she will get the ultra bug and give it a try in the near future and I promise you IF she does watch out, she will bring her A-Game!

Lisa J-Mom (crew/pacer) is my other pacer... Now Lisa said she is bringing a HUGE Bag of FUN and if you follow her blog we all can agree she will and it will be a lot of laughs with her as a pacer and crew member. Lisa has made tremendous strides the past 2 years in her fitness world as she admits and will be another awesome addition to the Ultra running community and is planning on doing her first one next year.

Eric Burr who is volunteering at the aid station a few hours, also crewing and will have a tent set up for the crew to sleep a bit when needed. Eric will have a busy weekend.

Chad is also going to stop by and crew for us as well. Going to be great to meet all these people from BLOGLand for the FIRST time in person, Emily, Lisa, Eric and Chad, very cool huh.

Also coming to the party is Rick Gaston who made a last minute decision to help pace and is going to crew for us in the first half of the race and pace Tony in for a Target Goal of under 24 hours. Rick is the perfect guy to do that since he has been having a great racing year and can pull Tony along. These two will work well together and will be fun to watch them on tear up the course.

I also look forward to seeing my good ultra friends Leigh Corbin (who just ran the Rim2Rim2Rim-I am so jealous) and George Velasco, the crew will be helping these two out as well.

Just what the Doctor ordered, well maybe not ordered but mailed to me... Thanks to Dr. Lisa Bliss for these special GLOW in the Dark gloves to help me get through the nighttime hours... also a written prescription attached. Thanks You Doc :-)

OK My goal is 12 hours first half and 14 hours second half and NOT get Lost (GTR report) or swallowed up in torrential down pours at (Kettle Moraine race report) this will bring me in at 26 hours with 3 hours 59 mins of wiggle, wobble, weeble room...cut off time 30 hours.

***JJ100 will have LIVE Updates ***

Stop by and track our madness umm FUNness for the weekend...updates approx. every 1/2 hour during the race http://javelinajundred.mylaps.com and JJ100 blog for race updates.

Steppin' Up and Forward,

Bob

quickie

2008-10-26T21:09:00.003-04:00

Post is SO short not worthy of any comments :-)

JJ100 under 20 days, My Freak out faces are coming soon.

Good News is I have an awesome crew lined up and pacers more to follow on that later this week.

Steppin' Up & Forward,

Bob

work, work, train, work, train

2008-10-18T10:16:00.000-04:00

Is what's going on in Gentile's World right now...been sooooooo MIA with blogging and have blog guilt :-( of not stopping by your blogs... after this 100 miler in Nov. I won't have another 100 until April (Umstead 100). Good news is I will get a break from intense training closing out 2008' and free up some time.

I do skim through my blog roll a few times a week and see some fellow bloggers have their big race events coming up, so great and will be cheering you on and stopping by to read your race re-caps.

Have a great weekend!!

Bob
PS: I went with Mizuno Thermo thin gloves... Tony said from IrunUltras "What is cool about these thin gloves if you spill water on them or when you sweat it creates heat" Well I got them in yesterday and had to pour water on them and see what happens....yupper it worked and created heat, pretty cool.

Running gloves suggestions

2008-10-10T22:23:00.003-04:00

Need help fellow Running peeps! Going to be cold at night for JJ100 on Nov. 15th most likely...

Looking for a good quality, thin pair of running gloves please

Thanks all for your kind help.... OK time for bed, I am doing back to back Home Show weekends... this weekend and the next for Solar Systems.... This will really jam up my time but in a good way and force me to keep focused on quality runs....nooooooooooo junk miles :-)

Bob

Good Blood, Bad Toes

2008-10-03T10:31:00.003-04:00

was what the person said who was drawing blood from my arm last night. - ahhh that was funny.

The rest of the story:

After my workout at 24 hour Fitness (I switched gyms because I wanted a 24 hour gym) a volunteer from Community Blood mobile Center of South Florida was asking members to donate. Well I haven't donated in a while and had a great workout so I said "Sure, I'll give some blood" ...then she said "Can you donate your Red Blood Cells only for Cancer patients?" "ummm If thats what you need, I can" was my reply not truly knowing the difference but if thats what they needed and your going to poke my arm then take what you want :-)

Now this was after 1hr 30 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes in the steam room and thank goodness a shower BUT I was still in cool down mode... and had flip flops on and my nasty toes in full view--lol I was looking in my bag for a pair of socks as I was waiting inside the mobile unit -lmaooo but didn't have any (sigh))) so to justify my nasty toes I had to tell them I ran a 100 mile race last month...blah blah blah which I really didn't want to talk about I just wanted them to take my blood and let me go home ... it was almost 10pm and I was starving.

Anyways, I went into the 100 miler hence the nasty toes.... so as the Nurse was taking my blood she said "Well you have Good Blood, Bad toes" haha I said "ahhh that is some funny words, Congrats you just made my next blog post" :-) she looked at me strangely and I just left it at that....no friggin way was I going to explain my blog now as it gets closer to 11pm.

I am glad I donated and next time you donate blood...Donate your Red Blood Cells only it is very much needed for cancer patients -- See More details here.

You help more patients!

Your donation will result in two red cell transfusions for patients. (These special units are more concentrated and have a more consistent volume.) Depending on circumstances, you may be the only donor for a patient needing a red cell transfusion.

You’ll feel better!

You should find the experience more comfortable than with other blood donations because a smaller needle is used and you receive fluids back. Your plasma, which contains all of your vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and saline – its like an energy boost without the calories – is returned to you. You leave the center more hydrated than when you came in.

Have a good racing or training weekend!!!!

Steppin' Up and Forward,

Bob

Well this about sums it up lately

2008-09-26T00:43:00.003-04:00

I have been going crazy getting up to speed with this Solar Industry... Been fun, but a lot to learn. I already have some really good prospects lined up for a solar system :-)

We been waiting to see what will happen with the Federal Tax Credits which will expire this year for those purchasing a solar system...

Well GOOD NEWS this week the Federal Tax Credits for Solar has been extended EIGHT More Years ! Senate passed by a 93-2 vote margin-- GAME IS ON in Solar guys, it's going to get really popular over the next 10 years!

"It is the most significant legislation ever introduced in Congress for solar,'' said Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association. "It will provide a stable market for businesses to grow over the next 10 years.''

Under the Senate bill, solar tax credits will be extended for eight years, for both commercial and residential consumers. It includes a complete elimination of the $2000 cap for residential systems, allowing residential credits to rise to the 30% credit that commercial buildings get, and includes an allowance for utilities to make use of the commercial credit.

For Example on a larger PV Solar system selling for $60,000... the former tax credit was Only $4000, but with this new law it's now $18,000 thus making it more attractive for companies and home owners.

OK Lets Talk ULTRA Training and blogging ... I have been training consistently but ummm slacking in blogging (I know shame on me) but dang it that 100 is getting closer :-(

I will try and catch up with my fellow bloggers this weekend and see what you all been doing... Miss you guys!

and Lastly

MY Shopping score of the week!! I just bought tonight 50 bottles of Powerade for 50 cents per bottle -- wooo hooo ... that should last a few months :-)

Steppin' Up and Forward,

Bob

Corporate Man by Day to "NTM" by Night

2008-09-16T12:04:00.012-04:00

CLICK on Picture to see what is under "Corporate Mans" costume....Sweet Huh !! If only my customers knew --hahaha

Rick made a comment of my Corporate look after seeing my New Solar site...hence the post - lol
(nice new header Rick on your blog--Good Job)

I have been crazy busy with Solar now and also started back my training for JJ100 ... It is hard to get back up mentally to toe the line for another 100 miler (59 days away) BUT those words 100 miler for some reason gets your butt training even when you don't feel like it :-)

Definition of Commitment...."Doing what you said you were going to DO, long after the moment you said it in has left you"

Steppin' my NT's Up & Forward to a business or trail near you,

click the pic- Whats Under "Corporate Mans" Shoes? Sweeeet!

Shoes been washed, Next stop Javelina Jundred

2008-09-10T13:49:00.006-04:00

THANK YOU all for your kind words of support. It still hurts dropping from GTR & "What IF's" occasionally pop in my head but nonetheless a painful YET Good Lesson learned on how to deal better with the "Lost Card" I am pretty sure this might not be the last time I get off track :-) so will be better prepared to be a Happy lost camper--lol

Anyways, the show must go on :-) right? RIGHT!!

Well IF YOU have seen my poor little TOES you would ask me "why Bob why"... I am NOT posting pictures of my torn up toes this time because those who RUN may never Run again & two I am embarrassed...lost three toenails so far :-(

OK, I will explain a little bit and you Can visualize for yourself....

One word "RAW", when I took off the tape of my three middles toes right foot after GTR, I ripped the skin off the tips pretty bad...Yes they had blisters and so the skin was raised but friggin OUCH!!!! ....~!@#$%^&* (They are finally healed enough to Run this week but still tender to the touch).

GOOD NEWS is I did NOT get blisters on the BIG toes nor the inside back part of the foot like from the Kettle Moraine race in June...so that is a positive and I do have some ideas on what to do better for the next race... First option was to REMOVE my TOES-Cut them OFF and Run in Stumps but I think I will do the second option (more details as the JJ100 gets closer on my feet pre race prep work)

OKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK so in 65 days...I will toe the line again for yet another 100 miler attempt, Javelina Jundred . This course is suppose to be a relatively flat course and NO altitude but guess what it's still 100 friggin miles. I love when a few peeps said "Oh Bob that is a much easier course then GTR" ya ok good let me just knock out this easy 100 then --woo hoo, no problem, no worries !!!!.

Well I have too much respect for the distance, yes maybe in my furture I can get to that comfort level but for now I will train hard, focus back in and prepare for a long day and night...umm and day again :-) with my Pacer after 60 miles who better now get lost...or I will Kill you--haha no, seriously KILL.

Also still need to catch up with Lisa (Java Mom) and talk JJ100 details but she will be out there to help CREW...which is going to be really awesome...she will help keep things fun, well as fun as 100 can be!!! Lisa, I promise we will talk soooooooon. Also need to catch up with Eric and Chad who offered to help crew and pace. Thanks guys.

This is 10 hours into GTR, taking a little break and sucking down a GEL as Ginette gets my CLIP2 bottle ready for me...Thanks Ginette (Tony's wife, ya know the BETTER half of that family--lol) she provided such awesome support for us.

HERE is ONE area that I will REPEAT for JJ100.

MY all Liquid fuel plan, NO solid foods. ( My past races I ALWAYS had problems with Fuel)

For GTR I had ZERO issues, felt SO awesome to NOT Bonk.

This is what I took for GTR, a very simple plan but very effective.

BOOST-- 240 calories of pure liquid energy, LOVED IT! Took one every 6-8 miles.
CLIP2-- Every other Aid Station full bottle of Clip2
NUUN-- when I didn't take CLIP2, My bottle was filled with NUUN
WATER-- I carried two bottles ...Hand held (clip2 or Nuun) and waist holder had the water... sipping water consistently kept my stomach calm.
S-CAPS-- one every hour to hour 15 mins depending on how I felt...
GELS --- one GEL every hour, sometimes every 30 mins IF my stomach felt good and I was climbing ...kept my legs energized.

I averaged 300 plus calories consistently, this is a FIRST for me hence the REASON why I didn't bonk like I did in the past...SO this same liquid plan will be applied to JJ100 until this plan doesn't work.

I mentioned to My good friend Meghan the other day that my feet & my right calve were swollen after the plan flight back to FL...She told me that she bought compression socks that she used after each day of her Transrockies 6 day stage race to keep her feet from swelling,(which her and Leslie kicked butt) said it work great.

So that evening I bought some and it helped to rejuvenate my lower legs, I will bring a pair with me for the flight home from JJ100 to help keep the swelling down. Just another great tip to use to help keep me moving in this Crazyyyyyyyy Ultra World :-)

Steppin' Up and Forward,

Bob

OOOPS -- got lost after 55 miles into GTR, Can u say PACER!!

2008-09-02T00:10:00.016-04:00

ahhhh why pacers are good for the night and I wish I had one --- Firstly GTR's course is marked very well and 99.9 % of people do not get lost and have not gotten lost on that course since it's inception 4 years ago...ummm but I always knew I was not like most people--lmaooooo

It took me 2 hours to get to a trail section that takes about 15 mins to get too ...Ouch!!!!

I was feeling so awesome after I climbed up Fred's Mountain for the THIRD time (see a short clip from another runner) and ready for the wee late hours towards the sunrise. I have had NO Bonking issues 55 miles into it...this was my BEST fueling I did by far. My legs felt good, no stomach issues and ready to tackle the next 45 miles towards 100 ...

so I thought ... ahhhhh not so fast rookie Bob.

THE Ultra's Gods had some more lessons to teach the newbie runner Bobby....

"Let's see how Bob handles the lost card after having completed 55 miles"...says the Ultra Gods!

Now I don't care what anyone says, "It is hard to be happy and in good spirits while you are looking for a section, that you "THINK" is right up here" am I right?!?

I wasn't lost per say as in down in a trail section were you had been running for a while and went left instead of right...the course was way to marked for those kind of mistakes.

This was TOTALLY my fault...I just HAD IT IN MY STINKING HEAD as I came out of section A-main base to section B that I had to GO up a mountain for a little bit then go down into the Mill Creek trail section ...OOOOPS I went UP the WRONG Mountain first (Freds again) for 30 mins after I finally saw another runner and asked where is section B??, He said it was the next wide trail over...SOOO mad at myself for making this dumb mistake...that was one hour lost so far just that fast...Yes it was marked but I MISSED IT...it was dark, I was running all day blah blah blah ... Totally MY FAULT, no excuses (hence Bob will HAVE a PACER AT NIGHT for all future events)

OK now I am on the correct steep ass climb BUT now I still don't go UP far enough and was very paranoid about getting lost again and said WTF ..where is it?? and went back down thinking I must have missed it (even though once you see it you can't miss it) but I am now getting very sleepy, pissed off and truly losing it ...because this section should have been so simple to get too.

Oh' & guess what, when your trying to find a section that you unfortunately assumed wrong, you don't think to much about taking any power gels, so now you have had zero calories during that whole friggin mess ...ahhhhh

Almost back down at the bottom AGAIN I ran into my good friend Leigh Corbin who was heading up to section B ..She said "Come on Bob follow me as she was laughing " ...which to be honest it was pretty comical... Leigh said "When you THINK it is right up here it probably isn't that close, especially after a long day and now late late night..she was right it was one long ass steep mile finally into the valley trail per say " SOOO different at night vs the day when we climbed it ....ahhhh Did I say BOB Needs a pacer at night time for all my future races--lol

Leigh tried her best to get me back focused again but this was my battle, my mistake..I was mentally spent, losing it physically for lack of fuel and didn't want to bring her down with my low spirit levels as I wrapped my head around what had just happened...I told her to keep moving and I will catch up...I slowly let her go into the dark trail night...as she yelled back one last time " Bob are you ok" and my answer was "Yes Thanks, keep moving see ya soon".... Leigh finished and got her second GTR buckle in a row..congrats Leigh, you rock :-)

How fast things changed for me...on what seemed like it was my first 100 weekend...Truly hard to put on paper the compounding effects of lost, stopped fueling and a pissed off mind can have but it is what it is...cannot "What IF" it, just learn from "IT" !

Thanks Ultra Gods,.message received loud and clear!! I won't forget, it hurt bad to call it and still does BUT it will make me a better ultra runner.

Good News is SO many positive things happened the first half of this tough ass course and it really felt good that my game plan of all liquids worked amazingly well. I had more energy then any other race, I never felt bad, NO low points just the occasional holy crap this is some high altitude( breathing very very hard at points) and friggin climbing mountains sucks(smile) , I pee'd a good amount too ...always a good sign that the system is working and I knew what I needed to grab when I went into the aid stations ( Tony's wife Ginette helped crew for us and she was AWESOME...She traveled back and fourth to BOTH aid stations to help us and make sure we were ok ... THANK YOU Ginette ((((Big Hugs)))) and Peggy also filled in for support...thanks Peggy :-)

I did have blisters that I had to address at mile 45 (17 min pit stop) my toes were TRASHED good but those issues seemed so small when you have energy. Thanks Olga for helping me with my poor toes!!

Don't get me wrong to drop after doing so well crushed me hard, I was not so pleasant the next day. I got some rest on the plane as I traveled back home and I have ZERO REGRETS ... I am good, really good and ready for the next 100 challenge!

Thanks all for your support before, during and after the race...really means a lot and makes tough lessons like these much easier to handle.

Bob
PS: Congrats to ALL the GTR are finishers!! It is truly one amazing kick ass course!!
PSS: Huge thanks to Tony & Ginette. The family got to Tetons a few days earlier and picked up coolers and supplies for our drop bags. Big Tony finished for his second year in a row and PR'd it by 1:30mins..Awesome job Bro!

It's Time !

2008-08-26T09:04:00.004-04:00

These words basically sums it ALL up ...

Not "It's about Time"

OR "I wish I had more Time"

Just Simply...

Have an awesome HOLIDAY Weekend all and in between your Labor Day Barbecues stop on by to check in on my joyful little world ((smile)) See ya on the other side of The GTR 100 :-)

Looking forward to seeing all my fellow ultra buddies...It's going to be a blast!! Last year I completed my First 50 miler and this year going for my First 100 miler... PLEASE Go to Tony's blog and WATCH these two short clips of FRED's Mountain... 2,000 feet of climb from 8,000ft to 10,000ft altitude in a short few miles...The video doesn't really show how steep it is BUT listen to how hard he is breathing and you will get a small taste of how we will be breathing....ummm well at least how I will be breathing -lol THIS is how I was for most of the time last year--ahhhh GOOD Times a coming !!!!!!

**EDIT** If having trouble watching clip -- go here to watch First one... Second clip ..MUST turn on volume to get full effect of the clips :-) ... sorry ass AOL feed does have a delay(takes a few seconds to pull up or times out and you have to try again)))

To check out Final Results as they happen and "Live" updates of our times you can go to the Grand Teton Race website

SEE GTR course profile below (Our Race Director Jay Batchen, told me the weather is expected to be nice on both race days but that can change rapidly at anytime in the mountains (quick moving T-Storms) and can cause a delay on the "live" update feeds)

25 mile clover-leaf loop course with roughly 4,975ft of climb per loop. Terrain includes single-track, service roads, bike trails and a short (but scenic) 3.2 mile stretch of pavement (per loop) with beautiful meadows, valley vistas and several dead-on views of the Grand Teton. On the well-marked course, you’ll encounter rolling hills, steep climbs, loose rocks and spectacular fall colors.

Steppin' "ON" then Up and Down and Over the Teton Mountains :-) FOUR Friggin' Times --woo hoo

Solar Training & Ultra Tapering Time.

2008-08-19T22:04:00.002-04:00

Hey all, I am about 10 days away from GTR 100 and ready to toe the line :-) Goal is to Finish under the cutoff time (36 hours) while keeping up on my fuel...

ok BS, truth be told & always want to keep it real with my bloggers, MY Truth Goal is 30 hours! With all the climbing and high altitude this will be a good push/test for this FL boy to get it done in 30, my promise is to give it my best & then some more ! !

On the business front, I have Solar Energy Training all week on how to market solar effectively here in Sunny FL -- Woo Hoo I partnered up with a well established company in South Florida. They mostly concentrated on pool heaters in the past but recently have had great success on their Solar Products... Hot water heaters & Photovoltaic (PV) roofing for both residential & commercial sectors.

So it's time for Bob to plug homes into the Sun, one family at a time...and throw in a few businesses too!

My blogtime will be limited as I get up to speed on solar but will do my best to stop by and see how your doing & Say HI :-)

Steppin' Up & Forward,

Bob
PS: My shortest post to date -- haha

It's NOT what you make.... but what you KEEP

2008-08-14T13:25:00.025-04:00

Here is my latest grocery score !!!

My Mom (who sadly passed away suddenly a few years ago at the young age of 62) taught me many lessons. ONE of them was instilled within me at an early age to take advantage of coupons and sales because "It's not what you make Bobby, it's what you keep" she would say....

When I went off to college I use to get abuse from my friends when I would get the Sunday Newspaper and look for sales and cut out coupons-- lol BUT I was also the one who always had BEER Money & a fully stocked fridge thanks to my savings :-)

Total spent was $59.71 total Savings $58.37 soooo just about 50% off of everything I bought in total :-) I can now buy some more Ultra Running stuff--haha

(click on pic to see savings)

Here's just a few of the 52 items purchased, 15 Powerades for 67 cents each ( I use this for my shorter workouts & also at home as a substitute to Coke & when I get sick of water) Nuun is my favorite for my long runs))))). and a great price on Green Giant Broccoli for only 88 cents normally $1.99....might have to go back and get more of these--haha This plus a potato makes a nice fast meal.

Thanks MOM for that great lesson and I miss you very much !!

I starting my taper now for GTR and VISUALIZING a weekend of fun, challenging & rewarding times with my Ultra buddies at The Grand Tetons as I complete my first of many 100's ... dang it!!

Steppin' Up & Forward,

PS: For this race NO SOLID foods... ONLY liquid type of fuel (lots of Gels, Clip2, soup at night & shot blocks.... going to stay away from PB& J and other solids which has hurt me in the past, will also make sure I drink plenty of Nuun & water and do plenty of PRAYING to get me to that Finish line, AMEN :-)

French Toast-ed !!!! Watch your words....

2008-08-11T00:45:00.020-04:00

"The Americans?" Bernard (French swimmer) said. "We will smash them."
Several of Bernard's teammates followed his lead, even going to far as to suggest that the Americans were scared of the French.

NOTTTTTTTT so fast my soggy French fry...

Jason Lezak came from behind to beat France's Alain Bernard by eighth hundredths of a second to win the GOLD :-)

Go USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PHELPS was FIRED UP!!
Michael Phelps celebrates after the U.S. 400-meter freestyle relay team won the gold medal, breaking the world record with a time of in 3 minutes, 8.24 seconds. Phelps' teammate Jason Lezak came from behind on the anchor leg, catching France's Alain Bernard, the world record holder in the 100-meter freestyle, to win by eighth hundredths of a second. Before the race Bernard had said that France would "smash" the Americans. (Getty Images / August 11, 2008)

"Jason swam the fastest relay split of all time," said Phelps, who led off the relay. "His last 50 meters were absolutely incredible. He had perfect finish."

WATCH this clip short one minute clip of the last leg of the race ...it will get your heart pumping!!

FULL STORY HERE from ESPN

ahhhhhhhh what an amazing FINISH guys, ...Talk about CLOSING it OUT Hard, WOW, I jumped off the couch & yelled, I think I might have pulled a hammy - LOL ...

Damn that was GOOOD Stuff!!!

Bob
PS: and Yes, on paper USA were the underdogs to the France relay team... which makes it even sweeter huh. OH and BROKE the existing World Record by 4 seconds!! GAME was ON BABY!!

Grand Tetons 100 is getting close now & funny Clip :-)

2008-08-05T20:04:00.007-04:00

About 10 more days till taper time.... GTR 100 miler is on Aug. 30th This will be almost 20,000 (19,900 to be specific) feet of climb/descent in High Altitude well starts at 8,000 ish goes to 10,000 alt. then as low as 6,000 then I get the PLEASURE to repeat this four times :-) ahhhh as I type this out I start to sweat ...

For example: 10 miles here in FL climb goes from 20ft to 56ft...lmaooooooooooo ahhhhh I have to LAUGH or I just might CRY :-(

Click on pic to SEE my Florida ELEVATION climbs--((sigh)))))))

I am hoping that the treadmill incline training and stairwells running will be enough... IF it is not, I WILL make sure it IS enough, dang it!!

This is going to be a HUGE challenge for me but the good news is the event has a 36 hour cut off to finish....Yes, I am hoping to come in before the cut off but either way is fine by me....GTR will be doing LIVE updates again this year online, so if you want you can track the painful miles & hours of my slow FL ass --haha

OK with that said, let's switch from ultra running and talk some business....

As most of you know I have had the good fortune to work from home for 12 plus years and LOVE looking into evolving industries to market. The past month I have been aggressively doing my homework on SOLAR ENERGY and talking to leaders within solar on how the future is looking. So far I like what they have said and also the areas that need help...like more Government support with rebates/tax breaks to the consumer & businesses... Going to take a combined effort to truly make solar energy take off in the states, very interesting stuff and more will follow on this subject.

I also just read today that The North Face Company Announces Plans to Host a 1MW Solar Energy System,

“We are deeply committed to exploring new and creative solutions for energy reduction,” said Steve Rendle, President, The North Face. pretty cool huh

OK Lastly Let's end this DAY with a LAUGH cause lord knows I LOVE TO LAUGH !!!

Will Ferrell meets his landlord.

This short clip made me laugh.... I am not a big fan of Will Ferrell but he has some funny bits...

Steppin' Up and Forward,

Bob

BS word verification --Turn it OFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!

2008-07-31T11:39:00.001-04:00

WHEN I Have nothing to post and have a busy day doing that work thingy...

This is MY Filler post...cause there are still way TOOO MANY of you peeps in BLOG LAND using this BS word verification option and I like to piss Chad off (luv ya bro), who likes his wv option--(sigh)))) over the few spams we may get from time to time...which by the way I am UNDER 5 TOTAL spams in almost 2 years of blogging!! This feature is automatically set to ON when you initially set up your blog so you just need to turn it OFF (see how below)

Now I can reach more lovely bloggers OR I can Learn my ABC's because obviously my college degree is NOT enough to master blogspots WORD VERIFICATION feature- ~!@#$%

I think I type in the right LETTERS then I hit publish my comment but NOOOOOOO :-( TRY Another.....grrrr Enter.....TRY another.....WTF....enter fkmeewvgrr ....TRY another...F~!@#$k this on to next blog--lol and yes I do this, cause I have zippo patience and u want me to re-type WV more then twice...NEXXXXXXXXXXXXT blog sorry :-(

We all are busy and I would rather spend my in between all the other stuff time reading and posting a quick comment rather then LEARNING my ABC's :-( TURN that Sucker OFF!!

So GO TO Settings
then to COMMENTS
then scroll down to Show word verification for comments? and change to NO ;-)

I know I am not alone ummmm or maybe I am but whatever, it's all about me anyways--LOLOL seriously, it is....NO seriously!! hey I am not kidding!!! why are U laughing, dang it!! meeeeeeeeeeeee --haha

PS: and don't get me started on that "Review comments before they are published" Feature--lmaoooo another one I don't like... Damn, I am cranky today I think I need to go run or get laid or get laid then go run :-) Have a Happy training or racing weekend all!!

4 years for ONE moment --It's Olympics Time

2008-07-27T18:48:00.008-04:00

Just imagine 4 to 8 years or more of INTENSE training for one big show "The Olympics"!!

As you can see from my BLOG updates above the header it is Olympic Time...So cool to see some of the best athletes from all over the world compete...Going to be fun to watch. Thanks to Tony for some blogger tips...(he has turned the corner to becoming a blog head--congrats bro... I like your blog updates also)

Here is a great ONE minute clip on COURAGE from Nike, just released...celebrating their "Just Do It" 20th Anniversary (song by The Killers)... Enjoy!

New Nike "Courage" Clip

MY training: Well I took off past FOUR DAYS because I had a FEVER on Thursday, 101 degrees :-( ...( seriously cannot remember the last time I had a friggin' fever) I believe it stemmed from a nagging EAR Infection that I have had for a few months on and off ...Yes I did get some meds from the Doctors but since I didn't properly rest it came back. The ear never really got that crazy just been clogged and some sharp aches from time to time, just enough to pisssssssss me offff & mess with me...Anyways, I feel OK now but figure once I start training again tomorrow it will come back again this week...~!@#$%^&*( we will see.

Have a great focused training week!!!

Go USA !!

Bob

Heat Misor in da House !

2008-07-21T16:21:00.010-04:00

Hey blogland, Do you remember this classic Christmas movie ?...

The Year Without a Santa Claus (classic-1974) Mrs. Claus tells us about the time Santa had a bad cold and decided to take a vacation from Christmas. Two of his elves, Jingle Bells and Jangle Bells decided to go out (with Vixen) to find children to convince Santa that the Christmas spirit is still important to everybody else. But they have to get past Heat Miser and Snow Miser, first, before they land in Southtown, USA, where it never snows for Christmas. But the Miser Brothers can't agree to let it snow in Southtown. But Mrs. Santa knows their mom--Mother Nature. Written by Kathy Li
and one of the characters called "Heat Misor".

Well the other day when I came home from the beach, I walked in the house past the mirror and said: "Damn I am looking like the frggin' Heat Misor " LOL

Geesh, I SERIOUSLY need to get a haircut this week!!

(click on Pic. to enlarge)

OK Good News is my training is going very well for the upcoming GTR100. I been getting really good at "Air Squats" ...CLICK Here to SEE the Video on how to do them properly. They ROCK, & are helping my legs get stronger. Also 3 days a week of weights have helped too.

I am averaging 45-50 miles per week, mostly 6 - 8 mile runs daily mixed in some speed work and once a week my long run - 4 to 6 hours max. I been so GOOD on eating ZERO JUNK Food and have had no cravings lately for anything with sugar in it, except for my Honey Nut Cheerios a few times a week--Fav. cereal :-)

Lastly been consistent on drinking my protein shakes and can tell they are helping to create more lean muscle...My weight is down to 165 and on track to hit a solid 162 by taper time... then what happens is I gain a few lbs. back as I rest up for GTR, I will be very happy to fly into the Grand Tetons at 165lb after taper.

The countdown timer has been freaking me out lately but it does keep me focused... I have 25 days left to train hard then 2 weeks of Tapering ... before this flatlander heads west to visit the mountains. YES, I agree it is getting very close now!

So that is a little update on my "Heat Misor" World :-) ...Happy Training All !!

Steppin' Up & Forward,

Bob "Heat Misor"

~~EDIT~~ Thanks to Sarah for sharing ((((sigh)))) the Youtube Heat Misor video Click here...

***WARNING song may not leave your head ALL day***

I'm Mister Green Christmas
I'm Mister Sun
I'm Mister Heat Blister
I'm Mister Hundred and One
They call me Heat Miser,
What ever I touch
Starts to melt in my clutch
I'm too much!

Car to Car "3 hours" Or ...

2008-07-12T15:31:00.016-04:00

"9 minute 48 seconds" if your Ryan McDermott :-)

For those skeptics I just spoke with Ryan on the cell to confirm this video/time is legit...
as Ryan said "Yes it is from Car to Car, legit and a fun time "

The video was dusted off from a few years ago and has been released to the public on Youtube...

Thanks Becky for getting me on the phone with Ryan...Beck is good friends with Ryan and Jared, two amazing athletes... They just watched Jared Cambell Finish in 4th place at the very tough Hardrock 100 in Silverton Co.. CONGRATS Jarad!! also a Big Congrats to Kyle Skaggs, smashing course record by 3 hours--Yikes!

Ryan McDermott Steort's (Stuart's) Ridge

This is the movie Steort’s Stupidity (pronounced “stuart’s”) where Ryan McDermott climbs Steort’s Ridge, a 4 pitch 5.6 up Big Cottonwood Canyon outside Salt Lake City Utah, in 9 minutes 48 seconds.

PLAY all the way to the END past the credits & turn up the volume!
So check it out, some serious climbing up and fast ass technical downhill running to close it out ... Great Job Ryan and also to the Movie Team :-)

Click to Enlarge :-)

Details of Steort's Ridge from Climbing Book.

Ok, I need a BEER and an Ice Bath just from watching this clip :-)

Way to Burn up and down Steort's Ridge Ryan & Thanks for sharing the video !!

Bob

Addicted to Sweat :-) Who wants a HUG? ! !

2008-07-10T13:19:00.006-04:00

OK I am in serious "Summer Sweat Mode" training now and lovin' it.

Liquid is dripping from my skin at an alarming rate during my treadmill workouts, Sauna Heat Training and or running outside or flying up & down building stairwells in Hot Humid FL.

I am a full-fledged dripping machine :-) woo hoo !

HOW is your Sweat level??

Do you find your sweating more as you get more fit & heat acclimated?

that is what I have read and hoping that is the case rather then me who developed into
a sweaty pig --haha

To Beat the Heat, Learn to Sweat It Out Article: Yet as challenging as heat and humidity are, people can acclimate. Blood volume expands, which reduces the strain on the heart from the increased demand for blood flow to the skin and muscles. And sweating increases — people who are heat adapted sweat sooner and more profusely, allowing their bodies to cool more efficiently.

I do hope the Treadmill has been rust proofed at the gym cause I been soaking that sucker good as I log my miles...

Also I might buy some stock in Purex/ Dial Corp cause I am washing much more clothes lately.

"Hi My Name is Bob, I am a Sweat Addict and Love to sweat it out " .... HI BOB (the crowd shouts back)

An Adventure to Remember -- Congrats Beck !!

2008-07-03T12:18:00.010-04:00

Everyday for the past 10 days here in Sunny FL we being getting SLAMMED with Thunderstorms,(knocking out my power & messing with my internet connections :-( I guess I brought some back from the Kettle Moraine Race :-) I have managed to get my training in and things are going great... getting my mojo back as I ramp up towards GTR.

Have a SAFE 4th my blogger friends & Enjoy your Holiday Time with your Family & Friends.

Now for an AWESOME Adventure....Please Stop by Beck's blog to wish her & her Team CONGRATS

My Camp buddy Becky Clements from Death Valley Running Camp last year & good friend now has just completed the tough Primal Quest with her Team "TEAM BRUNTON" ...

I remember sitting at breakfast with Becky at camp...and she says "So Bob, have you ever thought of doing adventure racing I been thinking about trying one next year" I said... "I am still trying to figure out how to run"

Well a short year later and POOF Becky completed one of the toughest ones in the world!!!

Becky & Team Brunton, Way to Go!!!!

Q. What is Primal Quest?

A. Primal Quest is the World’s Most Difficult Human Endurance Competition, a 5-10 day expedition adventure race. It is the largest non-motorized, multi-sport, multi-day event of its kind in the US. Up to 512 miles and 100,000 feet of climb.

Q. What is an adventure race?

A. An adventure race is a dream come true for the adventure seeking athlete. It demands what all other sports combined can ever demand of an athlete. Adventure racing demands strength, courage, intelligence, organization, commitment, speed, teamwork, endurance, and an ability to compete without sleep. It also requires that you maintain a certain level of proficiency in many different disciplines including navigation, climbing, paddling, and biking, and continually adds new disciplines to the list, like whitewater swimming and canyoneering. You compete in the open wilderness, surviving on what you carry on your back, problem solving with a group of friends and being challenged physically and mentally. Life just doesn’t get much better than this.

Definition from˜The Complete Guide to Adventure Racing”™ by Don Mann and Kara Schaad

Here are just a few pics of Beck's Primal Quest Adventure....I spoke with her yesterday she is doing great and will have a report & more pictures up on her blog next week.

Some Practice posing fun BEFORE the race started... 10 days later they did it Officially- Finished! -- Finish line pictures will be up soon here- CLICK here for More pics.

Click on pics to enlarge

Finally that stage was over & back at the aid station, to get some food, rest a bit, check their feet and get ready to DO it all over again...

They kept moving for 10 days all the way to the finish line-- Becky told me their crew had Greasy Bacon Cheese Burgers & cold beers waiting for them at the Finish line, which she said "was SOOOO Yummy!"

What an amazing adventure & a lifetime of memories.... KEEP MOVING my Blogger Friends & reaching our Goals, we have a lot to do & see :-) KEEP Focused & Dream Big like my friend Becky!

{Stupid Boy}

2008-06-25T16:43:00.006-04:00

Ok My NEW Favorite song Addition to da MP3 play list ... and Very Timely :-)

I never watched this show called Can You Duet...But a few days ago I caught this video on CMT...

This Duo never met before and eventually were Teamed Up as the show went on and then ended up being the WINNERS of the show ... WON a record deal with SONY !!

They are very awesome together ...you can see other songs they did together on Youtube...Here!

Caitlin and Will {Stupid Boy} CMT's Can You Duet--ENJOY!!

Now the BEST part is the PROCESS that these two have went through and YES the BEST part is always what you GO THROUGH to get to your GOAL...To reach the GOAL is nice but the JOURNEY to the GOAL is by far the BEST Part!!!

SO my Journey Continues towards my 100 mile Goal... some of my Ultra buddies said "Bob, you should pick a race maybe with less Altitude and climbs" now I do appreciate their concern ....

Pic from last year as I completed my first 50 miler at GTR with the Grand Tetons in the far background watching over me :-)

AFTER that race my legs got sooo stiff that 100 miles seemed impossible BUT thank goodness for my SHORT Term Memory --lol ahhhhh

I am a "Stupid Boy" ...(I like to push it a bit) going through the process of completing my first 100 is huge for me and since I am going to go through it, might as well truly "GO THROUGH IT" :-) on a tough course that is way different then my Florida homestead...this will make my Journey (the process) much more interesting & rewarding!

TRAINING Front: Past three days I dropped a solid 4 pounds ... can you say lot's of CARDIO & SAUNA !!! all those BEERS & Crap FOOD said "I am soo out of this Body" and ya know what Good friggin' riddins' beers & junk food...see ya after Grand Tetons!!

I am adding more leg weight training & also sneaking into corp buildings to run flights of stairs and yupper the tire will be dusted off and dragged again this summer !! Need to build those Quads!!

It's GTR Time ... !!!!!!!

Stupid Boy :-)

Got Junk'd & Tagged :-)

2008-06-21T10:34:00.012-04:00

OK Bloggers BACK to Training!!! ...PARTY is SOOO Over... WHEW had MY JUNK FOOD & tooo many BEERS FILL ...so glad to be back to the Land of Training!

My feet/blisters are healed up, I lost my big left toenail & right one will be off soon. **EDIT: Both pinky toenails came off after my run today...Guess they were just waiting to see if I was going to run again and said I am outta here--HAHA.

Legs feel great and now I have TWO solid months to get ready for the very tough Grand Tetons 100 miler, this is my Hardrock race :-) ...20,000 ft of Elevations Climb & descents & Altitude that reaches 10,000 ft four times ... whew, going to have to bring my A+ Game for this one !

During my recovery & chillin' time from KM I spent the last 6 days with Pauly my younger brother, wife Janet, the 4 year old twins, Christopher & Joseph. The Kids are doing great and TALKING up a storm, they loved the pool, scared of the ocean a little -haha

Uncle Bobby played fort with the kids... ingredients - a few chairs, one bed sheet & two kids :-)

Pauly & I left Janet & the twins with her Family & her sisters who live here locally,,, and we spent 3 days in Hollywood FL at the Westin Diplomat ... ( he had a conference that he had to go to for his work) and I had to suffer on the beach, then pool & over to the jacuzzi, rinse & then repeat was very necessary-lol !!

Here is a pic from our room looking down to the pool & beach...We stayed on the 28th floor facing the ocean, what an amazing view! ...ahhhh unfortunately we had too many cold beers and yummy food, very sad :-)

by far the best food was the "fluffy" room service pancakes that woke us up in the am, sooo friggin' goood ... A perfect solution to SOAK up the beers from the night before :-)

I did manage to get two good workout days in at the hotel and also ran up and down and up again the 28 floors ---OMG that was pretty tough especially with a hangover :-( I was looking for an aid station !!

Thanks Bro had a good time, see ya up in NJ in a few weeks!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I been tagged by Jamie & Dawn .... here is my Tagged Reply, rules bent a bit but ya know that's always fun :-) to break the rules a tiny bit... Enjoy! an interview I did a few months ago with Amy from Runners Lounge ...Please Stop by if you haven't been there Amy & Tom have put together a GREAT resource site for all types of runners ... Thanks!

Open Mic Friday: An interview with Bob Gentile
by Amy Hunold-VanGundy in Open Mic Friday February 8, 2008

Open_mic_friday Thanks to Bob Gentile for taking time out of his week to answer a few questions from the Lounge. Bob has been a fascinating runner and person to us with his amazing ability to jump into multiple ultra distance races in 2007. Here are a few of his thoughts on running:

Why do you run?

I mainly run to "Clear my head", my mind RUNS more then I do, so I NEED to run to slow it down a bit or reboot :-)

What prompted you to jump into ultramarathons versus a weekend 5K or even a marathon?

Well 15 months ago I made the decision to get in the best shape ever, SO I hired a coach (Lisa Smith-Batchen) to train for a Marathon (a long time goal of mine) well one thing lead to another and I decided to do a 50 miler as my first race, not only that but do it in the Grand Teton Mountains (altitude of 8,000 to 10,000 feet)...8 months of training. The race was insane & sometimes painful yet an AMAZING time from this "Flatlander Floridian". I am going back this year to do the 100 miler (get nervous just typing that) This year I have TWO 100 milers planned...YIKES!! Kettle Moraine100 & GTR 100 also close the year with the JFK50 and Palm Beach Marathon

What's the best part of running?

Three parts I like best ...Start, Middle & the Finish :-)

What's the worst part of running?

THINKING about going for a RUN and then you Don't because something came up...grrrrr that is by far the worst part.

What's the biggest lesson running has taught you?

I guess the overall lesson I learned from running is how quickly you can feel good again and not that sluggish feeling...I been an ON again, OFF again runner for many years...nothing ever that serious like I am doing now. I averaged15-20 miles a week and many months of ZERO runs but when I run, I am ON (feeling good) and it only takes 1 - 2 weeks for my body to get in that groove again.

For the runners thinking about doing an ultra, where should they start?

DON'T DO IT!!! STOP, Turn around and Walk away Quietly...Ok I am so Kidding. You start ABOVE the neck, DECIDE that you really WANT to run Ultra's (anything over 50K) once the decision mentally has been made "Let the Games Begin". There are plenty of places to read Ultra race reports and Ultra training sites to put together your plan, choose a race and get focused. TWO sites to Bookmark and SEEK info is www.ultrunr.com (Ultra Running Resource) and Run100's

What is your favorite post recovery meal?

My rule of thumb is to eat something within 30 minutes after a workout, study show you recover faster if you put something in your body within that time frame. I like rice, veggies & chicken or a Protein shake loaded with fruit & ice.

What is your favorite on the road fuel and drink?

hmmm, I been mixing it up the past 6 months, I guess my fav. is Two Scoops of HEED, One Scoop of CARBO- PRO into a 20 oz water bottle and bring shot blocks or gels on my long runs. 3 hours plus...extra water of course....Quick Tip on Fueling: "EARLY & OFTEN", Don't Fall behind!! You fall behind you are on "YOUR" Behind watching others go bye.

What gear/gadget can't you live without?

I can live without them, I don't have a garmin but last year I did get ( Nathan HPL #028 ) running vest so I can have pockets in front, which made it easy to grab my fuel (gels, blocks, s-caps) that was convenient, I use it for my longer runs & races.

Thinking back to when you started, what advice would you give a newer runner?

Not hard to think back to far since its been less then 2 years but Gosh that is a tough question. Here is why, like anything in Life, Running is a "process" and we all have different body types, genes & stresses in our lives...

#1 be AWARE of your own limits...Sometimes you have to "SLOW down to Speed up". Don't compare yourself to others, in other words don't push to hard initially or you will be back on the couch eating cheetos and watching repeats - lol

#2 is to PLUG into environments where there are like-mindedness', for example this Runners Lounge Site is an awesome place for you to get information and ask questions...I would also say a running club but I don't belong to one so don't want to say that (but sounds good huh)

#3 is to READ #1 again :-)

Steppin' UP & Forward

TOP 10 favorite Kettle Moraine Moments

2008-06-12T15:15:00.027-04:00

IF YOU ARE Pressed for Time and cannot read them all GO TO # FIVE, it is the best one!! also picture slideshow at the bottom ...and short youtube video clip of my nasty blister feet--woot woot.

TOP 10 Favorite weekend "Kettle Moraine 100" Moments

#10 - FLYING into Windy Chicago on a very ROUGH "WINDY" Landing, after that landing it was all uphill from that moment on ....ummm so I thought--Haha

#9- "My comforter was thicker then Tom's rollaway cot"

The night before with my roommates Tom, Meghan & myself...Laughing our asses off as Tom was explaining how friggin "COMFY" the rollaway cot was and how he might be able to stand upright by 4 pm race day after sleeping on the middle bar all night smack in the middle of his back.

Lets put it this way My comforter was thicker then his mattress!!!. I did offer the side of my bed or Meghan said she would sleep on the cot but Gentleman Tom stayed put & continued sleep on the cot the entire weekend. That may have been tougher then the race course.

#8- Sleeping with my MP3 on all night listening to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on repeat---ahhhh very soothing... Listen Here!

All the other songs were to rockin' or motivational speeches not good to sleep to....The reason why I slept with my MP3 is because I need to sleep with the radio on & didn't want to disturb my lovely roommates... I only slept about 2-3 hours max anyways...which was enough, time to get this party started!!!!!

#7- NO Trail Falls!! For having very little trail experience...I never fell, yes stubbed my toes on rocks & roots a few times but never once took a dive... I am 3 & 0 for my trail races (GTR, JFK & now KM) NO Falls YET in my short running career :-)

#6- Sitting at the 31mile Aid Station Dehydrated & could not EAT...

Prior to that I had eaten 3 pb & J squares....around 26 miles I guess is were I started to fall behind on my fuel & overheat from the Heat & 90 plus humidity... I saw three people drop here and heard there were quite a few prior to that... Tom was helping me cool down with ICE & trying desperately to get me to EAT FOOD which leads to the next & Best great moment.

#5- I HATE YOU !!! this by far was an instant classic moment that Tom & I will be talking about for years & years...

OK it was 2:30pm 100% humidity & in the 90's and I am still at the Mile 31 aid station (stayed there for 40 mins to re-group, dehydrating--YIKES) Tom is throwing down food like a garbage disposal... and I could barely get down HALF of a small pretzel--lmaooooo.... He said about thousand times that I NEED TO EAT.....noooo chitttt sherlock is what I was thinking ....I just couldn't swallow anything once it went into my mouth it just SAT there and not willing to go down my throat (felt like I would gag or puke it up instantly), so friggin' annoying & very, very weird feeling.

Finally he looks at me dead in the eyes and said "Bob, IF YOU DON'T EAT we might as well DROP OUT right HERE"...hmmm thinking to myself but NEVER said out loud "that sounds good to me fkr" --LOL

Instead I calmly looked back at him and said "I HATE YOU" ahhhh that brought out the greatest moment up until that point of the race...

Tom laughs out loud and says "It's 2:30pm and you said YOU Hate Me Already, you are suppose to save that for 2:30 in the morning NOT 2:30 in the afternoon".... LOL well Tom's response back to me gave me my chance to SPIT out the half Pretzel that sat in my mouth for 20 mins already that I was not going to swallow anyways---

ahhhhhh after that (inspirational talk--haha) I got up from the picnic bench and said "OK Bro, Let's Get out of here",

I got up after eating my "FIVE" Calories worth of food, laughing out loud and said "I still Hate you Mthrfkerrrrrrrrrr.... (ya my JERSEY tude was out in full force & will reappear a few more times)
Let's go Bro, I will choke down some Energy GELS in a little bit I promise " as we trotted away from a memorable stop at mile 31 aid station, finally moving again!!!!!!

#4- Could have charged one of my Cliff SHOT BLOCKS Rent because it SAT inside my mouth for SOOOOOOOO long....

The second 31 miles was nothing but a HUGE roller coaster of UPS & DOWNS on my energy levels....( sadly averaged about 100-200 calories an hour if that, compared to what I should average of 200-300 ) every hour falling more and more behind but came to grips that "IT IS WHAT IT IS" just had to fight through the bonks until the GEL, S-caps or Shot blocks kicked back in...I got use to it because I had no choice this was the poker hand I was delt with for the day... a pair of three's you could bluff with it but if your called you can get screwed big time, -haha

#3- LYING Down FLAT on a wooded bridge with our Heads propped up looking around like two small puppies as bolts of lightning were all around us in the OPEN Meadows....
the frogs got a chuckle at us lying flat in sheets of rain on the bridge...

(Googled Lightning-- OOOPS we didn't need to LIE FLAT--haha Article says: Go to the lowest--not the highest point on the ground. For instance, don't stand on a hill; seek a ravine or valley. Make sure you are not the tallest object around. If you are trapped in an open field without adequate shelter when a thunderstorm comes calling, drop to your knees and bend forward, with your hands on your knees. Contrary to popular belief, you should not lie flat on the ground. Be especially cautious if your hair starts feeling like it is "standing on end." This could be a warning that lightning is about to target YOU!

OH CHITTT we might be screwed and in trouble here is what we both were thinking for those 10 minutes as the worst of it was going right by us... Glad our hair wasn't "standing on end."

It was SIMPLY Amazing to RUN through 4-5 inches of water on the trail for MILES & MILES while being blinded with sheets of SIDEWAYS Rain Blasts & Flashes of Lightning bolts... It is SOOOO Hard to describe, I wish I had this part on VIDEO!!! I would NOT CHANGE IT for anything that experience.

Tom & I caught up to TWO Runners in front of us and the FOUR of us just SPLASHING & LAUGHING (out of fear maybe huh) LIKE MAD for miles... Tom said "Bob I think we got lost and are now in "Costa Rica" haha

and We did use the Over Hyped word that I really don't like to use but we did... we said this part of the race was "EPIC" and honestly it truly was...NEWS Reports stated the county had 20,000 lightning strikes in the area and repeated tornado warnings and ton's of local flooding areas!

Those TWO who were with us DNF'd at the mile 47 mile Aid Station, they justified in their minds that they would not make the midnight cutoff.... we said "It will be close but we will make it, come on" well they said "Nope" & we said "Later, at this point we were very determined"

#2- The "Crack filled" Soup cup (actually chicken noodle--no drugs kids, hugs only) We had with 7 miles to GO from this Aid Station...

OK this is another Classic Moment...going into this Aid Station Tom is still very cautious of the cutoff time and wants me to run through and he will fill my water bottles up... the problem was that sounded great but I didn't DO IT, We came in and I was pretty fired up about the meadows adventure and started to tell one of the volunteers about it and how we laid flat on the bridge for 10 mins and the trails were solid water---(as I was looking at the all the yummy food that I couldn't eat....blah blah blah...

Tom YELLS OUT LOUD " Bob What the FUCK Did we say, GET GOING!!" --LOLOL

I politely responded with a firm "FUCK OFF BRO" even though what he said was justified because I didn't listen to what we agreed on going into this aid station but me being on zero calories didn't enjoy being barked at around 15 hours since the starting line --LOL then one of the volunteers said " You Guys want some Soup"... poor guy was trying to keep the peace...

I said " YES Please" Grabbed the cup of soup and Tom and I headed out on the trails not talking to each other for about 15 mins ---lmaoooooo ahhhh this would have been a best seller reality show !!!!!!!

On the brighter side I am SO glad I stopped cause that Soup did give me some well needed energy/calories to close it out...

Cut-off time was midnight and we finished 30 mins before the cutoff but you fellow ultra bloggers know how fast 30mins goes by after being out there so long... One more good bonk away (if I cramped here) I could have easily missed the cutoff time... Many thanks to the volunteer who gave me that yummy cup of "Crack" soup!

#1- The LAST Mile!!! , Tom & I long forgot about our mile 7 outbursts & steadily jogged in (my blisters at this point had enough & were pretty painful), We re-caped the day a bit & had huge smiles as we crossed 100k Finish Line with 30 mins to spare...WHEW! ahhh now I feel like peeing -GEESH....(only pee'd ONCE all day-- well 2 but the first was 2 miles into it and I probably could have gone at start time) so that was not good but I never stopped sweating or felt that dehydrated but indeed it was always on the borderline for a long time, right up until the end.

Meghan our roommate , who was very kind to come back was waiting for us with big hugs and smiles!!! Thanks Chica :-)

NOBODY completed the 100 miler who came in within the 2 hours of the time we got in, Most decided that was enough for the day...Those few who ventured back out ended up missing the cutoff time at the 85 mile mark, so the decision to stop at the 100k point (62 mile) was fine.

If I was fueling properly I would have addressed my blisters earlier on, not have let them get so horrific...but we (well umm I ) left toooooo much time on the table at the aid stations (had to accumulate at least 2 hours of aid station stops trying to figure out what kind of food looked good, most of the time none at all) So when we left the stations we had to push to make the 100k cutoff time.

Only 30% finished the 2008 KM 100 miler--((37 finishers-123 starters)) , and about 50% ((38 finishers- 70 starters)) who signed up for the 100k finished...so you can tell it was pretty extreme conditions.

Want to Congratulate!!!! Mark Tanaka for SECOND & Rick Gaston for his THIRD Place & Personal Best...Great Job & also to Meghan Hicks who finished Third Female in the 100k even though she keeps stating it was a bad race for her, I think she did fantastic.

Lastly I would like to THANK the Race Directors Timo & Jason, all the volunteers & fellow runners who toe'd the line and MOTHER NATURE, you all made it a tremendous weekend that I will remember for a long, long time!

Tom "Pacer" Triumph THANKS Bro for pushing me all the way to the END It was one Heck of a Ride...Look forward to hanging with ur family in the summer !! I love ya Man :-)

OK This is a short video clip of my FEET right after the race... WARNING, this is for my Ultra sicko's that requested it :-) and anyone else of course. CLICK HERE

Wish my Shoes had a Camera & Mic :-)

2008-06-10T15:36:00.022-04:00

OK This is a short video clip of my FEET right after the race... WARNING, this is for my Ultra sicko's that requested it :-) and anyone else of course.

Blister Pain started early on around mile 20, so by all the rain, running in water & mud you have this fine looking mess by 62 miles.

sooooo "CLICK ON" Warning Picture above to watch clip... hope you can handle it--it's NASTY but also pretty sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet !!! Enjoy !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

here my Adidas Road shoes...

ahhhh it was a Wild ride...putting race report together ...here is a brief summary....wait until you read the funny stories during the day....would have made a great reality show!!!

Here are my HAPPY FEET!! First pic was right after the race taped muddy toes, Second pic side blister after a shower- sweeet huh click on pic to enlarge- get up & personal with them bad boys--haha

What an amazing event from the Kettle Moraine...only 30% finished the 100 miler....most had their fill at the 100k mark ... I know I did--lol

Started out Hot Sunny 100% Humidity to blinding Sheets of rain & Strikes of lightning (which resulted in miles of 4 inch water running on the Marsh Trails and Miles of Splish - SPLASHING FUN) to Dark muddy slick ass Night Time trails..& tireless bugs & nats ALL Day...

This Fun & Madness all on LOW Fuel cause I just couldn't eat after 31 miles... I wanted to but was unable to swallow the food, when I tried I would gag...so friggin annoying and weird.

I sat at the 31 mile aid station for about 45 mins to try & force food down my throat, cool down and re-group....

Finished the 100K (62 miles) in 17 hours 23 mins (37 mins before cutoff time)-whew ! ---probably spent a total of 2 hours at aid stations though trying to figure out what looks good to eat and or getting more gels from my drop bags to choke down...Tom tried his best to get me in & out but my stubborn low energy ass didn't really listen to well to him...BUT we did agree the next day that we did move it pretty good once we got away from the stations...ummm because we had to --haha

...ONLY one pee break in 17 hours wasn't a good sign either (well 2 but the first was 2 miles into it and I probably could have gone at start time) so that was not good but I never stopped sweating or felt that dehydrated but indeed it was always on the borderline for a long time & up until the end.

YES it was a Wildly Amazing Event because of all the different battles I experienced...External & Internal.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT...I thought of my fellow bloggers & you helped me greatly to log my first 100k mark & Special THANKS To LISA for Updating my Blog throughout the weekend, ((((Big Hug))))

Lastly a HUGE THANKS to Tom Triumph my pacer to put up with me for all those hours, You are da Man, thanks a lot Bro!!!!!

YES the pic is BLURRY which is a perfect way to close out the after race picture --lol Here is me and Race Director Timo, who gave me my 100k Kettle Award... Tim Yanacheck & Jason Dorgan & all the volunteers did an awesome job.

LIVE Race WEBCAST updates See Link !!

2008-06-03T17:56:00.021-04:00

*******Another update from Lisa*******

Hi Bob's Friends! I just got off of the phone with Bob and he is back at the hotel resting and eating hamburgers...here is what he told me:

*He started having nutrition problems at the 31 mile mark but kept moving forward.
*They had to run through about 10 miles of downpour running in 3-4 inches of water most of that time.
*He made the 100K cutoff but decided at that time to not try to make 100 miles.
*He sounded in awesome spirits!
*Only something like 37/123 finished that started the 100 miles.
*The weather was crazy and there was/is flooding all around the area...when there wasn't rain there was terrible humidity.
*Due to the rain and humidity he has terrible blisters on his feet....and has pictures for us! (Umm..yippeee-LOL)
*He was joking and laughing and it sounds like they had an amazing experience out there!!
*HE GOT HIS TEA KETTLE!!! WOOHOO!!
*That is what I remember I hope I got it all right!

Bob we are all so proud of you for your 100K finish!! CONGRATULATIONS and way to gut out that last 31 miles through bad weather and fuel problems!!

*******************************************************

*******Update from Bob's friend, Lisa********
I think this is Bob in this picture. That looks like a big smile on his face if it is him! He has passed the 62 mile check point and is on the home stretch now! The website says it has been stormy!
GOOOO BOB and TOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EDIT ALERT******Just seen this on the KM Site!!! We will still try to get updates to our Lisa & Tony to post here BUT ******* Here is some GOOD NEWS from Kettle's Site!

FROM Kettle Race Directors:
It is with great enthusiasm that we will attempt to webcast the 2008 Kettle Moraine
100 Endurance Runs in real time for 50km, 100km and 100 miles. As the race unfolds
we will be posting live updates including Blog Entries, Participant Positioning,
Checkpoint Updates, and even a Photo Gallery! The 2008 Kettle Moraine 100
Endurance Runs start at 6:00 a.m. (CDT), Saturday June 7th. If you cannot
experience the Kettle Moraine 100 Endurance Runs in person be sure to keep up
with the action by clicking into our Race WEBCAST
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK Time for BED have to be up by 5am :-) Weather is going to be a little crazy (Windy, Stormy & Very Humid), helps make a good story !!

Good Night!

My Pacer Tom & I -- LOL

The "It's Time" posts are by far my favorite ones!!! ... because I don't race that often so when these are posted it's pretty special & only happens because I FIRST made a DECISION (pick a race), then made a COMMITMENT (train for that race)

and NOW the decision & commitment will soon become my REALITY!

ahhhhhh I love the PROCESS even more then the results... even though that is really fun also.

so with that said...I will SEE you ALL on the Other Side of the Finish line next week as my good friend Tom paces me through the woods of Kettle Moraine Park!

We are going to try our best to do some "LIVE" updates via cell phone text (for example - 35 means we are at mile 35 & so on) as we trek along and send them back to Java-Mom & Tony on how far we are along in the race...They will have my password & will post updates here as soon as they get them, cell phone coverage is spotty so hopefully the texts go through...

but I promise I will have our Finish Time up Sunday Morning-ISH :-)

It's going to be a great time sharing the trails with fellow bloggers also, Rick, Meghan, Carolyn, Amanda, Craig and Mark (last years winner) and Terry Madl who ran Marathon des Sables a few short months ago.

Thanks all for your kind support & inspiration. It truly has helped during my trainings and will help keep me pushing along this crazy ultra-adventure... You guys are the best!!!!

Steppin' UP & Forward,

Bob

This is a pic of Tom & I running up & down the Sand Dunes last year at Death Valley Running Camp.

10

2008-05-27T10:18:00.007-04:00

Well 10 more days till I toe the line for my first 100 mile race.

Funny how things happen... "The Process you go through" when you get this close, I am now at a state of calmness.

Calmness is a mental state wherein the mind is not turbulent, but open and reflective. No emotions are agitating the mind and no insistent train of thought is disturbing the mind.

Calmness can most easily occur for the average person during a state of relaxation, but it can also be found during much more alert and aware states. Some people find that focusing the mind on something external, or even internal, such as the breathing, can itself be very calming.

Calmness is a quality that can be cultivated and increased with practice. It usually takes a trained mind to stay calm in the face of a great deal of different stimulation, and possible distractions, especially emotional ones.

Visualizing, relaxing, Yes- fleeting moments of HOLY CRAP it's almost time but mostly a sense of calmness. I am ready, going to stick to my game plan.... Go Slow to Go fast, first half 13 hours-ish second half 14-15 hours & finish in 27-28 hours (cutoff is 30 hours) so have some emergency time if need be.

No shame to my game. The number one goal is to log 100 miles and get to the finish line under the cutoff time. I plan to be running Ultra's for a long time and have a lot to learn, so this first one is to Finish in one piece!! Keep ahead as best I can on my fuel, grind through the night & low points which will come it's part of it and I am not naive enough or will not disrespect the distance to think otherwise... Most importantly to me is stay as far away from the death march at the end as possible :-) In other words come in shuffling forward vs sideways or crawling-lol not that I am opposed to that if that's what it takes to Finish!!

Anyways, All is good here....tapering is going well and going to get some long overdue FISHING in this week!

Steppin' Up & "Fishing" Forward :-)

ahhh these kids nowadays :-)

2008-05-19T12:49:00.011-04:00

OK seriously, this kid (18 years young) Taylor Swift did a creative performance last night on the ACM Awards... You have to watch ALL the way to the end,
to see how she closes the song :-)

Song is ok but to add her creative spirit is what makes the performance, way to think out of the box.
Taylor Swift - Should've Said No Live Awards

Not bad huh?! :-) well I liked it-lol, thought it was pretty creative.

OK Let's talk Ultra Training... I have about 6 more days till taper time so KEEPING Focused, almost game time.

I did my last long run before KM, a 25 mile pavement loop run on Saturday in 94 hot SUNNY Degrees. It took me 5:50 mins with one pee break and two stops at Walgreens for some gatorade.

I Felt good but it was a friggin' hot FL day !! I have added Sauna heat training, last week 20 mins sessions after my gym workouts. I really think that helped on my long hot run.

Steppin' Up & Forward,

Bob

My "Aid" Station post

2008-05-13T12:00:00.005-04:00

Ahhhh this is some funny Chitttt....

A lot of my Ultra peeps say

"Bob just keep focused and go from one Aid Station to another and just KEEP moving forward" .

OK, I SO agree it does truly make sense...ONE Aid Station at a time. Let me take a quick look at the Aid Stations...hmmmmmmmm

Aid Station # Total Miles - Miles to next Station - Station Name
1 5.1 5.1 Tamarack

2 7.4 2.3 Bluff

3 12.3 4.9 Horseriders

4 15.5 3.2 Emma Carlin

5 18.7 3.2 Antique Lane

6 23.9 5.2 Hwy 67

7 26.5 2.6 County ZZ

8 31.4 4.9 Scuppernong

9 36.4 5.0 County ZZ

10 39.0 2.6 Hwy 67

11 44.2 5.2 Antique Lane

12 47.3 3.1 Emma Carlin

13 50.5 3.2 Horseriders

14 55.5 5.0 Bluff

15 57.8 2.3 Tamarack

16 62.9 5.1 Nordic

17 67.9 5.1 Tamarack

18 70.3 2.3 Bluff

19 72.8 2.5 Duffin Road

20 77.1 4.3 Hwy 12

21 81.5 4.4 Rice Lake

22 85.9 4.4 Hwy 12

23 90.2 4.3 Duffin Road

24 92.8 2.6 Bluff

25 95.1 2.3 Tamarack

26 100.2 5.1 Nordic

Seriously, it is funny... I mean come on, ALL you can do at this point with the race so close is laugh...Now don't worry bloggers this is not freaking me out. I was just looking at the Aid Stations this morning & laughed out loud.

Weird as it may seem looking at this list, It does get me fired up....Talk about a DAILY TO DO list to check off (one AS at at time, now that is a great day, right!!! Hence my Aid Station Post :-)

I KNOW........... When I start I promise I will THINK one Aid Station at a time but it was funny to take a quick snapshot of my long ass 100 mile "Aid Station" Day :-)

(to my veteran ultra buddies, it's ok you can laugh along with me also... I know this is serious & I am focused and seriously determined to finish but I need to keep it SERIOUSLY "Real" & today this made me laugh... was it a nervous, OMG laugh? ! hmmm....maybe but maybe it was just a laugh :-)

Bob

1% Doubt you are Out !!

2008-05-08T12:55:00.006-04:00

"I would not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew so well"
Henry David Thoreau

(lol ahhh that is a great quote Mr. Thoreau)
...thanks :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.
~Proverbs 14:15

Here is Bob giving MORE thought to this dang upcoming First 100 miler.

I know, it is getting old to me as well bloggers BUT I am under the 30 day window now and this is the TIME to really ZERO IN and block out ALL Doubts! March 20th, about 7 weeks ago I truly started to get moving after mending some nagging injuries.

I am amazed how much stronger I got within this time frame... I have about 17 days to go before I taper then toe the line. Very exciting times for me here in Sunny FL!

Now it's time to get my head right...hmm, well as right as it can be - lol Let's not get too crazy :-)

I been reading this Badwater book again and I love the mindset that this person used during his trainings that he repeated over and over.

I am applying these words to my KM event!!

"I will go to Kettle Moraine and I WILL, in all humility, become one with the course while I am on it. I will not fight the course, because to fight it will be to lose, because the course is larger, older, wiser, and much more powerful than I am. I will use the occasional advantage the course allows me, and I will flow with the adversities it presents. It will be there LONG after I'm gone to dust."

Ahhh that is good stuff.... feel free to grab those words and apply it to your next big adventure!

Steppin' UP & Forward towards KM Daily,

Bob

POST It Note addict since College days

2008-05-02T11:54:00.004-04:00

OK I admit I am a POST-IT note Addict ...

This has been going on since my college days at WVWC . It was funny to my college buddies as well, that ONE DAY I walked into my dorm room to be BLASTED With POST IT Notes ALL OVER THE ROOM...

Yes, HUNDREDS of NOTES, everywhere!!!!! ... Notes Like,

Twist door knob to OPEN

Turn TV off, Turn TV on!

Open Beer can, then Drink

Wipe ur ass when done crapping :-)

Put Socks on First, then shoes.

When it's time to wake up OPEN your eyes

Wet Hair, apply shampoo, then rinse-Repeat if necessary.

and my favorite note ...

Don't forget to Breathe today --- LOL

So many others but that was just a few good ones that I remember!!

Ahhhh GOOD TIMES, it was some funny chitt and we still talk about it till this day.

Now that funny episode did nothing to deter me from jotting reminders on a POST-IT...I still Place them Everywhere, mirror, fridge, car, next to bed etc....

I use more ACRONYMS now then before though.

Here are just a few Acronym POST IT's around my house now to get me ready for KM...

KM Time June 7- 8th ---- Kettle Moraine 100 Race

SQS - Short Quick Strides... I am getting better at shorter, quicker steps on my runs...conserves energy, helps me become a more efficient runner.

SU's & PU's - sit ups and push ups daily, help build the core...which Tom T promises will make a big difference at KM.

CIT, KFG - clock is ticking, Keep Focused Gentile

KMF, DYQ- Keep Moving Forward, Don't You Quit!

So any other Fellow POST IT Addicts out there?? Don't be shy!

Hi, My Name is BOB :-)

LiveStrong, Long & a few cold ones :-)

2008-04-27T14:46:00.008-04:00

OK Sorry Ladies but I am SOOOO not a fan of running in those short running shorts, just umm to much leg showing for me.

NOW ladies PLEASE continue to run in your Short Shorts or Running Skirts :-) I have ZERO problems with that -lol and no offense to the guys who like them, just not my style. Maybe I just played to much Basketball growing up in NJ .

Anyways, What TWO things do Lance Armstrong and I have in common?!

... NO not beating cancer & Tour De France Wins (amazing seven times in a row).

ANSWER: It's LONG Shorts when running and drinking a few cold beers with good friends... hey at least it's something right?!!--LOL

Let's compare our Long Short Styles.

Interview Question on if he wants to COMPETE in Marathons- LANCE Said: "(I) still like to go out and have fun and eat what I want and have a few beers every now and again. I don't want to cut that out in order to run faster.

CHEERS to my new bud Lance !

Pic courtesy of Jen (who ran Boston this year-Congrats JEN)
From Boston Marathon 08' this year, notice Lance's shorts and the dude next to him #1311 in those shorty shorts!!

Pic courtesy of Jen (who ran Boston this year) CONGRATS Lance on an awesome Race Time 2:50:58 and representing us dudes who love the long shorts look!!

Here is My long shorts look from the Palm Beach Marathon

Steppin' Up & "Long Shorts" Forward :-)
Now I just need to knock off an hour or so off my times and I can run with my new buddy Lance -- (((hmmm let me think about that ))) umm sorry Lance I will just catch up with ya at the Finishers Tent, save me a cold beer bro !