Rogue EQuipment

GRAND OPENING - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2nd

5-9pm

dj*cocktails*keg*appetizers*giveaways

500 San Marcos St.
between E. 5th & E. 6th Street

two blocks east of IH-35; next to Progress Coffee

You are invited to attend the Grand Opening of RoguEQuipment, a new venture from Rogue Training Systems & Bettysport.
Austin's alternative running specialty store.
Dedicated to all runners: road runners, trail runners, triathletes & all of the above.

A store & training facility built by runners, for runners & run by runners.

We are running.

El Sendero Coyote

or

Coyote Way

In October of 2001 my life changed. A marriage broke up, in Japan, & I returned to the States broken & purposeless. My brother & sister lived in So. California so I spent a few weeks there running & trying to put the puzzle of life back together in a place that was not home.

On one of my runs through the arroyos of Laguna Nigel I came around a turn & found myself face to face with a coyote. If you know coyotes you realize this is not a normal occurance. They are typically skittish around humans; they see or hear us coming & usually get out of the way. I was surprised to see the trickster on the trail in front of me. He looked me up & down then trotted off ahead of me down the trail. I started running after him. He'd turn back for a glance but I just kept my distance, trotting after the grey dog. We continued maybe a quarter mile before he strode into the brush & out of site. I continued on my run, not really thinking anything more about it.

Over the next few years I would remember that short encounter & it began to take on a deeper, more spiritual connection for me. It is very hard to describe accurately what El Sendero Coyote represents for me & I haven't really pushed to have it define anything...I just believe that I am on the path of the coyote I met in that California canyon. This is my path...I'll learn it's purpose along the way.

Bandera 100K

I'll save the drama: I FINISHED. I know there were some doubters & some believers about whether I would actually accomplish this goal. & I'll admit that I counted myself in both of those camps. It was ugly...but I finished. More importantly, through finishing, I confirmed a few things about myself. I knew these things going into this race but I came away from my 12+ hours on a very rugged course understanding a few basic lessons:

Lesson #1: I'm Stupid.

No training. I mean NO TRAINING...unless you consider 30 min 3x a week in Nov & Dec as training. My last long run was a 20M at Lost Maples in early October w/ Joe's group...where I got my ass handed to me.
I should not have started this race. Ruth thought (knows) I was loony-tunes...I didn't really let anyone else other than Joe know I was so under prepared. But I'd said I would do it. Committed at the Belt; committed with drunken verbosity on a number of occasions. So, in my view, I needed to pay the piper.

Lesson #2: I'm Weak.

I couldn't stick to a race plan I'd created. I got fired up less than a mile into the race. Then I realized I was being stupid & tried to create some kinda rhythm. Too fast into the first aid station (Nachos) but chasing the leader. Passed the leader into Chapas (station 2) but feeling "good". Starting regretting the early, ill-advised fast pace on the flats where I began to cramp & look over my shoulder. Absolutely crawled through Crossroads twice & over Lucky. I don't think I ran more than a mile from XRoads to Last Chance. Leader passed me just before Last Chance & I knew I was a goner: cramping of the back, quads & calves led to a significant shrinking of my testes. I'd quit at this point, then walked the last 4.5M over Cairns & Boyles back to the Lodge in over an hour & a half.
UUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYY.

Lesson #3: I'm Tough.

Being a novice ultrarunner, I'd always thought crews & pacers were for pussies. I found out otherwise at the Lodge. My crew let me know I was letting them, my athletes, my family, my reputation & my very manhood down in the strongest terms possible. I was not amused. I give thanks to Carrie, Leah, Claire & Abe for their support. I was done & they made me realize that going back out for another loop was a better option than quitting.
I went back out telling Abe, my "pacer" (more like "life preserver"), that we'd just get around the first bend & I'd start walking. Somehow I kept running...all the way back to the Lodge.

Thanks to the aid stations...

Nachos - (Bill & Co.) Thanks for electrolytes, agua & the Old 97's.
Chapas - (Noelle & Co. - at least on the 2nd loop) Thanks for the pain killers & vaseline.
Crossroads - (HCTR, B-A-B-Y!!!!!!) Thanks for perspective, chicken noodle soup & being a soft cushion for my crew.
Last Chance - (ASHA!!! Brothers (& sisters) in arms!!!!) - For Tecate, a seat & L-O-V-E!!!

Thanks to Joe, Henry, Mike, HCTR & anyone I missed.

I am deeply humbled by my first foray into ultrarunning. [Simple aside: 50K does not equal ultra. You must go over 50M to be worthy of the ultra moniker] I was/am humbled by the requirements for success, humbled by the humility of the "winners "& the confidence of the "losers"; but mostly humbled by my own ability to overcome. In the week or so since the race, I seem to have garnered some undeserved respect for having covered 62+ miles. I feel this is completely ridiculous. I think anyone can run/walk 62+ miles if they had to.

The thing is, we don't have to...& I think that is what I am proudest of.

Don't understand? Well then, I guess you need to run an ultra.

When I Paint My Masterpiece

Sometimes it just takes a just a moment, a little space in the crowding around us, to remember that we create our own lives. Circumstances, excuses, addictions, pleasures, pains & all the ephemera can't define a human being. How we respond to those happenings; how we act on the situations placed before us become the vision we see of ourselves & the projection we feed to the world outside us.

So choose the person you want to be...paint the life you want the world to see as your reflection & be disciplined enough, committed enough to that vision. Watch how quickly you become your own ideal. Do not paint in broad strokes, however, paint in all the details. Layer by layer, the grit, the guts; the grind, the grace, the grandstand. You won't get it right in just one sitting...keep adding to the canvas, redefining who you want to be & you'll become him or her.

You'll become your own masterpiece....or at least have fun trying.

Alright, So Maybe I Am...

...a quitter. When it comes to my own training, life intercedes all to0 frequently as an excuse. The express purpose of this blog was to self-publish a training log to help motivate my lazy ass into being consistent. It has been an unmitigated failure up to this point. I tell every athlete I coach that consistency is the foundation of better performance. If you don't do the work, you can't claim the prize.

I was tempted to just let this little doggie die...but that would just continue the vicious treadmill I have let myself fall off. I am just going to get back on damn it. Maybe when I fall off the next time I can get back on more quickly.

Out the door for a short 20 min spin in Old South Austin. It'll feel good to sweat.

I Ain't No Quitter, Damn It!

At the far end of the Greenbelt, sitting on a bench at the top of the Hill of Life (HOL), I am beat. Only 7.5 miles into a 15 mile run & I am looking for excuses to get a ride back to the start, skipping the final miles of trail. I only mention this to 2 folks, Carrie & Abe. Carrie, who is coaching the Pikes Peak group with me & has brought the water out to the HOL calls me a choice name but quickly adds that she too is a slacker. I agree with her...I saw her moseying down the trail after what could not have been more than a 30 min jaunt with her two dogs, George & Jack. At this point at the top of the hill all I could think of was coffee & the taste of a Trailer Park taco, trashy style. Then I think of Ruth...here is a optimal time to steal extra distance toward our Tussle in Tahoe! This doesn't seem to work as a motivator, either. I know it will after a few months & as we get closer to Bandera & Tahoe, but right now, at the beginning of this journey, I couldn't give a flying rat's ass. Finally, I think of the cool water crossings that will be all but gone in a matter of weeks. August & there is still water in Barton Creek... feel like I have to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity.
Sure, I am out of shape & another hour + will be painful but those glorious dippings at the 3-4 crossings ahead get my tail back down the trail.

Distance: 15 miles
Duration: 2:14:37
Location: Barton Creek Greenbelt - Zilker Access
TOD: 7AM
Week's Total: 3:51:09
Month's Total: ?
Weather: 80 degrees at start; light clouds; high humidity

2nd Run of the Week - Before & After

BEFORE
Pretty pathetic that this will only be my second run this week but as I said last time gotta start somewhere. Prepped with a beer & a coupla waters. Looking forward to getting out into the heat & steaming the pours clean with sweat & sunshine. Is it this blog that kept me accountable today or that I planned to run with Ruth?

AFTER
Gorgeous run...Greenbelt/Gus Fruh Access w/ Ruth/Lupi/Bala. Water at Gus Fruh is flowing clean & cool. Up to the chest on the left of the dam; quad height on the right. Out 360 Access & back. Hot but on the shady trail was great temp.

When I run everything seems right with the world.

Distance: Who Cares?
Duration: 30:01
Location: Gus Fruh Park
TOD: 6PM
Week's Total: 1:36:32
Month's Total: ?
Weather: 93 degrees; clear as a bell & gorgeously green