I enjoyed this book immensely. I only expected to enjoy it seeing it was a book that parallels my own passion about running. There were several points that stood out.

First was the history of the Leadville 100, a race I aspire to do someday. I’ve run the marathon and heavy half, and absolutely love Leadville and would live their instantly if I could. Second was the detailing of barefoot running. Next, I was intrigued by the few chapters on why we were born to run. These chapters were haunting similar to Why We Run. I also recommend that book for the scientifically inclined.

Lastly, the final chapter where Caballo reveals his life story and specifically his love for Melinda sticks out. Very touching when she left him for his fighting prowess. “He had just smashed a man’s face on National TV, and why? TO be great in someone else’s eye?” What a great question to ponder. I’ve thought about it a lot and I run not for someone else, it’s for myself. I feel good and enjoy it. I’ve also noticed that when I lose that focus, the enjoyment of running, is when injury creeps in. That can be said for nearly any physical activity and I think McDougal hinted at this several times throughout the book. Take the very next page after Melinda leaves him and he discovers running ultra with a Rocky Mountain Double win, he starts wondering about going pro. What happens next is he ends up in the ER after a bike accident. Now that isn’t an overuse injury, but it kind of hints at my conclusion.

Once you lose that enjoyment, you think of what you’re doing as work and all work inevitably results in injury over time. That’s my take on it at least.

I ordered a pair of Vibram Five Fingers a few months ago primarily for lifting. I was getting into heavier weights and shoes were absolutely a free ticket to screwing with my back and given my history, I didn’t need that trouble.

After lifting a few times with them, my feet adjusted very well. I did get a few odd looks at the gym since these things are just starting to work their way into the mainstream.

I have known about the benefits of a strong foot for several years. I used to always take my shoes off at the end of a run to walk about a ¼ mile back to my apartment. I also would walk around barefoot in the apartment to strengthen my feet. Then I started reading more and more about actually running barefoot, and then there was the Omaha Marathon last year.

This was my second marathon in as many weeks and I ran it slow (~4hrs). Early on a guy pulled up beside me with a noticeable absence – he wasn’t wearing any shoes. This marathon was on pavement too and I’m not talking Vibram barefoot, I’m talking nothing but the naked foot. A few months later I saw someone wearing the Five Fingers in the gym and thought they had just mistakingly thought rock climbing were the new fad.

The barefoot craze was setting in. Meanwhile, I was constantly getting lighter more mobile shoes for running. I used to look for cushioning and durability. I hated running on roads, so I always looked at trail shoes. I finally latched on to the Mountain Masochist by Montrail which had the perfect blend.

Back to my order…I was lifting all the time in them. 4-5 times per week and then I started to get some short runs in them starting with 3 miles. I gradually worked my up to about 5 miles and every run was a blast. It felt so free and fun. I was apprehensive about running any longer in them without letting my feet adapt a little more. That was until I read Born to Run. McDougall dedicated a few chapters to the topic of barefoot running and how it came about. I highly recommend the read for the background and more of the science. Regardless, the stories are highly motivating and motivated me out the door yesterday for an 11-mile run in the Vibrams.

I figured it was time to see how my foot would react rather than baby it forever in shoes. It was great. My feet felt a little sore from the pounding on the bit of pavement I had to endure, but when all was said an done, my legs felt almost refreshed at the end of the run. No aches or pains I normally feel with runs over 10 miles. I didn’t wear a watch, so I can’t tell you how fast or slow I ran, but it felt borderline effortless.

Its only been a few weeks of running this way, but I convinces this is the way to run. I hear about all the new shoe technology and even running methods like Pose, but honestly, running barefoot makes you run the way your body is meant to run. It haunting similar to Pose, but the difference is in shoes you actually have to make your body run correctly expending more energy. It may be a small amount, but its an amount none-the-less. Running barefoot makes this form of running a natural response thus no extra energy is expending trying to figure out which was is the best way to run. What’s that? I can run barefoot instead of paying to have someone teach me this method of running? Yes.

Eventually, I would like to go total barefoot and ditch the Vibrams or any other shoe. All-in-all an $85 Five Finger is cheaper than a $125 trail shoe with $20-30 in socks.

It may seem early to bring up this topic since everyone is probably in the heart of training for a big fall race, but trust me when I was that you should be weight training year-round as a runner to prevent injury. I fell into the common mistake of only lifting during the winter months only to find myself injured halfway through the summer because my muscles weren’t strong enough to handle the constant pressure exerted on them.

I have always used weight training to supplement my running and the benefits are innumerable, but the question is how should we weight train. The running community is split on how to weight train, but majority think that low weight high reps are the way to train to avoid building bulk or gaining too much weight. Well, recently I’ve been doing some reading on various strength training regimes to see if there was something out there that made sense because I have been doing the lower weights/high reps for years with little or no results as far as tone goes. My strength has pretty much plateaued. We all know that a runner’s goal isn’t really to max out on the bench press, squat or deadlift; rather we do these exercises because they strengthen some of the basic muscle groups we use in running. Throw the bench press out because that’s almost a worthless exercise – I mention it because of its popularity.

I’m not going into details of which exercises are the best because there are several opinions out there, but I will share some information that I came across that got me thinking. To build strength without adding bulk lift heavy and keep the sets to two and the reps performed on each set less than ten with five being optimal. I won’t get into the science behind it, but more reps damages the muscles more which could lead to injury, but also causes the muscle to rebuild itself and usually rebuilds it larger than before. It makes sense to me.

I want to think of this in a different light. The goal of weight training is building strength not endurance or cardio. That is what running is for. If the goal is strength, then why bother with higher reps and lower weights. I think the “common knowledge” of high reps/low weight came about because of that “runner’s mindset” of having to go longer, so we sacrifice weight to lift a little longer (i.e. more sets and reps). Use your weight training for what it was intended for (strength) and leave the endurance for long runs and cardio for short fast runs like intervals. The beauty of heavier weights and shorter reps/sets is that the time spent in the gym is significantly less and your muscles aren’t totally taxed, so you can enjoy a run afterwards. Heavier weights also have another benefit it that you are less likely to get injured. It’s true, you tend to concentrate more on form (provided you know the correct form) than using lighter weights, which let you sacrifice form for repetitions.

Finally view this argument form another perspective: you can’t build endurance by only running the minimum 20 minutes 3x’s a week like conventional wisdom dictates. Endurance requires longer runs. Same thing with speed. You can’t expect to run fast unless you run fast. So when it comes to strength training, don’t try to mix in things like endurance and speed and just focus on strength. You won’t bulk up, and you won’t get injured as long as you listen to what your body tells you. If anything, you’ll enjoy the benefits after a few short weeks of consistent training.

This just reiterates the importance of quality over quantity. Make the workout your doing do what it was intended to do (i.e. build strength, improve speed, or increase your endurance), don’t try to mix them up which “waters down” your intended goal.

I thought of this the other day as I biked down 385 in the Hills. See, I let my mind wonder on the bike too. Anyway, last year after the Flume Trail Race, I had a few runs I affectionately referred to as “junk miles” because I wasn’t getting ready for any race. Matter-of-fact, I was just passing time before taking some prescribed time off around Thanksgiving.

I’ve had this discussion with a few different people over the last year; Is there such a thing as “junk miles”. My thoughts are as long as each run serves a purpose, then there is no such thing, and every run does serve a purpose whether its physical, mental or spiritual, so one can conclude that there is never a time to call a mile and junk mile. Start assigning purpose to whatever you do and suddenly your attitude will change. The great Yogi Berra is quoted as saying, “90% of the game is mental, the other half is physical.” I see it a lot among people who workout, especially people who workout more than the average person, but not as much as an elite athlete. Say you had a bad run or weren’t able to run a faster pace like you wanted to. Well, that doesn’t mean it was a waste of time. There is an ebb and flow of good days and bad days, and it could very well be the purpose of your “off day” is to help you recognize something else like you ate something wrong, your not getting enough recovery, or your just burnt out.

Not to drag it on, but the last point, getting burnt out, is a common thing among runners and I think many of us fail to recognize the warning signs. When this happens, then you are putting on junk miles because your body/mind is telling you it needs rest and you are just forcing it to do something it probably shouldn’t be doing which will inevitably lead to injury.

Thanks for following me in my side-track, and back to my original thesis; there is no such thing as junk miles. This year, I took the pendulum and swung it to the other side of very few weekly miles and more intense workouts. Essentially I only ran to do a workout which makes one wonder about going for a regular run say around 60% MHR. Does it have any benefit? Yes, it does. Even though I’ve managed to get faster times this year on only a handful of miles per week, I could feel some limitations brought only by the lack of running volume.

The answer lies somewhere in between. An appropriate mix of interval training and regular runs in addition to some strength training and cross-training is the conclusion I’ve reached. It has been proven that increased mileage leads to more efficient running and intervals increase one’s V02max in addition to many other benefits. I have seen how the human body adjusts to the physical stresses we put on it and its fairly remarkable when you think about how adaptable it is. The trick is not to plateau.

Thats all it comes down to really. As mentioned before in this blog by Jessie Coy, Bill Bowerman said, “take a primitive organism, any weak, pitiful organism. Say a freshman. Make it lift, or jump or run. Let it rest. What happens? A little miracle. It gets a little better. It gets a little stronger or faster or more enduring. That’s all training is. Stress. Recover. Improve. You’d think any damn fool could do it, even….”. It seems like I always come back to this subject in this blog and thats only because I have been bombarded with other exercise regimes and specifically their claims to improve your running. My continual point is that it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you keep it simple - stress your body and let it recover which will lead to improvement. As far as junk miles go, there is no such thing as long as each run has a purpose.

Enjoy quality summer running in the Black Hills!

Leadville Colorado is not your typical Colorado town which is why I like it so much. Maybe I’m not giving Colorado enough credit because the towns we most associate with the Rocky Mountain state being the overcrowded towns of the Front Range and tourist traps along I-70. Leadville is nestled in the heart of the highest mountains in Colorado at an elevation of 10,152ft. The town has a rich history with names like Baby Doe Tabor and Doc Holiday highlighting it. There is a small Safeway grocery store and a Subway which are probably the only familiar names to an out-of-towner, so don’t expect a Wal-Mart, MacDonald’s or other big-names to great you. This is a small mountain town that hasn’t given into heavy commercialization which adds to its charm.

Leadville hosts a series of races over the short summer starting with the Trail Marathon and Heavy Half Marathon and concluding in late August with the 100-miler. Last year I ran the Trail Marathon and fell in love with the area, so I decided to return this year to run the Heavy Half Marathon. Not that I didn’t enjoy the full marathon – I just wanted to try something new and save my legs for more hiking in the Rockies afterward.

Race morning began like any other, with some mild trepidation waiting for the 8 am start. I actually slept very well the night before because I spent about week in the Rockies before the race adjusting to the altitude and just exploring. I wasn’t taking this race lightly with a solid ascent up Mosquito Pass at 13,184ft then turning around and returning to town for a total of 15 miles hence the “Heavy” in the half marathon. The race starts on Sixth Street in town and doesn’t waste any time running uphill to the dirt roads which would lead us up to the pass. I thought it would be chilly at the start and was greeted by mild temps and no wind. Regardless of the starting conditions, I still tied a light jacket around my waist and tucked some gloves in my shorts waistband in anticipation of windy and cooler temps at elevation.

The night before I watched some local TV program about the Leadville 100. An interview with one of the racers really stuck in my head that morning when he said, “you have to run your own race and not be concerned with the other runners.” Sounds simple enough, but for someone who is a closet competitor, it can be difficult to hold back when people take off with the fire of the gun. I just started running based on how I felt regardless of what was happening around me. I used to religiously start slow and “save energy for the finish” which I think was why I was slower in many races last summer. Running on feeling was something new I decided to try this year at the DMTM and it worked very well. It continued with the BHTR and I could only conclude that it would work again in Leadville.

I found a comfortable pace on the steady inclines and when things got too steep, I slowed to a fast-pace walk, and would kick back into my running pace when things mellowed out. It was important to be honest with yourself when running like this. My mentality was to “attack the incline.” I figured that if I got to the top in 2hrs, I could get down in an hour and change finishing somewhere between 3hrs and 3:30. I kept my head down most of the time to not get overwhelmed by the ascent, but every now and then, I forced myself to turn around and take in the scenery which was awe-inspiring. There is something special about being up there. It reminds me of that scene in the movie Dead Poets Society where the students have to stand on their desks to gain a different perspective. I think everyone of us who get that perspective, leave with something a little more in their lives.

I made it to the Pass in 1:40 a full 20 mins ahead of what I thought. It was windy and a little chilly as the sweat rapidly evaporated from my shirt. I thought about my jacket, but I decided to turn around quickly instead of loitering on the Pass. The final 3 miles up to the pass are very rocky and you really don’t consider it until you have to run down them. To make matters a little less comfortable, you have to negotiate around runners still ascending the trail, so you don’t always get the choice-route. You have to be very careful with foot placement. I knew this from last year’s marathon, so it came as no surprise. I cruised down the trail back to more stable trail/dirt road back into town. I could feel the excitement build the closer I got to town and when I looked at my watch guessing what my finish time would be. I was well ahead of 3hr pace and I could walk the last few miles and still beat that time. The course turns back onto Sixth Street after transitioning back to pavement for about the last mile. The last straight-a-way is always the toughest for me because you turn onto Sixth and can see the finish line about 0.5 to 0.75 miles away and it doesn’t seem to get any closer no matter how fast you run. I had some cramps at this point and had to stop for a brisk walk halfway down the street before powering through the finish line in 2:46:52.

Finish Line on Sixth St

The Leadville races come highly recommended from me. Rough terrain, high altitutude - give yourself a new experience.

There was a fairly large RC contingent out at the BHTR this weekend. I have included my story, but would like to get some other stories from everyone’s experience out in Big Horns.

 Wild & Scenic; I couldn’t have described it any better although I would throw in some other choice words while I was running the 50-mile (actual distance was close to 52 miles) race which was one of the most difficult races I’ve run in my short tenure as an ultramarathoner.

The 50-mile race started at Porcupine Creek and the Medicine Wheel Ranger station nearing 9000ft in elevation. The buses left Scott Park in Dayton (the eventual finish-line) at 4am to make it up the mountain for the 6am start. The first bus missed the turn-off and the other three followed. Thank goodness he didn’t drive off a cliff. Anyway, some minor backtracking led to a late start by only 5-10 minutes.

The first 18 miles were largely downhill to the first drop bag site at the third aid station, Footbridge. I will say that the first 18 miles were pretty slow because my knee was bothering me a little, so I decided to take it easy. Many people passed me and I grew a little distraught not knowing how things would play out later in the race. The other thing that bothered me about the first 18 was the mud – there was a lot of it and I was covered. I managed to trip on several rocks and roots but only landed flat on my face once. Ultras are about the small victories to keep you moving forward.

It was recommended to have a dry pair of shoes and socks in your first drop bag that I thankfully packed and they were ready for me at mile 18. I pulled into the aid station in a little over three hours. Now I really had no idea what kind of pace I would run given the difficulty of the course, distance and the fact that I haven’t really done any long distance running much this year outside of the occasional marathon. I had 12hrs in the back of my mind with maybe pushing for 11hrs if all went well. The first 18 were downhill, so I couldn’t tell much from that, but the next 3.5 were straight uphill. I had made the decision long before reaching this point that the best tactic would be aggressively walking/hiking this section. It worked like a charm. I passed several people and actually felt better than I did the first 18. The next 20 miles were a series of rolling hills on single-track punctuated by short steep ascents and descents all averaging between 7000 and 7500 feet. I distinctly remember two aid stations being on top of one of the aforementioned steep climbs and it seemed like a cruel trick meant to piss me off. People running ultramarathons go through various states of mind which we will touch on later and anger is just one albeit the most popular for some.

The hill that will haunt my memories has to be the Haul. I first saw it from a few miles away and noticed the single track zigzagging up it. “We better not be going up that thing,” I would say to myself. The course started veering left of the monster and I breathed a sigh of relief as I pulled into the Upper Sheep Creek aid station at mile 39. That relief came a moment too soon as one of the aid station workers explained to another racer that they had one more climb then it was all downhill pointing to the behemoth behind us. Some colorful language may have slipped out at this point since my inner-mologue vanished 20 miles ago.

One thing is for certain; “The Haul” did me in for the race although it wasn’t the uphill that did it. It was the descent after that butchered my knees till they felt like they were going to pop with every step. It hurt. The next three miles were steady downhill followed by steep downhill with virtually no flat areas to give the knees a break. The only break one could achieve would be to stop and take a seat in the grass.  I didn’t really take any breaks because I just wanted to get down as quickly as possible as to not prolong the agony although what slowed me down was talk at the next aid station of how hot it would be when we finally go to the Tongue River Road. There was still more downhill after this aid station with just over 2 miles to the Tongue River aid station and the hot gravel road the ensued, so I stopped and sat on a rock for about 2 minutes to hydrated and give the knees much needed rest before pushing on one last time. This was my low point of the race. I was hurting pretty bad, but I just wanted to finish and the prospect of running the last 6 miles in unbearable heat wasn’t attractive.

That brings us back to an ultra runners alter state of mind during a race. You get some weird thoughts permeating your mind when you are beyond fatigued. I remember during Lean Horse wishing a car would hit me on the dirt road so I would have a legitimate reason for stopping. Either that or breaking a leg. At mile 47 in the Big Horns, I had flashbacks. I ran in the middle of the road with the IPod volume high so I wouldn’t hear the car. I saw the “Caution Runners on the Road” sign that I considered kicking over so cars wouldn’t slow down from their normal speeds. There was a guy doing target practice with his bow and arrow, and I thought I could possibly anger him in some way that he would take a shot.

Pretty messed up, I know.

Thank my lucky stars the clouds blocked out the sun for much of the time I was on the gravel road, so it was nearly as hot as I thought it would be so I got a second wind and cruised on down the road everyone loved to hate towards Dayton and the much anticipated finish line.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the 52-mile part. I was running most of the race under the impression that it was a 50-miler as advertised. Well, at the Upper Sheep Creek aid station at mile 39; I also overheard the aid station worker tell the other runner that they only had 13 miles left. Was my GPS off, because I could’ve sworn 50 minus 39 equal 11? No, that wasn’t the case, so I had two extra miles to look forward to.

I pulled through the finish line in 11:42 and could be more pleased with how things went. It felt like I made the right decisions during this race and maybe flooding my race schedule year after year is starting to pay off with valuable experience. A bit unorthodox, but it works for me. My decision to cut my mileage drastically and focus on cross training and spadework has also seemed to pay off. After a rough marathon in March, I figured that I had the endurance piece down, so it was time to work on other aspects of running. Specifically strength and speed. So far I have run three marathons and one ultra all with only three long runs over 15 miles this year.

The course was beautiful - full of wildflowers and alpine scenery. I saw several moose, a few snakes, a marmot, and there was probably more wildlife lurking in the trees that I didn’t see. Would I run it again? Ask me after my legs stop hurting, but given the fact that runners have short-term memory when it comes to pain, I would say yes.

After the DNF in Wyoming, I was nervous about what DMTM had in store for me.  Last year I had trouble around the halfway point, vomited and walked most of the latter half of the marathon with twisting pain in my abdominal area.  Despite all of that, I was determined to finish this race, which is a dangerous state of mind for a runner to be in because you may risk injury to complete a race.

Back to race morning……I woke up at 430 to get stuff ready and started driving to Deadwood around 5am going through some good downpours on the way.  I wasn’t looking forward to running the full marathon in the rain, but luckily the rain ceased by the time the buses left for the start line.

The race started at 8am in Rochford with cloudy skies and temperatures somewhere in the 40’s. The conditions were almost perfect for a marathon. Today I was going to try a new race strategy. I started out running my goal pace and just keep that for as long as I could. This was my 3^rd DMTM so I was overly familiar with the course and location of the hills. The first half is gradual uphill so you don’t really feel it until around mile 20 or so. I was cruising along feeling great and really focusing on my form more than my pace. Another change to my race strategy was eliminating the use of gels and forgoing water stops until I hit the aid station around mile 16. A bit risky, but I was superhydrated at the start and base on my previous GI problems, I didn’t want to risk putting something in that would irritate things.

I was elated crossing the highpoint after Dumont, because it was largely downhill from there. I picked up the pace a little. My pace started to dwindle around miles 19 and 20 with a few rolling hills before the steep downhill around mile 20. I was able to get back into a good pace on the downhill section but I could feel fatigue building, but I love that part of the marathon. The last 6-7 miles are the longest normally and mental toughness is required to make it through. Finally, the course brought runners through Deadwood where my pace seemed to pick up again with more people cheering. I took a quick look at my watch to see that if I pushed myself, I could cross the line in under 3:40 which would be a course PR for me, so I pushed. I crossed the line in 3:39:14. I was more than happy with that given the DNF two weeks prior.

DMTM was my 14 marathon overall and 3^rd this year. Also, I would like to point out that DMTM is the only marathon I’ve run multiple times(3 total).  I think next year I’ll try the half-marathon. Now its time to get ready for the Big Horns in two weeks. 

DNF are the letters I am referring to of course (Did Not Finish). I had several races in the past that I’ve come close to not finishing, but struggled on to avoid seeing those letters by my name. This weekend was the first marathon that I voluntarily pulled myself out. One of the most difficult decisions I have ever made in the running arena.

The race was the Wyoming marathon just outside Laramie. The course is pretty unforgiving, but that isn’t the reason for my troubles. My legs felt fine and I felt strong. I’ve had problems in priors races with the GI track. Normally I get stomach pains in the latter stages of the race and I’m able to push through them to the finish line. Wyoming was different with all the pains starting at mile 5. I walked/ran the next 4-5 miles to the next aid station to officially withdraw myself from the race (the aid stations were minimal in this particular race). 

Those 4-5 miles were extremely difficult as I tried to justify staying with it, but the pain was too great. The hard part was waiting at the aid station for about 45 mins waiting for an available ride back to the finish line area. While waiting, I saw several people I was running with come back through after hitting the turn-around about 4 miles down the road. So as I sat there, I watched people come through thinking, “I would be right there if I just toughed it out!” 

I eventually got back to the finish area to turn in my number for accountability purposes. As I walked around the area, my stomach reassured me that I did the right think because the simple act of walking briskly, hurt pretty bad. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still not happy about what happened which is probably why I’m up late writing about it.

I am trying to figure out what went wrong, but really its not worth analyzing because I did several things out of the norm for this race which all likely attributed to it. Everything from the altitude, food, and mental state.

I have always preached that running all these races is about the experience more than a time or an overall placement or age group placement. I hope that I can use this experience to grow as a runner for other races. It is very difficult to come off a bad race and this isn’t my first bad race. The plus side is, I have no where to go but up from this one unless I DNF again which I came so close to doing at last year’s DMTM which is my next race here in a couple weeks.

If anyone has any words of wisdom, please share…..

I’ve been meaning to write this blog for a while and finally decided to stop procrastinating. I have seen many different fitness crazes come and go almost but not as frequently as diet crazes. Is there anything that makes one better than the other? My personal opinion is no.

Not to hit on these fitness programs because they do the job of getting people moving whom probably don’t have the self-motivation otherwise. Now I am starting to see workouts geared towards runners or more specifically endurance athletes. Running and endurance events take time, and in the fast pace society that we have created – time is precious. Many of the newer regimes advertise intense workouts for less time to achieve the same effect as training at a less intense rate for longer periods saving time. Seems simple enough, but there are some precautions there.

Take a look at CrossFit Endurance (www.crossfitendurance.com) meant to be combined with regular CrossFit workouts (www.crossfit.com). Both are pretty good workouts, but don’t appear to be anything special simply because they aren’t preaching anything new. Probably the most challenging part of any training regime is maintaining self-discipline to follow it. I have always contended that training and training regimes is not “one size fits all” which is why I experiment with numerous programs during the off-season and take away the little bits of each that seem to work for me.

The basics have always been there, speed, strength, and endurance whether you use some fancy training program or make something up for yourself. As runners, we seem to gravitate towards the endurance side of the sport more than the other two because it’s the easiest really – throw on some running shoes and go out. I’ve always used strength training for a bridge through the hard winter days. Speed has always been the aspect I avoided with some great success over the last few years, firmly believing that increasing my weekly mileage and long runs would do the trick. What I think happened with that philosophy is I trained myself to go slower than I was capable of.

My question for others is what do you do for training? Do you have specific goals? Do you follow a prescribed training program or do something on your own? Either way, how has it worked out for you?

First off, congratulations Joe for an excellent run in Boston. 3:15:41 is good anywhere, but with the big crowds in Boston, that is very fast.

I’ve always known the older runners in the Rapid City area were special, but as I travel around, it becomes even more apparent. In my travels, I often run races, and usually do fairly well in my age division (54). The one place I don’t fare very well is at home. Last year I ran a 5k in RC and finished 3rd overall, but second in my division. Randy Ericksen is a continuous thorn in my side. I’ve beaten him once, when he jogged and took video. He isn’t really what you expect to see when you think of awesome runner, but under that barrel chest beats a 200 hp heart.

Gary Haven is 57, and I rarely defeat him. Right now he is training for this summers Badlands Primal Quest. Most people are contemplating retirement when they reach his age, he is looking for the next big athletic challenge. Last spring Gary and Randy went to Colorado and ran a hill race. The race consisted of running up a ski slope, then riding the tram back down. This circuit went on for several hours. Wow!

Roger Heacock is another older guy who makes most younger runners look slow. While he doesn’t run as many miles as some of us, his talent and tenacity keep him close to the front in races. I’ll be glad to see Roger and Gary turn 60 in a couple of years, so I don’t have them in my age group. Fifty-nine year old Wally Little Moon is another runner I will not miss in my AG. While he doesn’t look all that impressive, I wouldn’t really know, I usually only see him from behind.

There are many other “Master” runners in the Black Hills worth taking note of. We seem to have more than our fair share. While I cannot name all of them, I would be remiss if I didn’t add Amy Yanni, Lorna Squyer and my hero, Elaine Doll Dunn to the list. I really don’t mind running against them however, they have their own age group and gender to contend with.

Oh, and my last race . . . a 5k in Monroe, WA was a 20:43, I finished 1st in my age group, and 2nd overall. Sometimes I really miss all those “OLD” guys, and sometimes not!

gary