Whats been going on with me!?

So.... My original plans for this year included running a 24hr race this weekend, and next month running the Sri Chinmoy 6 day race back in New York.

As I said, those WERE my plans, but after a couple injuries, battling being sick, and now a servere case of apathy, I just havent been running. Instead, I've been focusing on my "photography."

I went up to the 24hr race anyway, to take some pictures and to cheer on my friends, in hopes that I may be inpired by being around fellow Ultrarunners again, but still I feel a little Apathetic.... How do the rest of you stay inspired to run even though you may not feel like it?

I mentioned I took some pics at Pacific Rim 24hr this weekend..... I will be posting them soon, but here is a prieview of whats to come. If you want any of the pics, email me, and I will send you the full-size image.

NATIONAL TEAM FOR 2008 WORLD 24-HOUR RUN CHAMPIONSHIP

As I write this, I will express my remorse to all those to whom Western States did not pan out; and if you did not already know, I'ld like to bring your attention to the face that the Grand Teton Races will be offering discounts to some of those who cannot participate in Western States this year.

For more information about this, go to "Note To Western States Runners"

Now back to my post.....

Yesterday, the AUA (American Ultrarunning Association) announced the members of its 2008 National team, this is the article:

"The 6th Annual World Championship 24-Hour Run of the International Association of Ultrarunners will be held in Seoul, Korea on Oct. 18-19 of this year. U.S.
National Teams have performed well at the event, usually finishing among the top 5 national teams and making the team medals podium twice. The highest individual American finishes in the world title event's half-decade history were achieved by Stephanie Ehret (3rd in 2005) and Phil McCarthy (4th in 2007). This year will mark the second time the event has been hosted by an Asian city. The 2006 World 24 Hour was held in Taipei, Taiwan.

This year's National Team includes
the following members:

WOMEN
Connie Gardner, Medina, Ohio
Debra Horn, Shake Heights, Ohio
Jamie Donaldson, Freeport, Pennsylvania
Carilyn Johnson, El Paso, Texas
Laura Nelson, Woodstock, Virginia

MEN
William Allen, Prince Frederick, Maryland
Scott Jurek, Seattle, Washington
Dean Karnazes, San Francisco, California
Phil McCarthy, New York, New York
Roy Pirrung, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Alex Swenson, Vashon, Washington

TEAM MANAGER
John Geesler, St. Johnsville, NY

TEAM MEDICAL ADVISOR

Dr. Andy Lovy, D.O., Kirksville, MO

Gardner, Horn, Johnson, Pirrung, and McCarthy were automatic team selections by virtue of their top 3 finishes in the Ultracentric National 24-Hour Championship in November 2007. Donaldson, Nelson, Jurek, Karnazes, Allen, and Swenson were selected by virtue of their rankings in non-championship qualifying events in the previous 18 months. Pirrung, at age 59, for the fourth consecutive year becomes the oldest athlete ever named to an open National Team in the sport of Athletics. He is the only runner to have been selected for all 6 of the 24-Hour Run National Teams since the World event's inception in 2003. Pirrung won the inaugural U.S. National 24-Hour Run Championship in 1988, then again in 1991, and has finished second in that event for the past 3 years.

The team's Medical Advisor, Dr. Andy Lovy, was recently honored by the American Osteopathic Association as one of the "Great Pioneers in Osteopathic Medicine."

The team is sponsored by apparel manufacturers Sport Science and Injinji. The team is coordinated and managed by the American Ultrarunning Association."

Pacific Rim 24hr

Well I went into the race with high hopes, I wanted to aim for 200k within 24 hrs, but that wasn't going to happen.

Steve Walters picked me up at about 6:50 to carpool up to Longview, approximately 61 miles away. We chatted about our goals and how we would achieve them. In order to achieve my goals, I wanted to complete the first 50k within 5 hrs, 50mi within 8 hrs, 100k within 10.5 hrs, 100 mi within 17hrs, and finish the day with over 200k. Steve wanted to finish 50k in 5.5hrs, 50 mi in 10hrs, 100k in 12hrs, and 100mi in 20hrs to finish the day with 105mi. (4 marathons)

When we started, I was close to the front along with Steve for the first couple miles, but the front runners were rookies running too hard to last, so I slowed up and let them run ahead. I watched in dismay as Steve took off with them and I thought to myself, "He'll regret that later! My goals are higher than his, why is he running 8:30 miles!?" When I finally was close to him, I reminded him that he needs to take walking breaks, or there's no way he'll last the night. I also tried to warn the other front runners, Fred and Jamal, but only Fred listened and later thanked me, saying that my advice saved him. Jamal, on the other hand, ran hard and fast and dropped out at mile 41.

In spite of the fact that Steve and I ran together, took it easy, and made sure to walk a little bit of every lap, we crossed the 50k mark in 4:52:44, a PR time for both of us. I was on track to achieve my goals, and Steve was over 30 min ahead of his. It was at about four hours into the race that my left hamstrings started to cramp a little, so I slowed up a bit and stretched my leg out whenever I could.

Between the 50k and 50mi mark I slowed even more because of the cramping, but made sure to take in as much water as possible along with some salt tablets. We stayed together, virtually stride for stride, and finished 50mi in 8:33:33. I was now a half hour behind my goal, but Steve was an hour and a half ahead of his. At 8 hrs into the run, I noticed something even more disturbing than the cramping earlier; although I was taking in a lot of liquids virtually every lap, I hadn't needed to use the bathroom since before the start, and I wasn't sweating hardly at all, except for salt that is. At this point I also became nauseated and my stomach was in turmoil. It seemed I could take in no more food or water, or if I did, I would promptly throw it up. I knew I was in trouble if I couldn't take in any calories.

Steve and I slowed more. At this point I was struggling to keep up with him even though we were taking two walking breaks every lap. My nausea didn't seem to get any better, my strength was failing, I still wasn't sweating or going to the bathroom in spite of all the fluids I was forcing down, and I was becoming more and more worried about my well being.

I decided that if I still wasn't able to use the bathroom by the 100k mark, I would walk out the 63rd mile and rest to see if I could get things straightened out. However, by the 100k mark (11:28:15) I was still having problems, so I alerted the race officials that I was leaving the course, and I went to take a nap. Before I got to the car to sleep, Olga showed up along with some other runners who had been running up at Chukanut and she gave me some sage advice: stop on salt and drink a lot more water. It made sense, I thought I had taken enough salt, by this point I had probably overdone it on salt and that could have caused all my problems. I took her advice but still went and took my nap. I rested and rested, but it wasn't until 7am the next morning (23hrs after I last used the bathroom) that I was once again functioning "normally."

I didn't run any more, and I really hated having to pull out of the race, but at least I got 3 PRs out of it. I watched the other runners finish, and Steve was able to achieve 107 miles for 5th place. First place went to Tim Englund with 121miles!

We got back to Portland and I went right to bed for some more sleep. I woke up a couple hours later and went to my Church's Evening service, followed by a meal with some friends at Laurelwood Pizza Co. I had the Davide's Special Calazone. A great way to recover after having some digestive / intestinal issues I know. ha ha. I'm all back to normal and ready to up the training to take vengance on this run at Ultracentric in November. I WILL do better! Lord willing.

24hr World Championships Announced

JUST ANNOUNCED!!!

* 2008 24-HOUR RUN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP*
SEOUL, KOREA, OCT. 18-19, 2008

The Selection Process for the US Team also has been announced....
(Excerpt from http://americanultra.org/)

SELECTION PROCESS FOR 2008 U.S. NATIONAL 24-HOUR RUN TEAM:

The 2008 World 24-Hour Run will be held in Seoul, KOREA on October 18-19, 2008. The U.S. national team (up to 6 men and 6 women) will be selected as follows:

(1) Each of the top 3 American men finishers from the 2007 U.S. National 24-Hour Run Championship (Ultracentric 24-Hour, Grapevine, Texas, Nov. 17-18, 2007) will be selected to the team if he achieved a minimum distance of 135.0 miles. Each of the top 3 American women finishers from the 2007 U.S. National 24-Hour Run Championship will be selected to the team if she achieved a minimum distance of 120.0 miles. (NOTE: This Part 1 of the 2008 team qualifying process is duplicated exactly from the previous year's National Team qualifying requirements).

(2) Remaining positions on the men's and women's teams will be filled based on 24-hour performances on certified (or otherwise known to be accurate in cases where certification is impractical) courses or tracks, in rank order, achieved between Nov. 17, 2006 and May 5, 2008.

(3) Once team members have been notified of their selection, and acceptance confirmations have been made by the athletes, public announcement of the team members will be made as soon as practicable after mid-May 2008

Ultracentric Recap...

Ultracentric is finished, new National Champions have been determined, and all of it has taken its toll.

There were great conditions at the race, save the 80-degree temperatures, but that was kept in check by a cool breeze off the lake. The race was well organized, and the main aid station was well stocked, and the food was good. I liked the music also, but it was a little loud. Also the two hills on the course seemed to grow throughout the day, but really I can’t complain about the course.

I know that even when I am healthy I am not the best, but I was coming into the race with a stress fracture, and still (stupidly) tried to set a pace that would have placed me in the top 3. I had my leg wrapped, but 4 hours in (25miles) my leg began to hurt more than I have experienced ever before. I slowed, yet refused to pull out or sit down, and in the next two hours I was able to painfully complete 9 more miles for a total of 34 miles at the 6-hour mark.

The pain continued to increase throughout the run, and forced me to slow even more so that the second 6 hours I was taking 2 walking breaks every lap around the 2 mile loop instead of a single walk break every 6 miles or so. I finished a mere 27 miles that second 6 hours to put me at 61 miles at the halfway point. At some point during that second 6-hour period, I felt my toes get wet. I knew exactly what it meant; at least one of my blisters had popped, and when I checked my feet after the race, I was able to confirm that.

I continued the run, and eventually I could not get myself to run at all so I reverted to a power-walk and it worked well. I was passing people right and left while power walking, but eventually, even that became too painful. At 18hrs 6min 2sec I completed my 84th mile on my stress fracture. That last six hours I had run I had only been able to complete 23 miles, a far cry from the 34 I had done in the first 6. My overall average pace up to that point was 12:56.

I felt if I were to continue at that point, my leg would have shattered, and I would rather have only 6 weeks to recover as opposed to 6 months. I didn’t want to quit though. I decided to take an hour-long nap and see how I was feeling afterward. My cousin woke me after an hour, and my leg felt no better than when I laid down. I decided then that it would be in my best interest to drop out at that point. I was satisfied with 84 miles in 18:06:02 on a broken leg. I also set three new personal records in the race: 50k in 5:22:30, 50miles in 9:19:26, and 100k in 12:08:09. Two more PRs if you count 34 miles for my 6-hour, and 61 for my 12-hour. I guess I can’t complain about breaking previous bests.

One other thing, which afflicted me, was extensive sunburns. As I write this, my back and shoulders are covered in blisters. I started out the run in sunscreen, but it must have sweated off, and I didn’t even feel any burning sensation until long after the sun had gone down.

Even though it hurt, I know there were others who experienced trouble during the race. My friend Dane Rauschenberg for one ran into problems when he couldn’t keep food down and therefore wasn’t taking in enough calories to keep going; yet he ran an amazing 70 miles. I know what he is capable of and I’m sure he’ll be back. You can read his account of the race on his blog. http://danerunsalot.blogspot.com/2007/11/ultra-centric-recap.htmlI know the heat (80 degrees!) took a toll on several others who pulled out before the race was scheduled to be over; 37 of the 84 runners stopped early.

As much pain as I am in, if I could sign up right now for next year, I would. The pain pales in comparison to the relationships created, the sense of accomplishment, and lessons learned during the race. As far as the relationships are concerned, the races almost feel more like family reunions than competitions. Although every ultrarunner is by nature incredibly driven, we are less competitors and more comrades when we come together.

My cousin Don noticed this. He told me he wasn’t certain about how he would be perceived by the other runners because of his inexperience. He was, however warmly welcomed into the community, and said he had a great time running. He was running the 6-hour event simultaneously with the second 6 hours of my run. He amazed me; as everyone else began tapering two weeks before the race, he started his training. He only ran 4 times in preparation for the race, and never longer than 9.3 miles, however he was able to achieve 33.25 miles in the six hour race which was good enough for 5th place. It seems he’s a natural, has been bitten by the ultrarunning bug, and will be back soon on the circuit. With that talent he showed, maybe I should be the one crewing for him!

I’ll get some pics posted up soon, but until then, keep running.

Tim Lawson

Ultracentric This Weekend

Well, I leave tomarrow for Dallas Texas to compete in the National Championship Race.... and my shin is in pain!

I have rested, iced my leg, wrapped it, and it all seems for naught because the pain yet remains!

I will push through though.... there will be hourly updates on Ultracentric.net where you can track my progress Nov. 17th to Nov. 18th, 9am to 9am Central Standard Time.

Wish me luck! and that my leg won't splinter!

I'll have a writeup posted on Monday.

Tim Lawson

Ultracentric! Just Around The Corner!

In about a month from now, I will be taking off from the Portland Airport to head to Grapevine, Texas, to run at Ultracentric, the 24hr National Championship Race. Quite frankly, I'm nervous!
The race will be run on a 2.4mile out-and-back course, and the goal of the race is to see who can complete the most miles in 24hours. I know people say this is crazy, but at least to me, it is exhilarating! I get to push my body to my breaking point to see just what I can handle, (and then come back next year and see if I can improve.)

One argument I have heard is, I will burn myself out, but when the fastest people in the world are in their 40's and 50's, its hard to pay much heed to that warning.

Others of you may ask, "will you rest?" or "what will you eat?"

As far as rest is concerned, I plan to walk approximately 5 minutes of every hour, even when I feel fresh at the beginning of the race. The body can recover quite a bit during 5 minutes. I do, however, want to run the other 55min, and not stop at any point of the race (I know this is a lofty goal, if not nearly impossible); its all about relentless forward progress. I will also bring a cousin along with me to encourage me once my spirit has been beaten out of me, and yell at me whenever I slack off. ha ha.

And as far as sustinence, I know the race will be providing salty snacks, fruit, sandwiches, soup, oatmeal, and pasta, along with two types of sports drinks and water. I can rely my cousin to help me out also by getting food ready for me so that I dont have to slow down too much when I have some momentum going.

I know it sounds boring, but there will be several world class runners on the course, and live music much of the race, and once the music is done, my mind will be so far gone, it wont matter to me. It will take all of my concentration just to take the next step and not fall over.

I know that just the experience is worth every bit of effort and money I put towards the race, even if I don't, which I probobly won't, come back with prize money, or having qualified for the National Team. Thats right, I said prize money.... $26,500 worth! but check out what each runner would have to do in order to get a piece of that!

I have been doing a fair amount of training for this run, but I feel like I need to get back to it now and work some of these jitters off.... and as long as I'm at it, I should get rid of this belly also. ha ha.

Until next time, keep running!

Tim Lawson