Your Family magazine

Last month, my wife Christina and I were interviewed for a local Dane County, WI area magazine “Your Family” on an article for endurance training. Low and behold, we made the cover story! Our boys even got in on the action:

 

The article can be viewed online at: 

www.unifiednewsgroup.com/content/2013-fall-your-family

 

Surrounded by Shoes

A local photographer came by for some shots for an upcoming article on endurance training. Thought you might enjoy seeing some of his favorites:

Christina and I surrounded by running shoes (Brooks for me and Saucony for her).

Here we are with the boys (Chase - 11, Cruz - 9, and Dash - 7) in front of the house. With a house full of boys, Christina needs a PINK bike. 

Oh, we are always so giddy and kind to each other in the kitchen...making each other recovery shakes after a good workout (hahahahahaha). All seriousness though, CarboPro products rock!

I always imagined when I got two treadmills, that my bride and I would run many miles side by side in the basement workout room. But alas, this staged shot from last night is the only time this has happened :-). (And yes, I do have the entire bobble head collection from "The Office")

 

 Ever wondered what type of award you would get if you won a 200 mile trail run? A tree stub with a hammer!

Christina Dexter's 2013 Ironman Lake Placid Race Report

The Dexter family was in Lake Placid, New York a few weeks ago while my wife Christina competed in the Ironman triathlon (swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles). What follows is her humorous race report. I thought you might enjoy reading it.

Here’s my list of learning experiences from Ironman Lake Placid 2013:

1)     Lesson Learned: Challenge your Anxiety Disorder. The day before Ironman is when you drop-off your bike & transition bags. I do not recommend this format:

Step 1 – take a trip to the nearest ER with one of your children who is in terrible pain with an ear infection.

Step 2 – get halfway there and realize neither you nor husband have wallet (no insurance cards and no money) so drive back home.

Step 3 – realize by the time you drive back and head out again you may not fall within check-in time. So leave Cruz with Ryan and now make plans with Ryan’s brother and sis-in-law to drop-off Ironman gear.

2)     Lesson Learned: All Ironman Swim Starts are Scary. I have now experienced an IM mass swim start, rolling 1^st come/1^st serve swim start and rolling self-seed/projected time wave start (like a marathon start – gather in chute next to sign w/your projected swim time) where you sprint into the water from the beach (Lake Placid was changed from a mass start to this format this year). Here’s my assessment of the various swim starts.

            Mass Start (IMWI, IMAZ)   Rolling 1^st Come (IMKY)   Rolling Wave (IMLP)

Placement:            chaos                                       chaos                             chaos

Overall swim:     feels long                                 feels long                      feels long

Beat up:                  yes                                           yes                              yes

Bottom line is they’re all tough in different ways. I think Ironman is leaning towards the Rolling wave/projected time start to be ‘safer’ as people have died during mass starts. However, this particular format at Lake Placid is 2 loops. So we run out of the water to the turn around and go back in. Therefore, I don’t know how much ‘safer’ it was for individuals in later waves as the 2^nd loop was completely littered with people so they were swum over anyway… I think the ideal scenario would be this type rolling wave start but an out and back course.

3)     Lesson Learned: Don’t Think You’re cool. After my experience at Kentucky (I didn’t realize I needed to basically spend the night in line to get a good swim placement start -1^st come/1^st serve), I was DETERMINED to get a good spot at Lake Placid after I heard format was changed to ‘rolling’. Naturally, I assumed that meant it was the same as Kentucky. So we set our alarms for 2:45 (totally normal) and were down at the swim start by 3:30 a.m. … 1^st IN LINE!!!! Soon, others arrived and oddly they were there because of Ironman Kentucky experience, as well… WE WERE ROCKSTARS!! It wasn’t until right before the actual start that we realized people were gathering under projected time signs and we were going to run in from the beach. The 6 of us that had been standing there for hours felt pretty stupid … good thing we were 3 hours early!!!!

4)     Lesson Learned: Don’t Make Fun of Others. In the past I’ve always been entertained by people ‘warming up’ before an Ironman. I would say, “I’ve got all day to warm-up!” haha. HOWEVER, when the swim start is a sprint off the beach, it is probably necessary. I didn’t expect the sensation of the heavy arms/legs that probably happens from the surge of blood when you are SPRINTING into the water from the beach (I’ve had this happen in sprint races before but never in an Ironman. Not a good feeling entering a 2.4 mile swim). THIS would have been a good day to warm-up! Standing for 3 hours isn’t enough activity…

5)     Lesson Learned: It’s Good to be King. The Pro’s at this race had such an advantage! We were not allowed to swim on the inside of the buoys (we kept buoys to the right; pro’s had buoys to the left). So not only did they begin 10 minutes early- their course was shorter and they didn’t have mass amounts of people to swim over! I think from now on I will enter the pro division (J). Don’t get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoy being elbowed in the face and constantly whacked on the back (note: wetsuits are really worn for their armor-like properties), but a long swim with the entertainment of watching other fend for their lives might be nice!

6)     Lesson Learned: Challenge Your Anxiety Disorder…More. 2 years ago I wrote about descending the hills on my bike reaching the speed of 50 mph. Now add rain …

7)     Lesson Learned: Always Be Colorful. If you can’t be fast. Be colorful! Last year I bought a new bike that is pink camouflage. My old bike is silver. Color brings conversation! Even if the conversation is as simple as, “nice bike!”, I will take it! The bike portion is loooonnnnnggg for me and as an extrovert and “social exerciser” it’s like sensory deprivation for a psychological experiment (proceed to #9 to gain greater insight to this). 

8)     Lesson Learned: Perspective is Everything. Funny … looking back at my IM Lake Placid report from 2011- I felt so great during the event. I thought everything was just wonderful & not terribly difficult…Including the hills on the bike course. This year … the hills were MOUNTAINS! Lol! The bike course was HARD! Lol! The run course was HILLY! … I’m fairly confident the hills didn’t grow. And Lake Placid is the 2^nd oldest Ironman out there. I think the course is the same!

9)     Lesson Learned:  pain + isolation = Christina crazy. The people in my head have lots of interesting things to say over the course of several hours on a bike feeling not-so-good. Here’s some examples:

      “…is that a hawk? It looks like a dinosaur.”

“… is that a car next to me? Nope, it’s my shadow…”

“…big wheels keep on turning … proud mary keep on burning …and we’re rolling …”

“…maybe I will flat. Maybe I can purposefully bike over something so I can flat … damn, Ryan’s family drove a long way to come to this… they would be disappointed …maybe if I fell over this rail into this pretty lake”

“…If pink were a smell, what smell would it be?”

“…what if a boulder slid down this mountain and took me out...?”

“…Boulders… What the HELL was I thinking when I registered for Ironman Boulder next year??!!!”

10)  Damn! I’m not gonna win! Kidding, of course! About mile 40 on the bike, my legs started cramping/seizing. In the past, I’ve seen people on the side of the road rubbing their legs from this, but had never experienced it. Now I have! Yay! I’ll never know why – my nutrition plan was going smoothly. Who knows? You never know WHAT will happen on Ironman day!

11)   Lesson Learned: PowerBar Perform drink STILL gross.  Enough said.

12)   Lesson Learned: REALLY Don’t Make Fun of Others. I’ve made jokes about things I’ve seen during the run but I’m fairly confident I’m on someone else’s top 10 list of funniest things seen. Due to the cramping of my legs, every time I came upon a hill, I would take both hands and poke myself very hard in the origin of the hamstrings (a.k.a my ASS) to prevent them from locking up. So, essentially I spent a good portion of the marathon grabbing my own ass. I didn’t actually realize that I was doing this until a volunteer in a golf cart pulled up beside me and asked, “are you okay??”

13)   Lesson Learned: Always Appreciate Others. I’m always thankful to volunteers during any race. On a day that was in and out of rain downpour during both bike and run, those volunteers had a ROUGH day. At least the participants were moving! That being said, you know you’re in pretty bad shape when going thru an aid station (run) and a volunteer says, “Here. Take this water. You REALLY look like you need it!”  I did not feel encouraged.

14)   Lesson Learned: It’s Good to be Loved : Ryan walked/talked me thru the barren portion of the ‘run’ (complete with downpours).Therefore, the poor guy experienced emotions equivalent to PMS on crack: Tears when my legs would cramp; anger when he’d say something like, “if you would just run a little now, you could still do a ___ marathon” (cant take the competitiveness out of my hubby!); joy when the marathon numbers finally entered the 20’s; frustration when the marathon numbers finally entered the 20’s;  laughter as he’d draw my attention to something peculiar happening around me that I’d otherwise not notice. Anger when he’d say, “only __ miles to go!”. I suppose this made my ‘normal Christina’ moodiness seem not so bad! Haha (I haven’t asked him if it seemed the same … )

I will always say that every finish is a GREAT finish and I feel blessed to be able to do these. I certainly didn’t feel as fabulous as I did 2 years ago when I was there. However, crossing the finish line after dealing with cramping/seizing legs all day was certainly just as gratifying!

Madcity 100K Race This Weekend

I don’t want any of you to think I have retired for running after my Barkley experience a few weeks ago.

I will be competing at a 100 kilometer road race (about 62 miles) this weekend in my hometown of Madison, WI. This is a race I have done a few times before and is actually the US National Championships at that distance. A lot of ultrarunners do not prefer running on asphalt, so there are not a lot of runners competing (actually only 15 of us). I’ll be wearing #7.

This is a 10K loop around a nature area (arboretum near the University of Wisconsin campus). www.madcity100k.com 

The race starts at 6:30 AM tomorrow morning and split times for each loop will be listed in real time at: www.runrace.net/findarace.php?id=13110WI1&tab=a5&runumbr=7#sPrt

I am hoping to run a very steady race of 54 min per loop which would give me an overall finish time of around 9 hours. This would be a 20 min PR for me at this race. I usually go out way too fast and peter off in the end. I’m hoping age has made me smarter.

I hope you are all doing well and the recent events in Boston certainly put all this into perspective.

All the best -
Ryan

My Barkley Experience

Barkley is hands down the hardest endurance event I have ever participated in. I did not even make it around 1 loop. My mission was doomed from the start. After I had trouble keeping up on the uphill climbs with you some of the runners (yes – I need to be a better packer - I was carrying 2 packs).  I realized I had the map but did not have the written directions as to the book's locations. I was able to kinda tag with others and find the first 8 books. I was alone on the climb up to Indian Knob. Ended up at the highest knob and thought maybe the 9th book will just be there. Little did I know that the book was inside a “cave”. I may have been on the wrong knob – who knows. I thought I’ll just wait for someone else to come – waited for about 45 min...no one. Thought – I don’t have this book – I won't be allowed to continue. 

In hindsight I should have just followed the route anyways. But I decided to run about 1/10th of a mile to where the “marked” trails get close to where I was and run them back to camp. I ended up getting disoriented and somewhat lost. After about an hour of running around in what seemed to be circles to started to get a little dark. I seriously started freaking out and thought I was lost and had know idea where I was now on the map. I have never experienced anything like that. 

Once I got my wits I made a plan, the highways are around the park and I knew if I just set my compass to SE I would run into them. I crossed some Jeep roads and was very tempted to take them but stayed on task. I just figured I if I can only make it to the Highway at least I would know I can get back. What a feeling when I escaped the woods and found the road. 

I ended up about 1 mile from where the Highways intersect. Ran the final 10 or so miles on the road in the rain back to the park. I thought someplace might be open to call and let the crew/family know I was OK. But everything was closed as it was after 9 PM at this time. I also considered knocking on someone’s door but feared being shot. Nothing could have prepared me for this...I had to see it with my own eyes.

My local paper The Verona Press just ran a story in the April 11, 2013 edition on my attempt at the Barkley Marathons: 

Following the 2013 Barkley Marathons

Friends -

I am leaving shortly for TN to run the Barkley Marathons. The race will begin sometime between midnight and noon on Saturday.

We will try to update as much as possible through Twitter. The loop is about 25 miles long and will take around 10-12 hours to finish. The updates will be few and far between but we will update as much as possible. I know there is one place about 2/3rd of the course that my crew can come meet me.

1. Point your web browser to http://twitter.com/dexterpunisher
- No need to sign up for the service just go to the web page and manually refresh it to check for updates

2. Go to http://dexterthepunisher.blogspot.com/ and watch the twitter badge for updates. The badge will update automatically

3. Not going to be by your computer but still want to follow along?
- Go to Ryan's Twitter page at http://twitter.com/dexterpunisher
- Choose to "Follow" or text “follow dexterpunisher” to 40404

- updates will be delivered to your phone via text message

Demah will be with me and can be reached on his cell at 608-239-3941. He can also get text messages. Just say who you are.

The following note is from the race and is a general way to follow us.

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Dear all,

To get race updates during upcoming Barkley Marathons there are many options including:

1. Follow @BarkleyMarathon using your Twitter account;

2. Go to www.barkleymarathons.com and read the twitter feed on the right hand side of the page;

3. Go to Twitter and search for @BarkleyMarathon and see the tweets there.There are several ways to follow the Barkley Marathons while we are competing.

What is the Barkley Marathons?

From Wikipedia: 

The Barkley Marathons is a 100 mile run and a 60 mile 'fun run' held annually in Frozen Head State Park near Wartburg, Tennessee in late March or early April.

The course itself, which has changed distance, route, and elevation many times since its inaugural run in 1986, currently consists of a 20-mile (32 km) loop with no aid stations except water at two points along the route and the runner's parked car at the beginning of the loop. Runners of the 100 Mile version run this loop five times, with loops three and four being run in the opposite direction and loop five being runner's choice. Runners of the 60 mile 'fun run' (considered to be harder than Hardrock) complete three circuits of the loop.

With 54,200 feet (16,500 m) of accumulated vertical climb, the 100 mile run is considered to be one of the more challenging ultramarathonsheld in the United States, if not the world.

In addition to running, competitors must find between nine and 11 books (varies per year) and remove a page from each book as proof of completion.

The cut-off time for the 100 mile race is 12 hours per loop, and the cut-off for the 60 mile version of the race is 40 hours overall, which averages out to approximately 13 hours and 20 minutes per loop. Since the race's inception in 1986, only twelve runners out of about 700 have completed the 100 mile race within the official 60 hour cut-off (Mark Williams 1995, David Horton and Blake Wood 2001, Ted "Cave Dog" Keizer 2003, Jim Nelson and Mike Tilden 2004, Brian Robinson 2008 (55:42:27), Andrew Thompson 2009, Jonathan Basham 2010, Brett Maune 2011, Brett Maune 52:03:08 (new course record), Jared Campbell 56:00:15, John Fegyveresi 59:41:21 for 2012). In 2006 nobody finished even the 60 mile 'fun run' in under 40 hours. The best women's achievement is Sue Johnston's 66 miles (106 km) in 2001. More than 30 competitors failed to reach first book (two miles).

The race is limited to 35 runners and usually fills up quickly the day registration opens. Potential entrants must complete an essay on "Why I Should be Allowed to Run in the Barkley." The race starts at different times each year and is signaled by the lighting of a cigarette.

The course was designed by Gary Cantrell. His idea for the race was inspired upon hearing about Martin Luther King, Jr's assassin James Earl Ray escaping from prison, and making it only 8 miles (13 km) after running 55 hours in the woods. Cantrell said to himself "I could do at least 100 miles." Thus, the Barkley Marathons was born.

The 2013 Barkley Marathons

This Easter weekend I will be joining about 35 other runners at Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee to compete at The Barkley Marathons. The following is from the "unofficial" website for The Barkley Marathons:

The Barkley is considered one of the toughest 100 mile races in the world. It has 59,100 feet of climb (and 59,100 feet of descent), more than any other 100 mile race, more than the 33,000 ft. of climb at Hardrock, and more than the 45,000 ft. at Nolan's 14. Since the race began in 1986, only 13 runners out of about 900 have finished within the 60 hour cutoff. (That's about a 1% finisher rate.)

The following video from Andrew Dunlap provides a great insight into the race: 

Charlie Engle also provided a great article along with videos in an article for Runner's World. 

Barkley is going to provide me an opportunity to live life right at the edge to it's fullest. By God's grace I will be the 14th finisher. 

David Goggins breaks world record for the most pull-ups in 24 hours

As a follow-up to my post a few months ago about my friend and fellow endurance athlete David Goggin's attempt to do 4,000 plus pull-ups in 24 hours. David set a new 24-hr world record this past Saturday with 4,025 pull-ups and did it in 17 hours.

Congratulations my friend!

This was David's third attempt at the record of 4,020 pull-ups. After his first attempt David offered the following advice which provides some awesome encouragement from a wonderful God-fearing man: "You can fail, as long as you get back up again. I've failed plenty of times, but I just keep going. I’m just an ordinary man. I’m David Goggins, a guy who never gives up, who believes that any man or woman can push beyond their own limits with the right combination of will, focus, determination and discipline.” 

Brooks

I am super excited to once again be part of the Brooks Inspire Daily (I.D.) Program for the 2013 season! Although I have exclusively worn Brooks Shoes for the last seven years of running, this is my fourth year of officially being a part of the awesome Brooks Team!

My go to shoe of last year was hands down the Brooks Racer ST 5:

It weighs practically nothing but still gives me enough support so my feet don't hurt. If you are looking for a good shoe that you can wear in training and in races, check it out. I currently have over 600 miles on the pair I am still wearing.

David Goggins World Record Pull-Up Attempt Using CarboPro

Navy SEAL David Goggins Tackles World Record for Most Pull-Ups, Raises Money for Children of Fallen Special Operations personnel

Check out the man attempting a world pull-up record in the NBC studio!

On Thursday, Sept 27, Navy SEAL David Goggins will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the “Most Pull-Ups” in a 24-hour period while also raising awareness and funds for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a top-rated nonprofit organization that supports the families of fallen and wounded Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps Special Operations personnel.

His efforts will be covered by the TODAY Show (NBC), where a pull-up bar will be installed into the studio and they will monitor his progress throughout the show and again on Friday morning for the finale. The current record for the number of pull-ups is 4,020 by Stephen Hyland at his personal gym in Stoneleigh, UK, on July 23, 2011.

If anyone can break the record, it is David Goggins. As a Navy SEAL, ultramarathon runner, Ironman finisher plus veteran of numerous other endurance races, he is someone who not only enjoys a good challenge, but often puts himself into situations that he doesn’t like. Often times he pushes himself to extreme limits raise funds for a nonprofit organization he is passionate about, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

In 2005, several of Goggins’ fellow Navy SEALs were killed in a helicopter crash during a mission in Afghanistan. To honor them, Goggins vowed to raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which ensures a full college to the children of fallen special operations personnel. Goggins rationalized that to raise money, he would have to do something extreme, something phenomenal— something incredibly painful.

So, he went online and “Googled the 10 hardest events in the world.” That is where he found the Badwater Ultramarathon, a legendary 135-mile race through Death Valley.

In 2006, with little distance running under his belt, he finished the Badwater and gained much attention from the running world. Although he admits he “hates running,” he continued to push himself by competing in other ultra-marathons to raise awareness for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, while also honoring the sacrifices of his fallen brothers.

In 2008, Runners’ World magazine named Goggins a “Hero of Running” for his philanthropic efforts.

Goggins will appear on the Today Show from 8:00 am – 8:30 am (EST) when he kicks off his 24-hour period of pull-ups. The Today Show will monitor the pull-ups and have the finale on Friday between 8:00 am – 8:30 am.

To show your support of David Goggins, visit online http://www.firstgiving.com/pullupsforSOWF

IronMan Louisville (Christina is a 5X IronMan)

This past weekend the whole family packed in our van and went to Louisville, Kentucky for Christina's IronMan Triathlon on Sunday. I was so very proud of her and her effort. My wife is not only an amazing athlete but more importantly a beautiful person inside and out. She never takes herself too seriously, so the following is her race recap. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just wanted to share some after-thoughts about this past weekend's Ironman Louisville!

1) I FINALLY learned why IM Lousiville doesn't sell-out like all the other Ironman races (that close within 24 hours) this past weekend! When they say it "can be hot" ... IT'S HOT!! 94 degrees and SUPER HUMID is NOT FUN!

2) When ALL THE OTHER triathletes don't have wetsuits ... that probably means it was obvious it was going to be a NO WETSUIT swim !! Denial, perhaps? Regardless ... not a pleasant surprise to walk down to the start and realize you wont be wearing your wetsuit.

3) The Ohio River IS gross.When you cant see your hand underneath ... it's dirty. And when you swim "around an island" and you're STILL NOT DONE it really puts 2.4 miles into perspective!

4) always remember to 'make a plan' with your traveliing companion who happens to have your transition bags ... my husband dropped me off to stand in line to enter transition and we didnt make a plan to meet... we both walked around for ~20 minutes trying to find each other ... very calming to the nerves...

5) So sorry if you love a time trial start but I HATED IT! Arrived to swim start almost 2 HOURS early to stand in line to enter the water (1st come/1st serve). The seasoned "IM Louisviller's" apparently CAMP OUT to get a good spot in line and dont go to transition AT ALL in the morning. I ended up near the middle-end of the line which was approximately 1 1/2 miles long. So YES ... STOOD in a line for almost 2 HOURS!!! (only good thing is once it started it moved quickly. entered the water ~7:20).

6) They stopped placing port-o-potties in the swim start line after about .5 miles. Which meant the triathletes down by me looked like the homeless watering the grass and squatting anywhere there was so much as a leaf to utilize for privacy...

7) Back to the time trial start. Depending on where you start (in line) you may spend your ENTIRE swim going around lots of people ...

8) Bike course: (FREAKING HOT) Kentucky has NOTHING on Wisconsin on HILLS!! VERY FLAT by comparison!! I have NEVER seen so many flat tires. Apparently a disgruntled Kentuckian decided to throw some tacks spanning a couple miles. Rough day for the athletes and bike support...

9) Note to male friends: Do NOT EVER wear WHITE bike shorts that probably feel very comfortable. That probably means they are see-thru. And people really dont want to see...

10) Participating in an Ironman or toting 3 boys ages 6, 8 and 10 around the race course in 94 degree Kentucky heat ... (that was NOT my request)... but pretty sure I would have rather been racing.

11) It's great to know that the protein powder I use smells and tastes like fish if heated to BOILING point sitting in the sun ... so much for THAT nutrition plan!

12) I have to chuckle when I feel like i'm "moving right along" on the run and my split is an 11:32! hahahahahaha

13) Wore a solid colored sports bra on the run due to the heat. Note to self: Throwing cold water and ice down sports bra to cool off produces a reaction ...

14) Any Ironman finish is a good finish. I always feel blessed to participate. I was probably in the worst place mentally for this race that I have ever been in ... in my life. So I will take it and be extremely thankful! 

Our kids (Chase, Cruz, & Dash) competed in an IronKids Run on Saturday. 

Christina making it look easy at Mile 80. My wife averaged nearly 17.5 mph for the entire 112 miles!

12 hours 49 minutes and 35 seconds later...it is Finished!

Other photos are available online here. 

Official Results are available online here.

Recap of The Last Few Months

Friends -

I have done a lot of soul-searching over the last few months. Although running is important to me, a runner is not who I am; I am a father, a husband, a Christian, a person who wandering through this journey of life is fortunate enough to have a loving partner and a wonderful family to be a part of the the adventure. The upsets and the joys are not what makes us who we are, but how we deal with those things. How fast we bounce back; how quick we recover. Like a long-distance run, whatever life throws at me I am going to make a honest and real attempt to turn it into something great - turn them into growing experiences.

In April, I returned to Pekin, IL to compete at the 150 mile trail distance again. The following is a link to a newscast regarding this race. I ended up dropping out at mile 70. I could provide a laundry list of why, but the bottom-line is I just didn't want to finish. I just didn't feel the outcome was worth the effort. This DNF made me begin to question why I run.

 

In June, I toed the line with 200 plus other runners at the Kettle Moraine 100 Miler. I ended up finishing 7th overall and the first Wisconsinite at our hometown 100 Miler. Finishing first in my age group and having the endurance to pass 4 runners in the last 6 miles certainly made me feel good. But again, does not make me the person I am. Life's an adventure and I'm trying to make the most of each and everyday...enjoying running but not living for it.

My next running adventure will be running with my friend Randy Steiner at the Dances with Dirt 50 Miler in Devil's Lake, WI next weekend. Randy has helped me at many of my races and it will be a pleasure to help him achieve his goal.

Inspiring elementary schooler with cerebral palsy runs amazing 400-meter race

Just viewed this and really found it awesome. Not only the individual effort by Matt but by the unconditional love and support shown by his classmates. Inspiration is out there. There is a quote that a have hanging in my office that I read every so often - I am unaware of the author: "If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves."

Return to the 150 Miler This Weekend

I am getting ready to return to Pekin, IL April 13 to defend the title at the 150 mile trail run at the Potawatomi Trail Runs. I have run this race three times: 2007 (3rd place), 2008 (2nd place), and 2009 (1st place). The race has not been held since 2009. I’m going after my friend's David Goggins’ course record of 33 hrs. 36 min. www.potawatomitrailruns.com

I will be one of 31 runners starting the 150 miler. Please follow us along as we start at 12 noon Central this Friday, April 13. We will be updating via Twitter. Go to www.twitter.com , search on @dexterpunisher , and click FOLLOW.

"Stuff" Ultrarunners Say

This was shared with me and I wanted to share it with you. Super funny stuff written by fellow ultrarunner Dax Ross.

Also can be viewed on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nq8lJEJr3xk

3,658 Running Miles in 2011

When I posted my 2011 mileage last January I started the post with a quote from H.P. Liddon...

"What we do on some great occasion will probably depend on what we already are; and what we are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline"

The hardest part of making something a routine is starting it. The very first step. Whether it be the first step out the door on a freezing cold morning or the first step through the doors at your new job. Starting a new routine is the hardest. When I ran my first marathon in 1997 I never dreamed that I would be consistently averaging over 10K of running miles a day. I have been tracking my daily mileage since the start of 2006 and now have a daily 6 year average of about 8.5 miles/day.

Like many of you, I had goals in 2011 - many of which involved running. And like many of you - I did not achieve all my goals but still I am very proud to say I gave it my best.

Running Highlights:

• 3,658.43 total miles run in the year (10.02 miles/day avg; 70.35 miles/week avg; 304.87 miles/month avg) - my best ever.
• Defended the title at the McNaughton 200 Mile Trail Run and took over 10 hours off my 2010 winning time.
• Paced a marathon for the first time (actually 2 in 2011). The first was the Madison Marathon (3:20) 24 days after the McNaughton 200 Mile Trail Run. The second was the Haunted Hustle Marathon (3:30).
• Was competitive in a few marathons: Finished 2nd overall at the Trailbreakers Marathon and 4th at the Dells Marathon.
• Ran 3 official marathon races in the month of October.

Here's to the start of a new year. Anything is possible!

Brooks Running Shoes

Let me start off this post by saying that I run exclusively in Brooks shoes and that I have been a member of the Brooks I.D. program for the last few years. Brooks I.D. From Brooks' website:

"Brooks I.D. stands for Inspire Daily. These two simple words guide the principles of the program. Brooks I.D. is made up of over 800 members who are active in their running communities and share a passion for the Brooks brand. They are runners who are winners in their own right: Winning their age divisions, accomplishing their personal goals, pushing their own limits, and, by extension, encouraging others to do the same. Brooks I.D. athletes members use their athletic talent to help carry out the Brooks mission: To inspire people to run and be active. We look for athletes who have a passion for Brooks, race and train in Brooks' shoes and apparel, and enthusiastically evangelize the brand."

I have personally found that Brooks makes a great shoe for my foot. I have worn every version of the Brooks Cascadias and used them during the McNaughton Park 150 mile trail run in Pekin, IL in 2007, 2008, and 2009 and again during the 200 mile trail run in Pittsfield, VT in 2010 and 2011. I have worn the Brooks ST Racers in dozens of marathons and ultra-track runs. Sometimes the shoes work well and hold up beyond 600 miles of use and sometimes they don't. But overall I am extremely happy with the quality of workmanship Brooks puts into their designs and products. The following photo is from the Badgerland 24 Hour Run Labor Day weekend 2011:

I am wearing Brooks ST Racers and am about to retire that same pair of shoes after running in them during that race, 3 marathons in October, and training in them over the last 3 months. Well over 700 miles.

It was with great excitement that I received my pair of Brooks new lightweight PureConnect Shoe. This is one of four different types of shoes in the Pure line:

http://www.brooksrunning.com/Brooks-PureProject/pureproject,default,pg.html

I wore these shoes on two runs - the second of which was my daily commute home from work (7 miles). My feet hurt so bad with these shoes on that I literally decided I would be better off removing the shoes and running the remaining 3+ miles home barefoot. Now, in speaking with Brooks, my feet are probably better suited for their other 3 Pure shoes (i.e., Pure Cadence and Pure Grit).

But this experience made me realize how much I absolutely love many of Brooks current line of shoes:

Cascadias

ST Racers

Launch

Green Silence

Your feet shouldn't hurt if you have the proper shoes - you shouldn't even notice them.

Motivating Signs

Saw a sign right before the start of the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee yesterday that a woman was holding that read something along these lines: "A day will come when you can no longer do this. Today is not that day!".

That saying really motivated me and is something I will containue to try and remember. Don't wait on something. There may be no tomorrow.

God Bless.

Strong Enough?

I know that I alone am not strong enough to run 145+ miles in a 24 hour period this weekend. I also know that I alone am not strong enough to do and deal with a lot of what happens to me each and every day. But it is so uplifting to know that I don't need to be.

There is a song by Matthew West that is currently on my playlist (because my loving wife Christina found it) called Strong Enough. The song has a great bible verse in it that I often use a mantra during my long runs: "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13)

I will set a new record at this weekend's race but not because I am an amazing athlete or because I am any different from anyone else. It will be because of God's grace and hopefully it will stand as an example that anything is possible.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

The following are other prayers/verses that I have often though about before, during, and after I have placed a huge challenge or goal in front of me:

DEAR JESUS, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others. (Mother Teresa)

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind & straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philp.3:13b-14)

Let us run w/ PERSEVERANCE the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…so that you WILL NOT GROW WEARY & lose heart. (Heb.12:1b)

Be strong & courageous & do the work. Do not be afraid or DISCOURAGED, for the LORD God, my God, IS WITH YOU. HE WILL NOT FAIL YOU or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished. (1Ch.20)

Have I not commanded you? Be STRONG AND COURAGEOUS. Do not be terrified or DISCOURAGED, for the LORD your God WILL BE W/ YOU WHEREVER YOU GO! (John 1:9)