Crossing the finish line after running 100 miles in 25 hours 15 minutes and 51 seconds.

Here is a clip of the race I found on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmI96VJ9UNE
I'm not in it, but it follows a racer called, "John", couldn't read his race #
to find his last name. But it shows the traffic we faced and John making it
to the finish line.

FINAL ENTRY
My thoughts and Race report on the Mother Road 100 Race.

Nov. 11 & 12th, 2006

100 miles in 25 hours 15 minutes and 51 seconds.

Honestly, it was faster than I expected. Had it not been for the best wife in
the world, and about a dozen pacers, it would not have been possible.
The first 60 were very easy. My body started to slowly break down after about
17 hours. Still, I expected more pain, so I guess the training with the extra rest
days peppered in all worked.

The plan was to hang with my OKC friends, Stan Carrier and Bill Myers
for the first 60 or 70 miles, let them go, then struggle in to make
the cut off. The temptation was to go out and hammer the first 50 but too
many experienced ultra runners said this was not a good idea, and to
just take it easy.

30 miles in, at the 1st check point the cheap scales (I recognized the brand
because they are the same scales I have) they read that I had lost 5 lbs. I
seriously doubted it. Somewhere before the 1st check point I got separated
from Bill and Stan. I met a sharp young man named Benjamin Finkbeiner. Like
me, this was his first 100 miler. We ran about the same pace, and I really enjoyed
his company. He had a sock change at an aid station and looked strong. I met his
mom, his sister, and later his fiance who is a basketball player at ORU.

I tried to pepper in some walks along the way to save my legs for later.


To pass the time we named the runners near us. Russell (a guy in gray cotton sweat
pants that looked like $10 Russell brand sweat pants that you buy at Wal-Mart ),
now I am not making fun of gray sweat pants, but not normally your first choice to
run 100 miles in. There was Texas Ranger (a tall walker with a rock solid steady pace),
the Vest (not too creative but it was some dude with a light blue vest), Ilene ( a female
runner who had an unique lean while running). None of this to be cruel, but this nonsense
helps pass the time when you are out running for 25 hours.

Ben and I hit the 50 mile check station in 11:17. I knew a final time of 23 hours was not
possible but the idea of hitting 24 was floating in the back of my head. Again, it was inexperience
there was no way I could keep this pace for another 50. Sadly, somewhere along the way,
at an aid station, we separated and again, I was alone. A day after the race, Ben e-mailed
me to say his knee was hurting and he had to drop out of the race somewhere around
83 miles. He's a good runner and I expect this won't be his last ultra.

By then my pacers were in the mix and just remarkable. A few signed up to run with me for one
hour but stayed out there all night!
My pacers were:
6pm - Emily Priddy
7pm -Terriann VanDeventer
8pm - Josh Lamb
9pm - Josh Lamb
10pm - Josh Lamb
11pm - Alan Karstetter
12am- Rick Tillery
12:30am - Beth Bernett
1am - Debbie Brewer
2am - Robin Hudson
3am - Marolyn Allred
4am - Marv Winters
5am - Marv Winters
6am - Cliff Murray
7am - Cliff Murray
Charley Willsey, Russ McCaskey, Jason Shackelford

Some of my co-workers who helped pace me during the night and morning:
Jason Shackelford, Russ McCaskey, Beth Bernett, Rick Tillery

We didn't exactly stay on this pacer schedule, but it was wonderful for them to
sacrifice so many hours just to help me over the finish line. I am very blessed
to have friends like these. Some rushed ahead to find hot chocolate, Beth and
Marv bandaged my feet, Debbie Brewer ran while holding my arm when I started
weaving, Charley Willsey kept me out of the ditches and his experience and solid
pacing skills very helpful to me late in the race, Jason Shackelford and Russ McCaskey
kept me entertained and laughing. Both have razor sharp wits and Jason even gave us
all football updates on OU, OSU, and TU. Jason ran the Tulsa Run along side
Erin Christy, then covered a football game, then did the newscasts that night, then
joined me running!.

Marolyn Allred is one of the kindest people I know. She ran some, drove some, and
even tracked down a burger to keep me fed. My cycling buddy Cliff Murray, who claims
he is not a runner, amazed me by running 8 miles. Not bad Cliff! He fit right in with our eclectic
group. Alan Karstetter kept me company and motivated, Josh Lamb had wonderful stories and
was a great pacer. Emily Priddy and Terriann VanDeventer were a pure blessing.
They both were positive and lifted my spirits. Rick Tiller wondered if he could train to
someday run a half marathon ran probably 25 miles or more. Hey Rick I think 13.1 is very
possible! A couple of days later Rick said he plans to do a half marathon in the
Route 66 Marathon! He's a stud.

A special thanks to Emily Priddy, Terriann VanDeventer, and Terriann's mom
who, at the last minute, organized, stocked, and ran the aid station east of
Kellyville. You guys are extraordinary. They fed, comforted, and even ran with
some of the weary runners to help get them on their way.

The person who helped the most was my incredible wife. She took care
of ALL of us, not to mention other runners. She was up for over 36 hours and
did not complain once. She drove ahead 2 to 4 miles and waited for me.
She popped out of the truck and rushed around to find anything I wanted.
From dry gloves, to mole skin, to Pedeolyte, she knew where to find it and
saved me. She even offered our hotel room to a friend's wife when this person
got sick, she found a place that sells hamburgers in the middle of the night, and
did support for other runners too. You are a wonderful person JoAnn. I owe
you big time for this one!

I was getting blurred vision the last 30 miles. It may have been the lack of
sleep or fatigue. Both my feet blistered too. Not to bad when one of your
pacers is a wrestling coach, he bandaged and taped #1 and #2 toe on my
right foot. About 35 miles later, the soles of my feet started to get large
blisters and Dr. Marv Winters and nurse Beth taped them up and that did
the trick.

Sure some things could have been done better by the organizers. It would
have been nice to have the roads marked better. I would have gotten lost
had it not been for my pacers who were constantly looking for the obscure
turns. Some of the original alignment on Rt. 66 was very rough. I stumbled
several times and had to be caught by my pacers. And the aid stations
probably should have been closer together and stocked better. Hot food
and fluid at night are very important. Having said all that, still it was an
amazing race. I cannot imagine all the logistics it took to pull this off. The
organizers worked for months and battled many obstacales to make this
one time event a success. Thanks guys for all you did! I know they will
hear from folks who a bad experience, just hoping they also hear from
runners who had a good time.

So many cool things happened. I got to visit with a guy who runs races
barefoot. Barefoot Ted finished the Mother Road. He is amazing.

I got a big hug from my buddy Ken Childress who had Kathy Sager-Hoover
as a pacer. Ken is a smart and experienced runner and had hoped to run some
with him, but we had our own race plans. The last 40 miles I kept expecting
Ken to pass me. Ken if you get into Western States, I would love to be a pacer
for you.

TATURs Brian Hoover and Alex Eaton were out on their bicycles encouraging
runners. Very cool and Brian helped organize what was by far the
most inviting and fun aid station. About 78 miles into the race you could
see a bright light about a mile away. It was Christmas lights and loud
music. It lifted my spirits and was so well stocked. There I saw my
fellow TATURs like Amanda McCollum, the amazing Johnny Spriggs,
and others. Sorry if I can't remember everyone as I was in a bit of
a fog by then.

My buddy Randy Ellis took off at the beginning and saw him in the
first 10 miles then he took off. Randy had a final time of 23:06 and
is an inspiration to me. I was so excited for Steve Huhn! He did a
great job and his wife Sarah crewed him. Would have been nice to
run with my brother Steve a few miles, but we never saw each other.

The last 10 were slow for me. With the help of my pacers, I picked off
about 5 or 6 runners. Several folks raced ahead to give me an idea of
exactly how far it was to the finish line. "Is it 3.4 or 3.6 miles?" That
probably seemed lame after running that long, but I needed to know.

Cliff Murry sprinted ahead to show me the last right turn into the
Carl's Jr. parking lot. Charley pulled off about 100 yards to the end
so I could have my little glory moment. I sprinted accross the finish
line and saw so many friends clapping and smiling. There were hugs
from many mentioned here. They gave me a belt buckle and must
have had a printer at the finish line because within seconds of crossing
the line, some man handed me a certificate with my name and time
printed on it.

Catra Corbet came out of the Carl's Jr. and gave me a hug. We
posed for pictures, and headed home. My wife must have been
exhaused but never showed it. What a day/night/day!

I don't remember all of it, and will likely update this later with more
details and pictures, but couldn't have imaged a better running experience.

Mother Road 100 it was worth every mile of training. What's next?
Please, let my feet heal first......

Final Results

___________________________________________________
Nov. 10th
Did live shot for the 5pm and 6pm newscasts from John Hargrove.
He is hosting the pre-race meal and meeting. The race is
tomorrow. Guess I will find out if I am ready. I've got to be careful
not to go out too hard and save my energy. I've got lots of
pacers and a solid race plan. We shall see.....
___________________________________________________
Nov. 9th
Yet another rest day.
___________________________________________________
Nov. 8th
Rest Day
___________________________________________________
Nov. 7th
Ran 5 miles in 50:00 in thick fog. It was great getting back out there.
Ran about 9 min pace the first 2 miles, then I power walked
the 3rd mile then ran the last 2. Russ McCaskey and Jason
Shackelford said they will come out and do a few miles with
me. That's very cool. As I write this the race is 3 days and
21 hours away!!!!
___________________________________________________
Nov. 6th
Yet another rest day. Will run some tomorrow. My buddy Cliff
Murray said he would come out and pace some with me! Cliff is a great
guy and that is fantastic news.
___________________________________________________
Nov. 5th
Work up at 4am and was so tempted to sneak in an slow
15. Instead I did some weights, then watched some t.v.
Goal today is send out more information to my pacers and
update the Mother Road forecast for the race's message
board. Tricky system, and it looks like the heaviest
rain may just be to our north. Sure hope so, I've been doing
a lot of praying about this one.
I have to run tomorrow, starting to feel like a sloth.
___________________________________________________
Nov. 4th
We worked on cleaning the house. Bought my race supplies.

Started getting everything gathered together on the dining
room table. I'll take a picture off all this before we pack up.
It sure takes a lot of supplies to run 100 miles. Just wish I
could find an extra pair of legs to take along.
________________________________________________
Nov. 3rd
Hard work day. My skip running this weekend and do two easy
runs next week. Right now the focus is on getting rest, getting my
stuff ready, and getting my pacer's organized.

I've got a good boss. He has agreed to let me off work on
Friday, the day before the race, if I will do two live shots for
our newscast from Arcadia. That way I can make the pre-race
meeting, meet some of the runners and get to sleep (yea right)
some before the start of the race the next morning.

Maybe I'll luck out and snag some interesting world-class runner
to interview on the newscast. I know Ken Childress hopes to
meet the amazing Catra Corbett.

It would be cool to meet and interview her. She's tatooed, outspoken,
funky, and an amazing athlete.This picture was "lifted" from her
web site.http://trailgirl.blogspot.com/ Eat your heart out Ken.

___________________________________________________
Nov. 2nd
Ran 10 miles in 1:35. Not sure how much I should taper. Have I
slacked off too much too soon? Honestly, I'm not really sure.
I know that I felt great, but do I have another 90 miles in me?
Working on my pacer list, and getting my stuff all ready.
Sure looks like rain Saturday. Hoping the storm system moves
north of us.
___________________________________________________
Nov. 1st
Had to work extra today. Will run tomorrow.
__________________________________________________
Oct. 31st
Rested
___________________________________________________
Oct. 30th
Ran an est. 7 miles in 1:06.
Met with Jason and Matt at the skate park and we ran on the west
side of the river. It was windy and Matt brought his dog Sam a
5 year old Weimaraner. A great running dog. Jason plans on doing
the Route 66 marathon. He did great.
____________________________________________________
Oct. 29th
Ran 5 miles in 46:15.
Was planning on joining Cathy with her Runner's World training
group but went to 21st and Riverside. I later realized she said
they were meeting at 31st and Riverside. So I waited until the
Tulsa Run training group started. The cold weather had the crowed
down to only about 25 runners. Lisa Butler lead the stretching and
then let the runners south at a blistering pace. I couldn't keep up with
her, so after about 2.5 miles I turned around and went back to the start.
At the post run drawing I won a Tulsa Running club hat. Worked in the
yard, napped then had to go in and do the late newscast.
____________________________________________________
Oct. 28th
Rested all day but feeling a little better.
____________________________________________________
Oct. 27th
Got sick at work yesterday evening and went home.
Have flu like symptoms. Will rest all day.
____________________________________________________
Oct. 26th
Ran 12 miles in 1:54:37. Light drizzle and a a good run.
Feel good and tempted to get one more long run in but we
are now 15 days away from the race. Talked the wife into
getting a hotel so she can, perhaps, get some rest during the
race, or at least not have to spend 30 hours in my truck
worried about me.
____________________________________________________
Oct. 25th
Left home at 6am to be on KOKL radio in Okmulgee. Will run
tomorrow morning.
____________________________________________________
Oct. 24th
Lifted for 30 minutes. Tomorrow looks busy, may not run until 26th.
____________________________________________________
Oct. 23rd.
Monthly mileage total 138. This year's mileage total 1394.
Ran 10 miles in 1:34:14. It was a three glove morning (If you know
what I mean)

This slow stuff is getting real old. My body is aching to get another long
run in. But it is too close to the race, need to rest this old fat body.
Seems like now 10 miles is like eating one chip, I crave the whole bag.
The race is in 18 days and I feel ready. Praying for cool, but not cold weather.
____________________________________________________
Oct. 22nd
Went to church (there should be a time limit for preachers) and then rested.
Had to work the weekend evening shift but will run tomorrow. Despite eating
like a linebacker, I've lost 4 lbs. in the last two weeks. Would like to dump
another 5 before the race.
______________________________________________________
Oct. 21st
Ran 10 miles in 1:38:52. Started at 6:15am and took it easy.
It was a little cold at the start and I overdressed again. Felt great. The race is
20 days away and I am ready.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 20th
Another long work day. 5:30am was at KBEZ radio, then did the evening
weather live from Octoberfest. Will run tomorrow no matter what..
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 19th
A long work day. Early morning radio, noon Rotory Club talk in
Okmulgee, then drove to Eufaula to do live weather for the 5 & 6pm.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 18th
Ran 10 miles in 1:34:55. Ran into the wind for the first half,
then a nice tail wind blowing me to the end. The cold front came in about
2 hours before I expected it, so my forecast high busted today!
Still had the best forecast in town, but was off by several degrees. I do hate
being wrong!!
Got up at 4am and was at KBEZ radio by 5am. Did the morning show
with Cindy Bear. She is smart, funny, and nice. Radio is a blast, and
I enjoyed it. Had time to get home, get my run in, then get to work.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 17th
A long day. Went to work at 8am. Shot 3 interviews in 3 cities for a story
we will air in November. Came back and did the 10pm newscast. Will run
tomorrow no matter what!
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 16th
Rested.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 15th
Rested. Have a very busy week scheduled. Hope to get in a few runs.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 14th
Ran 10 miles in 1:40:08 Did an easy 10 on the river trail. Didn't
track my splits but took it slow. Did a few quicker sprints but
mostly an easy pace. Saw the Fleet Feet training groups and
was suprised how many. Saw Charley, and saw Paul who was leading
his group on a bicycle. Charley is running the Chicago marathon next weekend.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 13th
Rested. Will run tomorrow.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 12th - Mother Road 100 is just 30 days away !
Ran 8 miles in 1:12:05. Wanted to pick up the pace some so I ran fast / slow
alternating miles. Fast being a relative term here.
Mile 1 - 7:56
Mile 2 - 10:24
Mile 3 - 7:43
Mile 4 - 9:55
Mile 5 - 7:39
Mile 6 -10:16
Mile 7 - 7:44
Mile 8 - 10:25
Somewhere embedded deep within my multiple layers of pre-packaged
cookies and medium Frostys there is a fast running inside of me.
Darn those Keebler Elves! Okay maybe not fast, but a 5th place
in my age group runner patiently waiting to get out. I think I would
like to focus on 3 or 4 marathons in '07, and hitting a couple of
10K races. This 11 min/mile pace stuff is okay, but I think I would
enjoy picking up the pace a little and running some shorter distances.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 11th
Lifted for 30 minutes. On the bike trainer for 30 minutes.
Will run 10-15 miles tomorrow at sub race pace. Need to focus
on my diet and hydration for the next 30 days. I want to drive the
course again and make notes.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 10th
Lifted for 30 minutes.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 9th
Rested.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 8th
Mom is doing better, but they are still running some tests
so see what's wrong.

Ran 50 miles in 9:41:31. Hit the trail at 5am. Did 5 of my
10 mile loops. Here are the splits:

Lap 1 - 1:50 - felt great
Lap 2 - 1:51 - felt real good
Lap 3 - 1:57 - at the end of lap 3 my wife met me at my
truck. She brought me a sandwich and our fat dog.
I changed shoes and socks. Felt good
Lap 4 - 1:59 - Felt real good.
Lap 5 - 2:05 - Felt good got a little warm.

One of those rare days where everything went right. I didn't
go running at midnight as I had planned. My wife asked that
for safety I wait until 5am. The rest made a difference. The weather
a little cool in the morning, and I left my gloves in the truck but
needed them. It warmed up by the end. I listened to a lot of radio,
a bluegrass show called "Into the Blue", a simple but very
effective church sermon from a good preacher from the 1st Baptist
Church in Muskogee, a gardening show, a country countdown
show, and more music.

I peppered in some walks for practice and decided that I will
will walk more during the race. I think I may need a stronger
headlamp, mine is not as bright as I will need it out on those
very dark spots along Route 66. We are just 34 days away from
the race and I want to go in fully rested.

Will probably buy another pair of good shoes so I can have
three pairs during the race. May also look at improved
insoles because of the hard surface we will be on.

This was not only my longest training run, it also set a PR for my
fastest 50 time. Ready to fully rest and recover. Plan to hydrate
well and sleep a bunch in the next 34 days....and of course,
pray for good weather on Nov. 11th. Need to contact and
organize my pacer's list.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 7th
Went to the Muskogee Hospital. Mom is in ICU. She was doing
better but her BP spikes when they take off oxygen. Saw
Debbie, Cheryl, and Madison.

Worked the fair booth Sat. afternoon. Even met a man who is
doing Mother Road. Nice guy, though I cannot remember his
name. Like me he is doing a 50 mile run tomorrow. I gave his
wife my e-mail address and hope to hear back from him. I'd like
our wives to get together and like to know how his run
went. I think he said he is from Checotah.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 6th
Had to go in early for a meeting. Did not get to run.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 5th
Rested
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 4th
Ran 40 miles in 8:40:26.
I have a problem. The race is in 38 days and I need a couple more
long runs. So.....
Stopped by Walgreens after work last night. Picked up some moleskin
to cover my blisters, some Pedialyte, Advil, and flashlight batteries.
Thought there was no way to get in a long run unless I get started early.
So I went home, changed, and hit the River Trail at about 11:45pm and
ran all night. Saw lots of skunks, three foxes, a drunk, and at about 2am
I suprised a couple who were making out on a park bench. Started at
Mile Marker 0 and did 4 laps that were 10 miles in length.

Lap 1 - 1:51
Lap 2 - 2:07
Lap 3 - 2:20
Lap 4 - 2:21


Oct. 3rd
Yet another rest day. I'll run tomorrow.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 2nd
Rest day. Mowed the yard. Blisters kept me from running.
_______________________________________________________
Oct. 1st
Rest day! Wore my boots yesterday to the Tulsa State Fair and wore
blisters on both my heels. This dumb stunt will hurt my training.
_______________________________________________________
Sept. 30th (Sept. mileage total 182 miles. I had hoped for 200)
Ran 20 miles in about 4:20. Time is estimated. I had told Charley
I would run with his marathong training group, so I met up with
him, Robin, Cathy, and Paul. We did a slow 4 miles then met joined
with the Fleet Feet Marathon training group. They did 16 slow miles.
A great bunch of folks. I really enjoyed running with someone to talk
to. For some, this was the farthest they had ever run, which was very
cool. They all did great, and I am impressed with all the different training
groups Fleet Feet has organized. Needed to run more, but had to get home
to do some work around the house. Need to get my final long run in. Will
do a 50 miler in the next 2 weeks before I begin to taper.
_______________________________________________________
Sept. 29th
Rest day. Will run tomorrow.
_______________________________________________________
Sept. 28th
Run 10 miles in 1:39:52. A cold front yesterday brought us some
gusty north winds. Nice tail wind going out then a tough head wind
back to the start. These rest days are really helping. I feel great.
_______________________________________________________
Sept. 27th
Rest day. Had to go in early work at 7:30am to set up for a morning weather
talk. Need another long run this weekend. MotherRoad 100 in 44 days!
_______________________________________________________
Sept. 26th
Ran 8 miles in 1:15:24. Ran the River Trail at about 10am.
Hit the first 4 in 36:29 then slowed some the second half. Left knee a
little stiff from Sunday's run, but otherwise felt good.
_______________________________________________________
Sept. 25th
Rest day.
_______________________________________________________
Sept. 24th
Ran 30 miles in 5:46:07. Hit the River Trail at 3am. Missed the 5 mile turn
around because it was too dark so I went to 6 then headed back. Did the
first 12 in 2:13:40. Changed sock, had a Cliff Bar and headed back out. Did
the second 12 mile loop in 2:18:42. Then did 6 more in 1:13:44. I was very
suprised to see Robin Hudson, Marolyn, Dave, Marv, and Boomer who came
by to run some. It was good running with friends. Felt good.
_______________________________________________________
Sept. 23rd
Rest day. Went to Weleetka to see family.

_______________________________________________________
Sept. 22rd
Ran 8 miles in 1:15:29. Had planned on doing more but got tired. Saw
Lisa Wei-Haas as she was finishing up a ride. She's an amazing athlete.
Storms kept me from attending Brian Hoover and Kathy's wedding. They are
both great people and I wish them a long and happy life together.
______________________________________________________
Sept. 20-21st
Spent time in Branson. Did not exercise. As soon as we got back in town,
I went to work to do storm coverage. 4 counties under Tornado Warnings.
________________________________________________________
Sept. 19th
Ran 20 miles in 3:57:09. Got up at 2am and ran along the River Trail. It was a
little cold and very dark with a south wind at 10-15 mph. I was a little tired
but it felt good to be running again. At mile 18 saw Charley and Robin
running. I was ready to get home for some sleep, but the legs were
well rested and 20 at such a slow pace was very easy. Left early
for Branson.
________________________________________________________
Sept. 18th
Though I needed to run. I went to Muskogee to see my Dad, my sister,
and my mom.

_______________________________________________________
Sept. 15th - 17th
Spent time at a radar software training session in Huntsville. Did not exercise.
_________________________________________________________
Sept. 14th
Ran 9.6 miles. Forgot to stop my watch, so I don't have a time.
Ran early at LaFortune Park. Saw Marv and Marolyn and another
lady running. Did 3 laps at a very slow pace. Left for Huntsville, Alabama.
__________________________________________________________
Sept. 13th
Ran 4 miles in 39 minutes. Had to drop off the truck to get some
work done at the dealership, again. Then I ran home and back.
Worked on the house mostly.
__________________________________________________________
Sept. 12th
Rest day.
__________________________________________________________
Sept. 11th
Ran 12.8 miles in 2:16:22. Hit LaFortune Part at 4:45am and did
4 laps. Saw Marvin, Boomer, and Marolyn. Marvin looked great
after his impressive Pocotello, Idaho Marathon.
__________________________________________________________
Sept. 10th
Rest day. Went to Norman to see Ashley and Andy. Did the 10pm news.
__________________________________________________________
Sept. 9th
Ran aprox. 12 miles. Ran about 7 miles then met up with the TATURs
for a 5 mile fund raising Poker Run. The money went to a YMCA. Brian
Hoover set it up and even made pancakes for everyone. You got a card
at the start then every mile or so, you get another card. The best hand wins
1st pick at a prize table. I had a pair of queens and came in about 5th place.
Got a nice running hat. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed running with some
fellow TATURs.
__________________________________________________________
Sept. 8th
Ran 9.6 miles in 1:26:07. Mouth is a little sore, but overall
much better than it was. Hit Lafortune Park early and knocked
out 3 laps. Took it easy and didn't want to over do it.

Lap one - 28:40
Lap two - 28:10
Lap three - 29:16
__________________________________________________________
Sept. 7th
Tooth is worse, I spoke at a noon lunch to the local International
Fellowship of Christian Businessmen and met Peter Enns. and some other
great men of faith. A good experience. Then a bad experience. I went to an
Endodontist for a root canal. Maybe he is new to dentistry or something, but he
hurt me and kept me in the chair for almost two hours and kept leaving the room
to go work on other patients. So glad that's over.
__________________________________________________________
Sept. 6th
Trouble in paradise. I have a tooth that has been hurting and it's getting worse.
Got worked in at my dentist and he said I need a root canal. Oh that's just
great news.
___________________________________________________________
Sept. 5th
Ran 12 miles in 2:01:28. Wanted to run in a different area so
I started at 51st and Riverside and ran south and turned around
after 6 miles. My spits were extraordinarily similar: First 6 in 1:00:46
and second 6 in 1:00:42. Very strange and very unplanned.
___________________________________________________________
Sept. 4th
Ran 10 miles in 1:51:27. Started at 4:30am to get some night training
in and got soaked. It rained the entire time. Heaviest was about
miles 3 - 6 where I heard some thunder. Had planned on 20 but got
chilled and the truck was too warm and dry so I decided to call it a day.
___________________________________________________________
Sept. 3rd.
Rest day. It's official- I hate paining. The house is almost finished though.
Heard from Marv. He finished in 4:48. Slower than he wanted,
but a great job.
___________________________________________________________
Sept. 2nd
Ran 16 miles. Met at 5:30am with Charley and a few others and
we did a slow 4 miles. Then met up with the huge training group from
Fleet Feet. Charley and Paul coach the M4s (made up of folks who
are training for a marathon, for some it will be their 1st) The group
ran 12 miles 2:32:30. I didn't time my first 4 miles. A nice bunch
and everyone was very friendly. Some TATURs ran the 25K course
up on Turkey Mtn., that would have been fun, but I had promised
Charley I would be there. Thinking about my buddy Marv. This
morning was his marathon in Idaho. Hope he did well. Anxious to see
his race report.
- Went out to dinner with Cliff and Debbie. Good folks and we
really enjoy being with them.
___________________________________________________________
Sept. 1st
No way to start a month, but I rested today. Was live at 5 & 6pm at
the TU game. Watched part of the 1st quarter. I'm not into football,
but it was exciting, and there was a huge crowd.
___________________________________________________________
Aug. 31st
Ran 12.8 miles in 2:05:11. (August mileage total 173.2 miles)

I started at 4:30am at LaFortune Park and got in 4 laps. First two were pretty dark.
I was surprised to see other runners out that early. What were they thinking? On the
3rd lap I foolishly tried to keep up with some high school cross-country team. After
about a mile, I felt whipped like a rented mule. The little skinny punks dropped me after
about a mile. I'm disappointed in my monthly mileage total, I had hoped for 200 miles.

Lap 1 - 30:43
Lap 2 - 33:34
Lap 3 - 29:51
Lap 4 - 31:02
___________________________________________________________
Aug 30th
Took a rest day. Will run tomorrow.
___________________________________________________________
Aug. 29th
Ran 10 miles - untimed!
Thought I'd do something I rarely do, not time my run. I dropped off
the truck at the dealership for some warranty work and took off for an
easy run. The man there asked, "ahhh do you need a ride?" Did 10 and
felt fantastic. Adding rest days to my routine really makes a difference.
My total mileage suffers, but I am going on 2 years injury free and
feel strong.
___________________________________________________________
Aug. 28th
Another rest day. Will run tomorrow.
___________________________________________________________
Aug. 27th
Rest day. I feel great.
___________________________________________________________
Aug. 26th
Ran 41.5 miles in 9:32:31.
We held our second Mother Road 100 training run. I did a full race
report on the Mother Road training section of this site.
___________________________________________________________
Aug. 25th
Rest day! Storm chances going up. Looks like a
long night and possible wet run tomorrow.
___________________________________________________________
Aug. 24th
Rest day! Getting gear ready for Saturday's long run.
Concerned about storms Saturday.
___________________________________________________________
Aug. 23rd
Rest day!
___________________________________________________________
Aug. 22nd
Ran 10 miles in 1:32:59
Wanted to do some intervals so I thought I would run a few "fast" miles
then mix in some run/walks on the River trails. So here's what happened:
Mile 1 - 8:00
Mile 2 - 8:16
Mile 3 - 8:11
Mile 4 - 7:50
Mile 5 - 10:03 (walk/run)
Mile 6 -13:26 (walk/run/stopped and visited with Duncan, a retired fire fighter/runner)
Mile 7 - 7:32
Mile 8 - 11:52 (walk/run)
Mile 9 - 7:51
Mile 10 - 9:54 (walk/run)

A fact that jumps out is that my speed is gone. Long after I finish doing ultras, I'm not sure
that it will ever come back. Still it's fun to pick up the pace every now and then. It felt good
but got me tired in a hurry. I need to rest some before Saturday's long training run. Will try to
hydrate, rest, and run little to no miles.
____________________________________________________________
Aug. 21st
Ran 10 miles in 1:50:09.
Met with Ken Childress at 5am and ran the River Trail. We saw
Charley, Robin, and Robin's friend and we ran a couple of miles with
them. They were going a little fast for us, so we let them go. We walked
about 100 yards every mile.

First 5 in 55:25
Last 5 in 54:44
____________________________________________________________
Aug. 20th
Rest day. Worked on the house.
____________________________________________________________
Aug. 19th
Rest day. Worked on the remodel and mowed.
____________________________________________________________
Aug. 18th
Rest day. Need to write my newspaper column and work on the house remodel..
Will run tomorrow.
____________________________________________________________
Aug. 17th
Ran 6 miles in 1:07:54. (August mileage total 89.4 miles)
Met with Charley Wilsey at 5:30am at 41st and Riverside. We've been
wanting to run together for the past few weeks. Took it easy and had
a nice run.
____________________________________________________________
Aug. 16th
Today was a huge day for us. My wife and I helped pack up and move my
son into his dorm at college. We've been thinking about this day for years.
A big mixture of happiness and sadness. 19 years has passed way too fast.

____________________________________________________________
Aug. 15th
Ran 10 miles in 1:42:34.
On the River, it was a little muddy from the overnight rain, so I ran mostly on the
asphalt.. Tried some more power walking. The cooler weather felt good. I could have
done better with some more sleep. My heartrate monitor stopped, so either I
need another batter, or I am dead. Not sure which.. Will rest tomorrow.

First 5 miles: 43:33
Mile 6 - 16:16 (walked the entire mile)
Mile 7 - 9:14
Mile 8 -15:26 (a faster walk)
Mile 9 - 9:39
Mile 10 - 8:23

A 50 mile training run is coming up in 11 days so I need to begin to taper.
_____________________________________________________________
Aug. 14th
Rest day.
Lots of storms a 13 hour work day.
______________________________________________________________
Aug. 13th
Ran 10 miles in 1:41:40
Ran on the River Trail. Saw Marv and his group finishing. Saw the folks
gathering for the Tulsa Run Training Session.

Mile 1 - 8:53
Mile 2 - 10:20 (mixed in power walks on all the slow miles)
Mile 3 - 10:41
Mile 4 - 8:56
Mile 5 - 11:50
Mile 6 - 10:16
Mile 7 - 9:44
Mile 8 - 9:20
Mile 9 - 11:12
Mile 10-10:06
______________________________________________________________
Aug. 12th
Ran about 6 miles.
Met up with the TATURs on Turkey Mtn. We hiked to the clearing on the east side
and watched the sunrise. We had a good turnout then walked down and ran some.
Mike Snyder took some of us on the 10K course for the upcoming Turkey and TATUR
run coming up on Sept. 17th.

Picture lifted from the TATUR website.

_____________________________________________________________
Aug. 11th
Rest day. Will run tomorrow.
______________________________________________________________
Aug. 10th
Ran 9.6 miles in 1:46:35.
Met Marv and his gang at 5:20am and did 3 laps at LaFortune Park.
Lap 1 - 35:44 Lap 2 - 34:08 Lap 3 - 36:41
Following advice from an ultrarunner who was looking over my training blog, I will
start doing more "power walks", in my runs. I've always done some, but she has me
thinking that I might want to do more. So today I peppered in a few hearty walks.
Met a friend of Marv, a guy known as Moose. A former ultramarathoner, who has done
Sunmart, Arkansas Traveller, and once tried Western States. I met and ran some with
his wife last month. They both seem like good folks.
______________________________________________________________
Aug. 9th
Rest day. A very productive day.
______________________________________________________________
Aug. 8th
Ran 20 miles in 3:43:07.
Hit the river trail at 4am. Went very slow. Felt pretty darn good. These rest days are
working for me.
______________________________________________________________
Aug. 7th
Crew came to begin working on our floors. This home remodeling project is really
cutting into my training. I'm getting cranky, so I lifted for 30 minutes and felt better. I
need a good long run tomorrow.
______________________________________________________________
Aug. 6th
Rest day. The family drove to Norman to take my daughter and son-in-law out
for a birthday dinner.
______________________________________________________________
Aug. 5th
Ran 5 miles in 54:42.
My son wanted to run ESCAPE FROM TURKEY MTN. It's a 5 mile run on mostly
narrow trails up on Turkey Mountain. There were about 160 people in the race. We
decided to go slow the first 3 miles, then picked it up some between 3 and 4 miles.
We agreed at 4 miles we would try to hammer. At mile 4 my son took off like a rabbit.
He's 19, lean, long legged and has good footwork on the rocks. I struggled to keep up with him,
but what fun. We could have had a much better final time if we had run faster the first 3 miles,
but I didn't know he was going to be so strong. We had a blast. There were many TATURs at
the race. Good time.

Left to Right: Ken Childress, me, Kathy Sager, Alex Eaton, my son Brian, and Kirk Van Fleet
Picture taken by Brian Hoover and lifted from the TATUR web site.

__________________________________________________________
Aug. 4th
Rest day. I had planned on running, but my son asked, "hey Dad ya' want to go fishin' today?"
So we went out to Lake Keystone and caught a few. A good time with a great kid. Will run tomorrow..
__________________________________________________________
Aug. 3rd
Ran 12.8 miles in 2:06:42.
Did 4 laps at LaFortune Park. Marv says it's 3.2 miles per loop but it feels more like 3.1.
Huge endorphin kick on the final lap. Heat was kicking in, but felt very strong.
__________________________________________________________
Aug. 2nd
Rest day. Voluntered with the Tulsa Weather Coalition. Took us about 4 hours to find
the adresses and install 5 air conditioners. This is a great program that helps a lot of folks
who are poor, the elderly, and the ill. Sure makes you thank the Lord for what you have.
__________________________________________________________
Aug. 1st
Ran 10 miles in 1:41:15.
Hit the trail at 7am, but the heat arrived before I got there. It was already 82
with a relative humidity of 64%. This time of year there is just no excaping the heat.
At 2am we were 86 degrees, 3am we were 85 degrees, and at 4am it was 84 degrees
with the relative humidity at 60%. Doesn't make much difference. To be more careful,
I think I will begin to use my heart rate monitor while exercising in this heat and not
do anything close to speed work.
Saw fellow Tatur Sarah Huhn out running. She said Steve has found some
hills out near where they live and has been running those some. Sarah and
Steve are good people. Check out Sarah blog site.
____________________________________________________________
July 31st ( July's Mileage Total = 170.1 miles )
My son and I drove to Arcadia and traced Route 66 back to Stroud. I took a lot
of pictures for the web site and hope to have them up in the next few days.
There are few shoulders to run on and many more hills the first half of the course. I
think the Mother Road is going to be a bit tougher than I expected.
_____________________________________________________________
July 30th
Ran 30 miles in 5:53:56.
Got up at 3am to beat the heat, but I tooted around and didn't get started on the
River Trail until about 4am. The first 10 in 1:47:41 and felt great! Wore the head lamp
to get some night practice in. Saw Marv and his cool dog Boomer. He had sent an e-mail
out and his group were running at 6am. I tagged along and ran a loop around Zink Lake
which I thought was 4.7 miles. Turns out it's only 4.5 miles. Felt just fine. Got back to the
truck after 14.5 miles and refueled. The next 10 miles I slowed some. The heat started
kicking in. Ran out of fluid and used the water fountains to make it back to my truck.
At 24.5 miles, I changed socks because I felt a "hot spot" where a baby blister was starting.
The last 5.5 mile was not good. I got hot and slowed down. I've not been tired while running
in a very long time. The heat was kicking my butt, and I was hurting. Couldn't wait to finish.
I got home, took a cold bath, drank a half gallon of Gatorade, and took a 2 hour nap.
_______________________________________________________________
July 29th
Well this is my longest stretch of non-exercise in a long time. I have been painting the house
every day, so I'm not just sitting around. But I will run long tomorrow. Had to go do the
5pm weathercast at the Talons Football game. They had me outside from 5pm to 6pm
doing the tailgate party. It was hot. Then they had me drive the weather truck inside
the arena and on the field. Talked some with the co-owner of the team, Henry Primeaux.
Seemed like a nice guy. The governer was also there, but I didn't go over to speak
to him. I stayed for a few minutes of action, felt guilty for being away from home on a Saturday
so I left. But what I saw was very interesting. Arena football looks like a lot of fun
and I would like to go back sometime and watch a whole game. Someday.
________________________________________________________________
July 28th
Have a morning speech to give. Spoke at the Marriott to the All State Queens (females)
They were selected from the schools who had All State Athletes. They were mostly
high school seniors and I had about 20 minutes. They responded suprising well.
I'm getting cranky, because I need a run real bad.
__ _____________________________________________________________
July 27th
Took yet another rest day. Had meetings then had severe weather that night.
________________________________________________________________
July 26th
Volunteered with the Tulsa Weather Coalition. We installed air conditioners
to the poor, sick, needed. It was fantastic and I plan to do it again.
_ ______________________________________________________________

July 25th
Took a rest day to recover.
________________________________________________________________
July 24th
Ran 12.8 miles in 2:17:41. That's about a 10:45 pace, due to the long breaks.
Met Marv at 5:20am at LaFortune Park. Ran with Marv, Marolyn, and Chris.
I ran only 4 laps and hammered the last lap. Didn't want to overdo it, so I quit.
___________________________________________________________________
July 23rd
Ran 3.2 miles in 30:12.
My son wanted to run so we did one lap at LaFortune Park. We peppered in a
couple of fast 200 yard intervals. He's much faster than me at short distances.
Marv tells me a lap at LaFortune is 3.2 miles not 3.1. Who am I to argue with Marv?
Didn't feel well in the afternoon.
____________________________________________________________________

July 22nd
Ran 21 miles in 3:49:01.
Met with Bill Myer at 5am along the River Trail. We ran into several Fleet Feet training
groups and Kathy's Runner's World training group. We did the first 10 in 1:44:17 then took
a brief break at our vehicles. Did another 5, back to refuel, then did about 6 miles over
on the west side of the river. It felt good. The cooler weather was great. Bill is a good runner
and plans to do Mother Road. We talked about doing Leadville together next year. We'll see.....
____________________________________________________________________
July 21st
No running. Took a rest day to get ready for tomorrow. Bought some new running shoes.
Sticking with my favorite Asics GT-2110. They are made well, comfortable, moderately priced
at $80, and they hold up to punishment.
_______________________________________________________________________
July 20th
Ran 6 miles in 1:02.
Met Charlie and Robin and one of Robin's co-workers at 5:30am on the River Trail.
We took it very easy. Charlie is recovering from injury.
______________________________________________________________________
July 19th
Ran 6 miles in 53:46.
My mind wanted to do 10 but my body said 6 was just fine. That's about
an 8:58 pace. Heat Warning still in effect and when I finished it was 89 with a heat index of 91.
Briefly saw and spoke with Sarah Huhn who was out running the river trails. Foolish girl. Doesn't
she know it's too hot to be out running?
________________________________________________________________________
July 18th
Lifted 30 minutes.
________________________________________________________________________
July 17th
Ran 9.3 miles in 1:48:30
Ran at LaFortune Park and got pretty hot. I walked quite a bit on the third lap.
A Heat Warning is in effect, so I should not be suprised. Ran into Marv and his gang.
Ran my first lap with Marv's friend, April Duncan, a nice lady who has three boys and a
good runner.
___________________________________________________________________________
July 16th
Ran 10 miles in 1:38:38
Waited until 7am to catch a little heat & humidy. Did just fine the first 8
then got a little light headed so I backed off.
____________________________________________________________________________
July 15th
Spent the day at the station's Deal or No Deal Auditions. About 4,000 lined up in the
sun at the Cherokee Casino. I met a lot of great people and got a nasty sunburn on my face.
_____________________________________________________________________________
July 14th
No running. Had a busy day.
_____________________________________________________________________________
July 13th
Ran 5 miles in 42:46.
About an 8:33 pace. Legs felt great after a few days off. Ran on the River Trail. Tried to do
a little speed work but tired very early. My heartrate got up a little too high so I walked the last mile
back to the truck.
Mile 1 - 8:32
Mile 2 - 8:27
Mile 3 -8:23
Mile 4 -8:34
Mile 5 - 8:47
Mile 6 - walked
_____________________________________________________________________________
July 12th
Lifted 30 minutes.
No running. More storms expected today.
Will run tomorrow no matter what happens.
_____________________________________________________________________________
July 11th
No running. Another 13 hour day at work. Lots of severe weather.
_____________________________________________________________________________
July 10th
No running. A long day of severe weather. Left work at 1:30am
_____________________________________________________________________________
July 9th
No running. Recovery day.
_____________________________________________________________________________
July 8th
Ran 42 miles in 9:37:34.
We met at 4am at the McDonalds in Stroud and ran the Mother Road 100 course
to Sapulpa. It got hot the last 4 hours. It was great! I got a little dehydrated towards
the end but felt fine otherwise. My sweet wife, and our dog, spent the entire day
keeping us well supplied. Randy Ellis's wife and daughter were also a huge help.
Planning on another training run in late August or Early Sept.
I will work towards making sure I have pacers to run with me the last half of the
race in November. More details later....I'm tired and going to bed!
____________________________________________________________________________
July 7th
No running. Took a rest day to get ready for tomorrow.
____________________________________________________________________________
July 6, 2006
Ran aprox. 6 miles in 57:55. Went out to explore the trails at Lake Keystone.
Some very tough hills, some sand, lots of spider webs, big mud holes, and a huge stray dog who
was as afraid of me as I was of him. It was a blast ! I'll definately go back. Sadly some folks
have dumped garbage out there. What a shame. There are many trails I've yet to run there.
Will rest tomorrow to get ready for Saturday's big training run on Route 66.
_____________________________________________________________________________
July 5, 2006
No running. Went in early to work on a story that airs Fri. night.
_____________________________________________________________________________
July 4, 2006
Ran 9.3 miles in 1:38:21. That's a slow 10:34 pace. Went to LaFortune Park
at 6:50am planning to meet Bill Myers, from OKC, but never found him.
Ran into Marv, Marolyn Allred, Chirs Philips, and Debbie Brewer. They were just
finishing a run before I started. Knocked out 3 slow loops. Went to friends house for
dinner.
_____________________________________________________________________________
July 3, 2006
No running. Started painting the dining room. Plan to run tomorrow.
_____________________________________________________________________________
July 2, 2006
No Running. Went to church. Worked on the remodel.
Drove down to Stroud and took pics of the Mother Road 100 course.
_____________________________________________________________________________
July 1, 2006
Ran about 9.5 miles. Met at 4am on Turkey Mtn. with some TATURs.
We did a couple laps on the trails. The pre-dawn running was a blast. If you've
never done a night trail run, I highly recommend it. Ken led us most of the
way. He knows the trails....even in the dark. The weather was just perfect.
A great workout with some great people!

June 20, 2006
Got a scare. My mom was sent to the hospital with chest pains. Went to the
Muskogee Hospital to visit her. They ran a bunch of tests on her heart and wanted
to keep her overnight then run more tests tomorrow.

Had a TATUR meeting, and Marv and some of his friends there said they were
going to pray for mom. Brian Hoover, our organizer, has some cool upcoming races
planned.

June 19, 2006
Worked on removing our wood flooring. Got a great workout on my back, arms,
legs, and shoulders. This remodel will take about another 4 days to get all our old
floors removed.

One of the greatest days of my life! Our sweet daughter was married.
The wedding was perfect and we could not have picked a better son-in-law.
We got to enjoy it with many family and friends.

We got there about 8:40am and I thought I would
try to retrace the yellow "ridge" trail I had run
a few days earlier. I told him before we left that
we would likely get lost, and I kept my promise.

Somewhere, somehow, I took a wrong trail and we got
lost, which was fun. We finally found our way back
to the parking lot and did about 70 minutes. We hit
it pretty hard so I would estimate we did about 6
miles. We were covered in sweat and had dust/dirt
covering our lower legs. He was lean and very strong.
All his weight lifting, rock climbing, and exercise
has made him very fit. It was a great run, and
even though I was tired from the 18 miles the day
before, and had little sleep, it was a blast!

Brian said he would volunteer to be one of my pacer for
my big race in November, and we both talked about coming
back and doing some more miles out here together.
I'm going to have to get in better shape if I want to
push him.

I'll sit out a couple of days to let my old fat body
rest and recover, then I'll hit it again.

We got in two easy laps. The conversation was great. Cindy
and Marv are good folks. Marv met up with some ladies from
his church he runs with. They wanted to go very slow, so
I ran two more laps with Mandy McCollum. Mandy is ex-military,
a very hard worker, smart, and a great runner. She had done a long
mountain bike outting the day before and was a little tired.
After two laps she had to stop to go into work. Ran 2 more
because I was feeling good. A total of about 18.6 miles in
3:35:50. That's about at a 11:35 pace. That suprised me,
because thought we were running a lot faster. Too many stops
at the vehicles. That's a problem with a short looping course.
Feel great.

His funeral was this morning. Saw a lot of old co-workers and friends and said
goodbye to one. He was a good teacher. Smart, kind, but knew how to make
you feel at ease. Sad, that it takes a funeral to get family and friends together.
Brad was a class act and I look forward to seeing him in heaven someday.
None of us are promised a long life. Brad's life was productive and meaningful
he made a difference.
"Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life."
by Bertolt Brecht

May 16th, 2006
Ran 3.5 miles with my son. Brian wanted to go trail running so we headed
out to Lake Keystone and found a nice trial. Muddy in spots, some sand, and
it was great. He ran pretty fast, but we got a good workout.
That evening went to the 2nd meeting of the TATURs Randy Ellis was the
guest speaker. He is amazing. Author, Christian, Ultra-runner, and all around
nice guy. He retraced Andy Payne's cross country Bunyon Derby run of 1928
and wrote about it in a book called Running with Payne. He was a great speaker
and has a kind wife also. I'd love to run with the guy someday.

May 15th, 2006
Ran 10 miles in 1:33:01
Peppered in a couple of fast walks. Gusty north winds made the 2nd half
a little tougher. It's gonna be a good day. Got my run in and a bowl of
Frosted Mini Wheats and it isn't even 9am!