...not quite gone. I got back to some easy training after Palo Duro only to find that my right knee wants to be troublesome. I seem to have a sharp shooting pain on my right knee, bottom left of the kneecap. I have no clue what it is. It is impossible to do deadlifts, if that helps anyone. I ran on it again Sunday, and was forced to stop after only 2 miles(I have never slowed to even walk on a training run). The pain subsided and I made another 6mi easing way back if I felt the pain mounting up. As expected Monday morning the knee hurt like hell and took several minutes of walking on it to be able to walk without a limp.
Now 2 days of rest it feels much better. I'm restraining myself from running tonight. I can still feel it if I have sat for too long in the same position or put too much weight on it. I know as soon as I start running I'll feel the pain, I'm just hoping I can adjust my stride/pace to get some decent miles in.
I have been taking fish oil, and tri-flex(glucosameine/chondr.../MSM) mind the spelling. I am hoping these will alleviate some of the pain. I am also examining my stride. I feel like I must be landing on my heel too much? on my right leg. Next run I am really going to focus on perfect form.
I figure I will run until I can't run anymore then switch over to cycling...I know it sounds ignorant, but I have been paying for health insurance for 6 years and have never used it. Maybe a nice knee replacement will do the trick...lol...I'm just kidding, but maybe a trip to the doctor wouldn't hurt. I just feel like I know what they'll say...."no more running"....and I know I won't listen and it'll be a waste of money.
Well that's all I had to say any suggestions are welcome,
Jeremy
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Palo Duro Canyon 50 Mile Trail Run
A brief background of me before I begin. I started running in Dec '08, first 5k in Feb '09, first Half-Marathon at the end of Feb. I attempted my first 50 miler in May and got pulled at 34.2 miles for being so slow. Then came Leadville 50 where I finished in about 13:15, and LeanHorse 50 in about 14hrs.
Palo Duro 50
I was amped and ready to rock 'n' roll at this race. I felt like I didn't measure up at my previous Ultra. Lean Horse 50 took me close to 14 hours...2 past the 12 hour cut-off. It was a finish but I felt disappointed in myself and went home empty handed. Nevertheless it inspired me for a good month and a half of training for Palo Duro. I set a 10 hour goal for myself, and refused to accept anything less than a quality finish under 12 hours.
Race Morning 6:00am: I am glad it is finally time to wake up. I tossed and turned all night. I don't know if it was the dog, the Tee Pee tent, the cold, the hard ground, or just pure anticipation to spend an entire day running. Moving around by flashlight still bundled up in sweats I get my race gear organized and lined up on the picnic table. I start up the truck and blast the heater. Eat a few bites while the heat warms up, jump in, throw on my race clothes and back into the sweats. Temperature isn't that cold just a bit chilly(I'm a born and raised Texan). A quick bowl of cereal, last minute check through the drop bag, a trip to the bathrooms, and me and Jacob are set to get to the start/finish line. Jacob is my younger brother. A much better runner than me, and the reason I run these things. Off to the starting line....
6:30am: We pull up weather feels great! I ditch the sweats, and for the first time see my race get up. Looks pretty sharp. black shorts, black Nike compression long-sleeve, yellow leadville tech T. I think I'm looking great, therefore I feel Great! (a little rule we run with...If ya look great ya feel great). A quick good-bye to the dog, and we head down to the starting line. We immediately find our other 2 brothers, Jared (Jacob's twin), and J.M. our youngest brother. Also with them is our Grandma. They got the lost the night before and with no cell service we couldn't figure out where they were. They weren't thrilled with us but glad to be there none the less. We checked in, dropped our bags, got in a few quick pictures. It felt like only a minute and they were calling for us to line up. Jacob pushed his way to the very front as always. He attempted to drag me with, but I was not going to be that slow guy running with rabbits, so I drifted about middle-of-the-pack. 3..2..1...BOOM race begins!
7:00am: I love the start of an Ultra! It's pitch black, nobody is stretching, and we all look like we have been out all night partying and are in no mood to be awake. Then when they sound the gun, we just slowly ease ourselves into a trot across the start line. So here we are. I have no idea how far back I am. I fall into a single file line for the first mile, running by the light of my headlamp, picking through the trail getting a feel for the terrain, and making sure I don't get clumsy too early on. About 2 miles in the sky feels lighter and I feel brave enough to take my eyes off the trail. We are running on red dirt, surrounded by short squat little trees. Large red cliffs are off to the left and we pick our way through rock formations that a very beautiful when I see them on the next 3 laps in the light of the day. I notice I have fallen into pace with a group of about 5 others. It felt a little slower than I wanted, but I also felt comfortable with it, after all I still had 48 miles to go...no rush. We pass "Big Red Rock" or something to that degree. Come up on the first aid station at 3 miles. To my surprise all of my group take a right. I refill my water and grab a PB&J triangle. Eating this I double check the sign: 50 milers <-- (left) 50k'ers -->(right). So off i go to the left. I am completely alone now. I am feeling great. The day is beginning and I've been on the trail for 4 miles! The trail is up and down, nothing to tragic. A nice single track with great scenery of the canyon. At 7 miles or so I come to the first challenging hill. I tell myself I will run it, but mark it as a walker for the next 3 laps. The only other challenging hill came about a half mile down the trail. Right after these hills I get passed. I keep pace with him for another mile to the next aid station. I check my watch a realize I am dead -on 10-minute miles. Feeling good I refill and refuel and continue the run. I keep watching my watch, amazed at myself. Almost to the second accurate. I cruised into the start finish line feeling great. 12.5 miles down...3 laps to go. I had a plan in place and so far it was going great. I met up with the family, tossed the water bottle to my younger bro to refill, and started sipping on my protein shake. I peeled off the compression Tee left the tech shirt and gloves. It was still sitting around 55 and it was completely overcast. I ask about Jacob. They say he is about 20 minutes ahead of me and in second place. I worry that he has started to fast out of the gate. I am told I am about 7th male to cross. I wasn't worried and really didn't care, i wasn't here to win the race. And off I go Lap 2...
9:15am: My second lap begins. I am all alone and feeling great to be running. I am expecting to feel a drop in my performance around mile 15 or 16. I am shooting for a 2hr30 minute lap. Trotting along I pass 3 mile aid station no sweat. Hit the 6 mile aid station feeling awesome. Round up to the first big hill, and last second decide "I'm running this motha". Get to the top gasp for air and for the first time feel my leg muscles. I keep running...to the second second big(ish) hill and for the first time slow down and walk on the course. Get to the top and I start flying downhill. I realize I feel like being brave so all the downhills I let 'er rip. Lengthen my stride, and let gravity take over i felt like a mountain lion. Then the ground leveled out and I continued to trot along. I round up to the 10 mile aid station and before I can refill my stomach does a loop and I double over. CRAP!!! There is that pain I remember from LeanHorse. It passes and I go over my mental checklist. Water-been doing great, Endurolytes-every 45 minutes, food-been slacking since that first PB&J. I snack a bit more and tell myself to muscle it to the start finish line and I will refuel longer. Back on the trail I feel much better. Cruise into the start finish line 25 miles complete...25 to go...
11:15am: I glance at my watch and am surprised to see I am 15 minutes ahead of schedule. I start sucking down a protein shake while lil bro refills the bottle. I tell Jared(100mile runner by trade) about my stomach a few miles back. He grabs his goody bag and hands me a Tums, 2 thermotabs, an Advil, and a coconut oil. I am not a big fan of popping any kinds of pills, but I figure he runs hundreds, he knows best. So down they go. 11:22am and I am starting my 3rd lap. I see the sun peeking out now and decide to run in just shorts. Wise decision it heated up fairly quick. I have no idea the temps but I could feel the sun beating down on me, luckily i was covered in sun block. This lap sucked the most. I new I had one left and i had already ran this same track twice before. I caught myself feeling whiny, and getting grumpy. I forced this out of my head and thought of something to make me laugh. With a big grin I ran on. This lap took me close to 3 hours as i was walking most of the hills by now. I was on target so when I pulled into the start finish line I was still feeling really good. I really hadn't crashed or hit any walls yet. I wasn't watching the clock or my watch but I remember telling myself all I needed was a 2.5hr loop to break my 10 hour goal, so I am guessing it was about 2:15-2:20pm.
Jeremy Elwell
Me and Jacob after race. He got 1st in 7:48.
All photo's were taken by AJK Photography.
Palo Duro 50
I was amped and ready to rock 'n' roll at this race. I felt like I didn't measure up at my previous Ultra. Lean Horse 50 took me close to 14 hours...2 past the 12 hour cut-off. It was a finish but I felt disappointed in myself and went home empty handed. Nevertheless it inspired me for a good month and a half of training for Palo Duro. I set a 10 hour goal for myself, and refused to accept anything less than a quality finish under 12 hours.
Race Morning 6:00am: I am glad it is finally time to wake up. I tossed and turned all night. I don't know if it was the dog, the Tee Pee tent, the cold, the hard ground, or just pure anticipation to spend an entire day running. Moving around by flashlight still bundled up in sweats I get my race gear organized and lined up on the picnic table. I start up the truck and blast the heater. Eat a few bites while the heat warms up, jump in, throw on my race clothes and back into the sweats. Temperature isn't that cold just a bit chilly(I'm a born and raised Texan). A quick bowl of cereal, last minute check through the drop bag, a trip to the bathrooms, and me and Jacob are set to get to the start/finish line. Jacob is my younger brother. A much better runner than me, and the reason I run these things. Off to the starting line....
6:30am: We pull up weather feels great! I ditch the sweats, and for the first time see my race get up. Looks pretty sharp. black shorts, black Nike compression long-sleeve, yellow leadville tech T. I think I'm looking great, therefore I feel Great! (a little rule we run with...If ya look great ya feel great). A quick good-bye to the dog, and we head down to the starting line. We immediately find our other 2 brothers, Jared (Jacob's twin), and J.M. our youngest brother. Also with them is our Grandma. They got the lost the night before and with no cell service we couldn't figure out where they were. They weren't thrilled with us but glad to be there none the less. We checked in, dropped our bags, got in a few quick pictures. It felt like only a minute and they were calling for us to line up. Jacob pushed his way to the very front as always. He attempted to drag me with, but I was not going to be that slow guy running with rabbits, so I drifted about middle-of-the-pack. 3..2..1...BOOM race begins!
7:00am: I love the start of an Ultra! It's pitch black, nobody is stretching, and we all look like we have been out all night partying and are in no mood to be awake. Then when they sound the gun, we just slowly ease ourselves into a trot across the start line. So here we are. I have no idea how far back I am. I fall into a single file line for the first mile, running by the light of my headlamp, picking through the trail getting a feel for the terrain, and making sure I don't get clumsy too early on. About 2 miles in the sky feels lighter and I feel brave enough to take my eyes off the trail. We are running on red dirt, surrounded by short squat little trees. Large red cliffs are off to the left and we pick our way through rock formations that a very beautiful when I see them on the next 3 laps in the light of the day. I notice I have fallen into pace with a group of about 5 others. It felt a little slower than I wanted, but I also felt comfortable with it, after all I still had 48 miles to go...no rush. We pass "Big Red Rock" or something to that degree. Come up on the first aid station at 3 miles. To my surprise all of my group take a right. I refill my water and grab a PB&J triangle. Eating this I double check the sign: 50 milers <-- (left) 50k'ers -->(right). So off i go to the left. I am completely alone now. I am feeling great. The day is beginning and I've been on the trail for 4 miles! The trail is up and down, nothing to tragic. A nice single track with great scenery of the canyon. At 7 miles or so I come to the first challenging hill. I tell myself I will run it, but mark it as a walker for the next 3 laps. The only other challenging hill came about a half mile down the trail. Right after these hills I get passed. I keep pace with him for another mile to the next aid station. I check my watch a realize I am dead -on 10-minute miles. Feeling good I refill and refuel and continue the run. I keep watching my watch, amazed at myself. Almost to the second accurate. I cruised into the start finish line feeling great. 12.5 miles down...3 laps to go. I had a plan in place and so far it was going great. I met up with the family, tossed the water bottle to my younger bro to refill, and started sipping on my protein shake. I peeled off the compression Tee left the tech shirt and gloves. It was still sitting around 55 and it was completely overcast. I ask about Jacob. They say he is about 20 minutes ahead of me and in second place. I worry that he has started to fast out of the gate. I am told I am about 7th male to cross. I wasn't worried and really didn't care, i wasn't here to win the race. And off I go Lap 2...
9:15am: My second lap begins. I am all alone and feeling great to be running. I am expecting to feel a drop in my performance around mile 15 or 16. I am shooting for a 2hr30 minute lap. Trotting along I pass 3 mile aid station no sweat. Hit the 6 mile aid station feeling awesome. Round up to the first big hill, and last second decide "I'm running this motha". Get to the top gasp for air and for the first time feel my leg muscles. I keep running...to the second second big(ish) hill and for the first time slow down and walk on the course. Get to the top and I start flying downhill. I realize I feel like being brave so all the downhills I let 'er rip. Lengthen my stride, and let gravity take over i felt like a mountain lion. Then the ground leveled out and I continued to trot along. I round up to the 10 mile aid station and before I can refill my stomach does a loop and I double over. CRAP!!! There is that pain I remember from LeanHorse. It passes and I go over my mental checklist. Water-been doing great, Endurolytes-every 45 minutes, food-been slacking since that first PB&J. I snack a bit more and tell myself to muscle it to the start finish line and I will refuel longer. Back on the trail I feel much better. Cruise into the start finish line 25 miles complete...25 to go...
11:15am: I glance at my watch and am surprised to see I am 15 minutes ahead of schedule. I start sucking down a protein shake while lil bro refills the bottle. I tell Jared(100mile runner by trade) about my stomach a few miles back. He grabs his goody bag and hands me a Tums, 2 thermotabs, an Advil, and a coconut oil. I am not a big fan of popping any kinds of pills, but I figure he runs hundreds, he knows best. So down they go. 11:22am and I am starting my 3rd lap. I see the sun peeking out now and decide to run in just shorts. Wise decision it heated up fairly quick. I have no idea the temps but I could feel the sun beating down on me, luckily i was covered in sun block. This lap sucked the most. I new I had one left and i had already ran this same track twice before. I caught myself feeling whiny, and getting grumpy. I forced this out of my head and thought of something to make me laugh. With a big grin I ran on. This lap took me close to 3 hours as i was walking most of the hills by now. I was on target so when I pulled into the start finish line I was still feeling really good. I really hadn't crashed or hit any walls yet. I wasn't watching the clock or my watch but I remember telling myself all I needed was a 2.5hr loop to break my 10 hour goal, so I am guessing it was about 2:15-2:20pm.
2:30pm: 4th and final lap begins. The heat is becoming a factor. My legs feel slow and my stomach feels on the verge of flipping for good. I keep a walk/run pace trying to keep everything from going south. I am hoping to finish in under 10 hours still but when I see the 4 mile marker and look at my watch I sink knowing it probably won't happen. It took me an hour to travel those 4 miles. 2 miles I tell myself...2 miles to the nest aid station. The heat still bugging me I run out of water about a half mile before the aid station. I leave this 6 mile aid station feeling good though. I think the volunteers started drinking because everyone was very up beat. I hit the trail with a hand full of ruffles and walk until they are gone. I start running and see a running gaining on me. I push myself further but lo and behold the first big hill...I get passed, not too happy about that. I truck along and I hit the 9 mile aid station. Over hear someone say something about soda helping out for the last few miles and grab a cup full. An awkward hug from a volunteer calling me blue eyes(they had to be drinking) and was off. The next mile I felt great and even passed a runner(50 miler, there was 20k'er and 50k'ers aplenty to pass). Grabbed another cup of soda at 10 miles. It was here that I was told Jacob won the race(I knew he was in first for the last few hours). Off I ran...I kept telling myself "you'll see that 11 mile sign then push until you see 12 and you know the crowd is right around the corner". And thats what I tried to do. At 11 I got passed by Jason. A guy we met the night before at the camp site. This fueled me for about a half mile as I tried to keep up but after a half mile fell back. He said at the end "he was just trying to hurry up and finish". 12 mile marker appears
and I know right around the bend of trees I'll start seeing RV's. I start running, the bend seems to take forever..."where is this F'in turn" then poof there I am facing the RV's. a short jog and a left turn. Run for the flags...finish line in sight. Brother off to the side, quick High-Five. Little brother running alongside me I cross the finish line...finally stop for the last time. I am told 20th place glance at the clock 10:36. Not bad I tell myself. Shake hands with the race director and get my finishers hat. Hugs from the family. Pose for a few pictures, and some-one please point me in the direction of the food! 50 miles completed and I still feel great! Maybe a hundred is next.
and I know right around the bend of trees I'll start seeing RV's. I start running, the bend seems to take forever..."where is this F'in turn" then poof there I am facing the RV's. a short jog and a left turn. Run for the flags...finish line in sight. Brother off to the side, quick High-Five. Little brother running alongside me I cross the finish line...finally stop for the last time. I am told 20th place glance at the clock 10:36. Not bad I tell myself. Shake hands with the race director and get my finishers hat. Hugs from the family. Pose for a few pictures, and some-one please point me in the direction of the food! 50 miles completed and I still feel great! Maybe a hundred is next.Jeremy Elwell
Me and Jacob after race. He got 1st in 7:48.All photo's were taken by AJK Photography.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
I have opened my website!!
Hey everyone!
Welcome to my blog. I have recently started an ultra marathon website/forum. All is going quite well with that. I just realized I really have nowhere to vent and just ramble on about my own personal exploits as a Ultra runner. I'm not sure if this is going to continue as just a "running" blog as I am always up to something adventureous and outdoors. I am spending plenty of time on a bike and have several bad-ass hikes in mind for next year....but thanks for checking me out. I'll be blogging here shortly. Meantime check out my Ultra website.
Welcome to my blog. I have recently started an ultra marathon website/forum. All is going quite well with that. I just realized I really have nowhere to vent and just ramble on about my own personal exploits as a Ultra runner. I'm not sure if this is going to continue as just a "running" blog as I am always up to something adventureous and outdoors. I am spending plenty of time on a bike and have several bad-ass hikes in mind for next year....but thanks for checking me out. I'll be blogging here shortly. Meantime check out my Ultra website.
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