...And the ADVENTURE Continues

It's All About Promotion, so I'm Told...

2012-01-25T12:57:00.001-08:00

Alright...I have to come clean....I have been asked to preform some magic and stuff at a Valentine Party at a major local church...it is actually for a "Marriage Class." I use to perform all the time...but now....only when I really want to...and this time...I wanted to. So the person pulling this thing together wanted a promotion package...ie. a head shot and some bio info. This is what I came up with...all true...for the most part. :-)

Dave Elliott has the rare distinction of being the only person featured on episodes of both T.V. shows, “America’s Most Wanted” and “Hoarders.” In college he began to learn the fine art of “slight of hand”…but don’t tell his momma…she thinks he studied really hard to get that Engineering degree from Texas A&M. The best trick he ever performed was getting his college sweetheart to marry him….or maybe she just lost a bet and had to…either way, Dave won. This 5th generation Texan, born and raised on the South Plains, has issues that would cause a whole team of psychiatrists to scratch their heads. He runs all night long sometimes…and cycles long distances…just because. This father of 4…has been a preacher, a rocket scientist, an engineer, a Marine, a Cubmaster, a commission salesman, an endurance athlete, a writer, an award winning magician and a joker….but he is most proud being a husband and father. And that stuff about being on “America’s Most Wanted” and “Hoarders”….ok…that was a lie…but there are a lot of people looking for him…mainly because he owes them a lot of money….

What Did I Do Before....

2012-01-23T07:58:00.000-08:00

What did I do before we had kids…I honestly don’t remember….I really don’t…and I don’t think I want to remember…because that would be a dull life…a really dull life…

Let’s review…on December 19, my mom came to help out with the impending baby only to fall in my foyer and had to have a rod and pin put in her hip on December 20. On December 22, my wife gave birth to our fourth kid…Kyle Ryan.

So….over the last month….we have been making it happen….and by that I mean, getting kids to their activities, making sure homework was done….and all along the way me making sure I get to work on time…and Quatro gets fed…every 3 hours or so…day and night.

On the good nights Kyle is sleeping 7 straight hours….

We have had so many gracious people bring food by…and our dear friend Gillian has watch Kyle from time to time so Bren can get some things done. In times like these you really find out who your true friends are…and Team Elliott is blessed in that area.

My mom flew back to Lubbock after 2 weeks of Rehab here in North Texas…she is doing exceptionally and plans on a return trip within a month.

So….Luke has crossed over to Boy Scouts and went on his first weekend outing sans dad…by spending the weekend on the Aircraft carrier, USS Lexington….very cool. Baseball kicks up in about a month for him at which time he will be in overdrive.

Macy and Hope are both in Girl Scouts…and Hope will play Soccer this spring….Macy Softball…

Kyle will only observe at this time.

...and OH!...I almost forgot...we have 4 JAnuary birthdays within 13 days.

I will relinquish my Cubmaster duties in February….

And Training…the all important fitness realm….I got a trainer for Christmas…that lets me ride my bike indoors. It is amazing that how it feels exactly like I am riding on an open flat road. Despite some sleep deprivation, I have not missed a work out…although I did shift a few of them to the evening. It seems as though I am back to a regular 5:30AM workout schedule…my cardio has seemed to improve. I ride a minimum of 2 hours on Saturdays….and try to keep an average heart rate at 165 bpm. I know come spring I want to be the one causing the sufferfest….and not the sufferee….Next event will be March 24…as 100K with hills in East Texas….stay tuned…and press on!

?????I really do not know what I did with myself before kids….WOW….

It was the Week before Christmas...and all Through the Hospital...

2011-12-29T07:50:00.000-08:00

The lights…the season…the excitement…and with three kids, Luke (10), Macy (8) and Hope (5)….the anticipation of Christmas held new meaning…TEAM ELLIOTT was expecting a new baby. We didn’t know if it’s a boy or girl…we never found beforehand with any of our kids….and so the excitement kept building. The baby was due December 27. On top of all the excitement of the Holiday Season…Gram (my mom) was coming to stay for a while…she would celebrate Christmas with us…and then help with the impending baby. Bren and I had everything in order…everything was planned out as much as we could….all the gifts…Santa Coming….Our traditional Christmas Eve dinner with our next door neighbors. Everything was set…ready to go….the Nursery…everything.

On Monday, Dec, 19, my sweet mother arrives at our house….safely making the journey from Levelland Texas…6 hours away. The kids were excited…Bren was happy to have the Holiday Help….all was right with the world as the December chill and rain was warmed by our Christmas Spirit in the Elliott Household. I had left to run some errands….at about 5:30 pm…when I get a call from Bren….”DAVE HURRY….YOUR MOM AS FALLEN AND IS HURT BAD!” Seven minutes later I was home…the rain outside had made our marble tile in our foyer extremely slippery…and Mom had gone out to get some things form the car….and slipped….fallen…she was screaming out in pain…911 had been called and even though the fire station is literally a ¼ mile from out house…it seemed like an eternity as I stood outside in the rain….making sure they knew which house as the Dusk of a December evening suddenly engulfed me.

Minutes later, I had seven paramedics in the foyer of my house…mobilizing as Mom was in horrible pain…they loaded her up with Morphine….so much so that by the time she reached the hospital, her memory of what happen was erased. X Rays showed a compound fracture…a clean break…just below the ball joint of the hip. The Orthopedic surgeon stated that due to her age…an internal medicine Doc would check out her health...to see if she was good to go for surgery….a rod and pin would have to splice the parts back together….”We will operate tomorrow evening….” And so for that night she was to be in traction…and heavily medicated for the pain.

I have had long nights in my life…I have run all night long….I have stayed up all night on patrol in the Marine Corps…I have laid in mud puddles all night….shivering as the wet clothes clung to my frozen body….I have had some really miserable nights…but none more than the night of December 19 as I reclined in the chair that sat in the corner of that hospital room. As Mom went in and out of consciousness…screaming in pain…as the muscles would spasm…trying to hold the broken parts in place…the nerve endings sending excruciating signals to the brain that something was drastically wrong. I would shuffle to the nurses’ station…asking if they could do anything for the pain.

The sun also rises…but now with questions…We went from having an extra set of hands to help…to now being a caretaker…and Bren and I formed up TEAM ELLIOTT…prayed…and confirmed that we would press on. No member of our tribe is trivial…even Hope steps up when needed…helping with chores…with things that need to be done…and my wife is a pillar….a strong women…and the burden on my shoulders as a son…a husband…and father heavy…but not something to make me crumble…as I lived moment to moment. Bren had an appointment on Wednesday... then we would decided if inducement of the 6th Team Member would be placed on the roster.

The surgery of mom went well…repaired…and plans were set in motion to start the rehab. First in the hospital for 3 days….and then moved into a really good Rehab Hosptial.

Dr. Angela Angel had delivered the previous three of our tribe…her and Bren had actually grown close as friends…and she was bound and determine to deliver quatro. Wednesday’s appointment came and went with plans for a induction for the next day…December 22.

So just three days after mom had fallen…I was driving Bren to the Labor and Delivery. Keep in mind….a different hospital than where my mom was…45 minutes apart. My wife will tell you God created an epidural for a reason. Being the fourth kid…they only had to wave that pitocin under her nose to start labor contractions…and after only 3 pushes…we had a 7lb 15oz baby boy…Kyle Ryan Elliott…welcome. (Kyle from where the Aggies play football…”Kyle Field”…and Ryan for Nolan Ryan) Dr. Angel has a special place in our hearts…she and I will verbally spar…as she has a smartellec side to her…and she loves my wife…as they really are two peas in a pod…My mother in law had brought the other three of our tribe to meet Kyle….and Dr. Angel returns…to see them…to make sure all was good with Bren…

That evening I return to Mom’s hospital room….recovery was going a bit rough as she was nauseous…probably from all the pain medicine…I return home later that evening…with my three oldest…as Bren and Kyle were still in the hospital. The kids had gone to bed…and I sit there…exhausted…knowing that Ultra training had held me together physically over the last few days…but emotionally…I was done….I had gone from the lows to the highs…and back to the lows. I was trying to be a son…husband…father…and now…I would sleep…10 straight hours.

Let me close with these thoughts. Bren and I are surrounded by the best neighbors and friends. From people that would go sit with my mom in the hospital because I had to be elsewhere…people that didn’t know her. We have friends offering to watch our kids…we have people offering to fix meals….and even though they were also in the midst of their Holiday season too. I have learned some things. Sometimes…even though I don’t like to…I have to accept people that are willing to help…and during those times…God puts me in a position to have to accept it. I also know that when I am weak, He is strong! I know that TEAM ELLIOTT is one formable tribe…and when band together we all have our roles…even Hope…and eventually Kyle…for that is how we roll.

Next Christmas, I hope is bit calmer…in fact…I kinda hope it’s boring. I also hope you had a great Christmas…I pray that you are as blessed as we are.

And Kyle…welcome to TEAM ELLIOTT…this is one wild and crazy clan…so hold on tight to this white knuckled ride…for you will have one heck of a good time with this tribe…I PROMISE!

Weathering the Seasons of Life...

2011-11-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

Endurance…the time when pressing on is a test of one’s will…it requires mental toughness….sometimes pure stubbornness…and most of all….desire. Through the seasons of life there are times when the fall turns to the brutal winds of winter and the day to day grind becomes an endurance event. I began running December 2008….and through those years I have completed numerous ultramarathons. In fact, I went from the couch to my first 50 mile trail ultra marathon in 14 months. One big training cycle…from race to race…from ultra to 100 mile bike ride…marathons with 45 lb backpacks…5:00 AM workouts…all night runs.

On Friday night my wife asked, “Aren’t you excited to race tomorrow?” I look over and calmly replied, “No.” I didn’t even pack my race bag till the morning of the Rockledge Rumble 50K race. My meticulous nature of checking and rechecking was absent…I didn’t even charge my Garmin 405…and when I went to bed, I set my alarm and thought…”The only reason I am running the Rumble tomorrow was the commitment I made to do it.” Even though the Saturday race day was absolutely perfect fall weather, my heart and soul was weathering the frigid chill of a Blue Northerner.

An out and back 22 miler … I come into the aid station cooked. My body felt fine…at least like it would after 22 miles on a trail…my desire…gone…completely…I didn’t want to be out there….I didn’t want to be racing….and I sure as hell didn’t want to go back out for another 10 miles. My friend, Buddy Teaster, looked at me and said…you look fine…and I said…I am…but I don’t care. Buddy responds, “I don’t have anything on the aid station table to fix that…you have to want it…and you definitely do not have anything to prove.” Five minutes later I was in my 4 Runner and on my way home. I am not proud of that…but I simply didn’t care. .. that, my friend, is a dangerous place to be. Only 2 months previously had I ridden my best century on the hottest race day of record for the 30 year old Hotter N Hell bicycle ride. The “highs” of that accomplishment were absent to only be replaced by the doldrums of life.

The abyss of apathy indicates a time to step away for a time from the endurance realm….not permanently….but for now. I have something planned for April…a weeklong event that I will detail later…but for now…I don’t have an ultra planned for a year. That is on purpose. Fitness is still a priority…just not the 6 hours runs…the back to back long days….the 3:00 AM wake up calls.

Wide is the path that leads to destruction…but the rocky, narrow trail is where life is lived on the edge…and when the sun begins the decent over the horizon….and darkness engulfs you….you press on…a paradox...running the very narrow path of ultramarathons was placing me on a 6 lane expressway …Stepping away from running races that sometimes take you 10 plus hours…to reignite the burning fires of enjoying life again…to reevaluate my purpose and goals. Challenges in life buffet you…and God uses these incidences as heavenly sandpaper to smooth out the rough edges. This year has not been short of a little 60 grit…a refining of who I am as a person…to my family….to my friends. Bren, my wife, has been more supportive than I could have ever asked…and I watched her closely when I responded to her inquiry about me being excited to race on that November Saturday. Her eyes showed the grave concern of a coach whose team was in trouble. A week ago I went over my plans with her for what I intended to do on the endurance front…and she responds, “Any way I can help, let me know.” And that is how we roll. 2011’s refining fire has not been pleasant…but the dross is being removed. Bren and I have seen growth in our family…being pushed out of our comfort zone tends to do that. The night is long…and winter longer….but dawn is nigh….the the spring of life will renew…for these times are not near as sweet until compared to the depths of the wintery night….and so we press on.

Penn State...and Protecting Your Kid from Predators

2011-11-15T07:24:00.000-08:00

I have a very simple question. Why is it that only after 2 weeks of game 7 of the World Series, did we hear Texas Ranger manager, Ron Washington’s pregame speech; when it took 12 FREAKING years to learn what went on at Penn State????

That’s right…it took less than 14 days to have the sacred boundary of what is between a manager and his team encroached. I listened to all 7 plus minutes of the recording. Sure…there is some foul language…but Ron’s speech loosened the team up, motivated them and even made me laugh….but there was nothing in there that broke the law. Ron did talk about that if Carp, the MF’er, threw the ball across the plate that they were to knock the s%@! out of it. I was upset when I heard that Wash’s pregame speech was leaked to the public…you see I still think that what is said in the board room, the clubhouse…locker room…squad bay of a Marine Corps Unit should stay there.

Ok…most of the time what happens there should stay there…unless the law is broken or if there is the most abhorred acts of sexual deviance to a minor that have occurred. I have read the entire indictment passed down from the Grand Jury on the Penn State and the Sandusky case. Reading that alone was enough to turn one’s stomach….but you do not even have to read between the lines of 40 accounts from 8 victims to wonder why anyone would allow a monster like Sandusky go free. It is unforgivable.

A second question to follow the first question is “How did so many people stay quiet on the matter?” Oh…people knew.

Let’s start from the beginning. Jerry Sandusky coached for Penn State for 32 years and was Defensive Coordinator for 23 of those years. In 1977, started a foundation called “The Second Mile” that served as a foster home for troubled boys and evolved to help children that came from dysfunctional and troubled homes. Victim 7, for the Grand Jury Indictment, gives details of deviant sexual behavior from Sandusky directed to him….behavior occurring in the mid 1990’s. The accounts from the 8 victims, all between the ages of 8 to 11, go on…in detail…about being forced to take showers with Sandusky…some are less intrusive…some accounts are of sodomizing rape…all sickening.

In March 1, 2002, a graduate assistant, Mike McQueary who was 28 years old then, entered a locker room and witnessed an act so heinous between Victim 2 and Sandusky, that he ran out of the room and called his dad. McQueary stated that he was in shock…distraught….and his dad told him to promptly report what he saw to Head Coach Joe Paterno. This was followed by meetings with Tim Curley, Penn State Athletic Director and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Shultz. The result? Curley, a couple of weeks later informed McQueary that Sandusky’s keys to the locker room were taken away and the incident reported to the The Second Mile. The incident was not reported to the police or child protective services, in what the Grand Jury termed a contravention of Pennsylvania law. Curley testified that the conduct was merely horseplay. Ok…my second home growing up was in a locker room. I know what horseplay is…and never at one time did I feel like I needed to call my dad because I was so distraught by “horseplay.” The grand jury didn’t buy it either. This just showed the tip of the ice berg of cover up…statements show that Sandusky was paid nearly $500,000 over 8 years by The Second Mile…over 10 years after the reports to officials surfaced of his sexual abuse of 10 year old boys.

In 1998, the year after Sandusky was named NCAA Assistant Football coach of the year, he was asked to step down. He retired…not to be picked up again by any other college. Penn State still allowed Sandusky use of facilities. This was apparently after allegations of taking showers with underage boys in the locker room facilities….he even admitted to it with the young boy’s mom via a wire tap.

The accounts go on and begin to read like a script of an episode of SVU – Law and Order….and the questions abound.

Why didn’t the 28 year graduate stop the sodomizing? Why weren’t the police called? Why didn’t any other colleges in the nation want to hire Sandusky in his coaching prime upon retirement and being named Assistant coach of the year? Why didn’t Paterno do more…or for that matter the AD…the President? Is climbing the food chain of college coaching more important than stopping the rape of a 10 year old boy? Is the money a top tier football program generates worth more…so they sweep scathing allegations under the rug and continue to allow the perpetrator access to the Penn State Facilities?

All of the above questions are rhetorical of course.

Although statistics are difficult to obtain in regards to child sexual abuse, it is thought that 1 in 6 boys and girls are abused sexually. The average age for the first abuse is just under 10 years old and Abuse typically occurs within a long-term, on-going relationship between the offender and victim, escalates over time and lasts an average of four years. 93% of juvenile sexual assault victims know their attacker, 34.2% of attackers were family members and 58.7% were acquaintances and only 7% of the perpetrators were strangers to the victim. The affects are long term for the victim…

The experience of sexual abuse for a child distorts her or his self-concept, orientation to the world and affective capabilities.

High rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, dissociative disorders, interpersonal dysfunction, sexual problems and suicidal ideation have all been identified to varying degrees among men and women who survive child sexual abuse.
Child sexual assault victims are 4.7 times more likely to be the subsequent victim of a sex crime.

So the question is, as parents, what we can do to prevent our own children of becoming victims of sexual abuse. As stated previously, most offenders are NOT strangers to the child.

At a very young age....like 3, begin talking with your kids about not letting anyone touch them where their bathing suits covered…even if you knew that person. Our pediatrician always reinforced this concept with each clinic visit. One must understand that the offender begins to manipulate the child and typically preys on a child with insecurities and a derivative of a dysfunctional environment. This is not always the case… but the perpetrator will generally not go after a kid who has an air of confidence, whose parents are involved in their life. Let me restate…THIS IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE…but by raising a confident kid lessens the probability of him or her being a potential target of a child molester as he will prey on a child that is easy to manipulate. We have taught our kids to run and tell someone if anyone tries to touch them…or ask them to undress. The foundation of our training is to instill in your child a since of security, well being…that they are confident in who they are…and by all means…stay active in your kids life….begin to look for personality changes and withdrawal from life of a preadolescent child.

One of my closest friends was brutally sexually molested when he was 7 years old. He is now 46 years old and over the last few years began the healing process of the abuse. The effects ran deep…and the denial even deeper. Runks Runkles is now open about what has happened. He has a ministry speaking to youth across America about his testimony. I talked to Runks…as he is known by…about the Penn State Mess. He responded, ” I'd like to have 5 minutes with Sandusky…bat in hand….as much as the next guy but more than that I want time with the victims…I know what they are going through and I want them to know the hope, peace, and freedom from the hell of sexual abuse that I have found.”

You can visit Runks’ site at: Here

BASEBALL...and LIFE...

2011-10-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

It was the first trip to Arlington Stadium for me. I was six years old….my first Big League Game…the Texas Rangers against the New York Yankees. I sat there and watched Reggie Jackson for the Yankees take two pitches yard. The Rangers lost that game…but it was still magical…I was watching Major League Baseball. Growing up in small town West Texas, making it to a major league game was rare. Something to be cherished….something that only occurred every couple of years or so.

Hollywood has produced some of the best Baseball Movies…one of my favorites is Sandlot…about a bunch of boys living a summer on a sandlot baseball field and occasionally losing balls to a backyard with a big dog….guardian of all lost baseballs hit for a home run. I love that movie…not so much for the plot…although very good…no…I love that movie because that was how we lived. Every summer the Cherry Street posse of Teddy, Todd, Paxton, Jimmy, Jude, Me…and my kid brother Sam…played ball. In Teddy’s back yard…it was the biggest on the street. The summer sun would beat down…on a dusty and dry ground….it was a far cry from a perfect manicured diamond…the bases could not be evenly spaced due to oblique backyard geometry. Occasionally there would be disagreements…usually settled with the next pitch being a fastball thrown up and in...and lost balls….well we lost a bunch of them…the adjacent yard had a big German Sheppard named SHEP…and he always played finders keepers with anything knocked over the fence. Life when you are preteen in Levelland…at least on Cherry Street… was marked by sports seasons…and summer was sanctioned as BASEBALL season.

I liked all the sports…and played whatever was offered during the time…but baseball was held sacred. We all traded and collected baseball cards with each other. Jude would memorize the stats…and tell you who was batting 0.348 in June for the Royals. I remember when I had gotten Thurman Munson’s card…and I remember the day he was killed in a plane crash…he caught for the Yankees….and I caught for the Yankees…that would be the Levelland Little League Yankees.

Although I would play for the Reds, or the Astros…Yankees and the Giants…I would always keep up with the Texas Rangers…they were my favorite…and most summers there was not a whole lot to cheer for…they were usually out of Pennant contention by late July. One summer, I remember they were only 2 games out of first place to the Toronto Blue Jays and I talked my dad into shifting our vacation a couple of days so that we could watch the Rangers play the Jays…..soon after that my beloved Rangers began to drift where we were used to seeing them finish…at the back of the pack.

As life moved on…I continued to play ball…all the way through high school. Somewhere along the way the grave realization of playing in the big leagues wouldn’t be….and by the time I had graduated, I was more astute of keeping the pitch counts and determining how the hurler was pitching the batters than me being able to hit a change-up following a heater on the inside corner. But the love of Baseball never wavered.

In 1992 I was living in Dallas and working for a company as an intern. I scheduled my summer around when Nolan Ryan would pitch for the Rangers…and occasionally would buy a ticket on his scheduled day praying that the aging Ryan Express wouldn’t go onto the DL. Yep…I get to tell my kids that I saw Nolan pitch for the Rangers. They get a kick out of that when they see Nolan sitting with his wife Ruth during the televised Ranger Games. The day after Bren and I were married…we went to a Ranger Game before we left on a cruise. Yep…the Texas Rangers…moved to Texas from Washington DC in 1972…and I have to say that most of those years were kinda bleak…not Chicago Cubs bleak…but still bleak…I remember going to games in the early 00’s when they were 25 games out of First Place….and thinking…will we ever be good?

Tonight…in St. Louis…the Texas Rangers will take the field….in the World Series…the Fall Classic…for the second year in the row. Last night…with no baseball on the TV…I was pacing around…Bren looks over at me and says, “You would think you are scheduled to pitch tomorrow.” I grin…and say, "that would be cool"…I am like a kid….that same kid that played with his buds on that Sandlot field on Cherry Street….that same kid, watching Reggie Jackson from the Evil Empire take two yard. Yep…I am a kid again…made possible by a bunch of guys younger than me. PLAY BALL!

R.I.P. Carolyn

2011-09-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

Well…this is the blog entry I never wanted to write…Carolyn went to be with the Lord yesterday.

So if this entry seems disjointed…well…it’s because it probably is…and I don’t care.

Carolyn and I went to Junior High...having class together. I still see her sitting there making everybody laugh around her…quick witted coupled with a quick tongue…and that is a great recipe for humor to ensue…we went on to High School…and really kept up with her through my brother…evidently there was a battle royale going on for first chair Saxophone in the Levelland High School Band...My brother would comment that Carolyn made him have to practice. Like many people that we come in contact with…after we crossed that graduation stage of High School…life moves on and the memories begin to fade. Well, fade a bit till Facebook became a staple in our lives and culture.

I still remember the day a couple of years ago when she posted that the fight was on…the fight against Breast Cancer. I don’t know why it struck me so hard when I heard that …you see my wife and I can literally name 10 people close to us that are fighting that same battle. But with Carolyn…it was different…she was my age…married with three kids. When you are 18 you are bullet proof…that stays constant till about age 35…then you may have only kryptonite that can slow you down. I don’t know if it was me coming to grips with my own mortality through someone I knew…fairly well….but that Facebook Post slapped me up side the head.

And so…I began to focus my endurance endeavors…of her inspiring me…and me honoring her…I ran the Bataan Marathon in the White Sands Desert carrying a 44 lbs pack…her name inscribed on the back of my hand. When I took up the bike, I dedicated my riding to her…I rode…I trained…I sweated…in honor of Carolyn…my first Century ride at the Hotter N Hell 2010, she and her awesome family graciously waited for me at the finish line…and so…the connection was always there…

So I write this today….with the heaviest of hearts….

Carolyn...to a friend who inspired me be to be a better athlete, husband, dad....and person. Who's feistiness knew no bounds...who took the role of wife, mother and friend to its fullest...who's sarcastic sense of humor would crack me up...who's faith in Jesus Christ was your bedrock...I will miss you standing with your family at the finish line....you are now in a glorious place with our Father...where there are no finish lines...

R.I.P Carolyn...and so I press On!

Hot and Heavy Breathing...

2011-09-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

We were breathing… hot and heavy….the whole group of us…sweat…and panting…hey…get your mind out of the gutter…it was the Legacy Cycling Team Sunday afternoon reunion ride….nearly 35 cyclist…only about 25 miles….so you knew that after the jovial first 5 miles of good natured ribbing and joking around…that the Barbaro Rocket would ignite the Tandem Afterburners…then Marcel would be out of the saddle…Jim would go into time trial posture…and the hammerfest would commence….up to 29 mph at times on the flat…not to mention climbing at 24 mph. Throw in the Windhaven climb….and if you did not go anaerobic more than a handful of times…then you either need to be cat1 racing or you where probably back picking scorched daisies on the side of the sweltering Texas Road.

I love that group…how no one gets left behind…how riders of all levels feel welcomed…it is just a good group of people anchored by Coach Jim…and the mother figure…Jackie. A shout out to our own Laura who is an IRONMAN…chiseled in Wale’s Granite as she completed it across the pond.

So…the running as increased…I ran 13 miles on Friday…most of it at night on a trail…and realize I have a long way to go…the cycling legs need to morph into the trail running legs…and so intense core and weights are still on the weekly agenda as we increase the miles…time spent playing in the dirt.

Sunday it was hot again…up to nearly a 100…and today we break the record of the most days over a 100 degrees…mark that as day 70. Despite that, you can tell fall is nigh…Hope played her first soccer game on Saturday…and both Macy and Luke are playing fall ball…Softball and Baseball respectively. The Fighting Texas Aggies are winning and the Dallas Cowboys are losing….and the Texas Rangers are coming down to the wire to win the division….all is right in the world…as TEAM ELLIOTT is marching on…with the new relief pitcher to arrive in camp in December some time….(hey...keep your Cowboy comments to yourself...I am a huge fan...just low expectations.)

PRESS ON PEOPLE..PRESS ON…

A Vasectomy and Riding a Bike...FUN!!!

2011-09-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

I must be an obsessive compulsive individual that crosses that line of being completely dysfunctional. I am deep into two subcultures that on a good day barely encroaches normal and on most days crosses over into stone cold section 8 insanity. Don’t try to figure it out…compare it to an onion with multiple layers…and the more you peel back in efforts to come to a nice packaged conclusion…the more you will cry. That is how I am…how God wired me…and if you looked at my IPOD, you would know that immediately. (from Susan Boyd to Metallica…and sometimes back to back on the same playlist.)

Most are aware of my endurance athletic endeavors…you can read about many of those here…running all night long…riding a bike a 100 miles in 100 degree plus heat…the list goes on. A much less publicized hobby that I have is one of Magic…prestidigitation…sleight of hand. It is going on 20 years now. Like everything else, when I entered into the mysterious world of legerdemain, I delved into it with all my being. I have a magic library that is worth a small fortune. There was a time in my life that I would practice 8 hours a day…(mainly college days…but don’t tell mom…she thinks I worked hard for that 3.0 GPA in Engineering.) In 2003, I entered a contest in the Texas Association of Magicians and won “The Best In Close Up Magic.” Before Kids, I contemplated about making a living as a magic performer…and after 2 weeks of doing 16 shows at Christmas time, realized I didn’t want that lifestyle…best decision I made…keeping it a hobby…and not a form of making a living.
Every Labor Day weekend, for the past 65 years, there is the Texas Association of Magicians Convention. It is one of the world’s more popular magic gatherings and always well attended. I have been going to it for the past 15 years. This past weekend was no exception as I made that pilgrimage to San Antonio to attend. After sitting through countless shows…some good…some great…and some horrible...the most enjoyable thing for me at this juncture is not so much the magic, but seeing friends made throughout the years and the catching up with what is going on in our lives…
This year, I was so excited to say that our 4th kid was on the way…and due sometime around December. More often than not, the inquiry of did I know what caused that was asked. At this point I would go into detail of one of my more infamous decisions made this year, which always receive and uproarious laughter….so let’s proceed with the story.

In July, Bren and I decided that 4 kids would be enough and that with her being pregnant now…would be a good time to get a vasectomy. I scheduled a consult with a well respected Urologist…don’t you won’t a doctor performing such a procedure to be VERY WELL RESPECTED? You definitely do not want him to have the shakes…but I digress. During the consult the Doc asked that if I was sure I was done having kids...and I respond with an air of confidence…that I was very sure that the world did not need any more little Elliotts. He went into detail of the procedure…the severing of the vas deferens through and incision made through the scrotum and then titanium clips clamped permanently on each severed end of the goods. (Insert joke here.) He then mentioned that he wanted to perform the work on a Friday and that I was to rest through the weekend….that there would be no working out for a week. Ok…don’t like not having to work out for a week…but hey…I can start back that following Saturday…that would give me a week to recover.

The grand day arrived…I stroll up to the Doc’s office and am ready to go. The nurse took my vitals and asked how I was doing. I replied that I was a little apprehensive. “Oh, the waiting is worse than the procedure…well kinda,” she replied. She chuckled. I didn’t think she was all that funny. She then told me to precede to the end room where no one can hear me scream…hahahahaha…she was a riot. I didn’t laugh.

The doctor began…and during the procedure I learned that he had gone to that lesser higher institute of learning in the state of Texas….The University of Texas…I believe I learned this while he was making incisions. At this point I asked the good Lord to forgive what I was about to utter as a Fightin Texas Aggie and said, “Right now Doc…I am the Biggest Longhorn Fan in the World.” The procedure went well…at least I guess it went well and during all this he reiterated that there was to be no working out for a week. I respond, “That’s fine. That gives me a week before next Saturday when I have a 70 mile bike race.” He stops mid suturing…and looks at me like I had lost it. “Really?” he asks. “Absolutely!,” I reply. He then ask if maybe we can make a compromise…that riding a bike like that only 7 days after a procedure like this will be not only painful….but with potentially harmful side effects. I mentioned that there was a 40 mile race option….and he reluctantly agreed that I should ride that one…but don’t over do it. He also mentioned that he put in additionally stitches to prevent the incision from reopening.

The following Saturday I climbed on the bike….at this point I should add that I had been “tender” all week and felt like someone had kicked me squarely “Down There.” Just let me cut to the chase…at mile 2…I could not have been more glad that he talked me out of 70 miles…and so for the next 28 miles I rode as hard as I could. Just sitting on that bicycle seat was enough to make me grimace. At one point I even checked to see if I was bleeding “down south.” At mile 30, I climb off my bike and felt like puking…not from an elevated heart rate…but more like “HOLY COW THAT HURTS Kinda pain.” I wrap up the 40 mile race…and thought to myself that I may have crossed that line of being tough…and well..not so smart.

I tell this story….multiple times during the convention…always to uproarious laughter….I laughed too…it’s hilarious now…at the time…not so much…

Hotter N Hell 100 Mile Cycling - 2011

2011-08-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

I Fell Into A Burning Ring Of Fire
I Went Down, Down, Down
And The Flames Went Higher
And It Burns, Burns, Burns
The Ring Of Fire
The Ring Of Fire

Johnny Cash

In North Texas this has been the second hottest summer on Record…as I write this there has been 62 days over a 100 degrees…and the last week temps have been around 107 as a high. So when the forecast for Wichita Falls TX on Saturday registered a 110 F as a high…well I knew I was going to be getting my money’s worth in the Hotter N Hell 100 mile bike ride. In the end it was the hottest Hotter N Hell event in it’s 30 year history.

I decide to go down Friday evening, take in some Criterium races, pick up my packet and hang out with some of my buds from Team Legacy Cycling. In route, I make a quick stop at the Hospital to see my friend fighting for her life…battling cancer. Carolyn is a true inspiration. Last year her and her family waited for me at the finish line. This year that was to be impossible. I ask that you keep her in your prayers…I dedicated the race to her…and Jereme, her husband.

Saturday found us up bright and early as the race organizers offered a 6:15 start due to the extreme heat. So at about 5:45 we wheeled up to the start with Team Legacy. Jason and Amy had lined up and we lost them…but that might had been for the better as last year I go out blazing with Jason at 29mph for the first 30 miles only to make the last 30 miles a complete death ride…begging for a merciful end. So this year…I was found lining up with Jackie, Carl, and Amber…vowing that I would not go out like I did the previous year…thinking I was racing with a CAT 1 Team…and with this year’s heat…just didn’t want to do anything stupid.

The first ten miles are much like traversing a mine field where you play dodge the dropped water bottle…combine that in the darkness of the predawn hours and you have a whole new sport. The rule of the game is to escape the precarious 10 miles without any mishaps…translate crash. Thusly the speed of travel is sub par…but then again the goal is to escape mishap. So here I am with the four I lined up with…proceeding in the patient manner and going about 13 -15 mph. At mile 10 things open up and we begin to settle into about 20 mph…Somewhere along the line Jackie takes off and I lose sight of her in the mayhem of cycling humanity (keep in mind 14000 cyclist participated in this event.) At mile 20, I crossed that threshold in just about an hour and realized despite the first 10 miles…I was well on pace and didn’t burn up many matches. My plan was not to stop until mile 40…and at that point we got there in 2 hours and feeling good. Carl had been lost in the humanity somewhere along the way. Next stop was Hell’s Gate the 100K (62 miles) point…and things were going as planned…Amber and I had latched on to well paced groups and we begin the journey of getting in and out of these groups that suited the plan (ie…not CAT 2 racing)…but traveling between 18 and 21 mph. At about mile 65 we got into a 150 man peloton with the momentum of a freight train…going about 22 to 24 mph. It was a legitimate pace group with support vehicles and the like…and for the next 8 miles got swept along with only a soft pedal and immense energy savings. The journey continued…I thought back to last year…reminding myself how I felt at this point…and thinking that it was a death ride and became a test of will to continue. This year was a different story…feeling incredible…at times pulling an 8 to 10 man train at 20 to 21 mph…at the 80 mile point. At one point Amber mentions that 18 to 19 would be good…not the 20 to 21…fine…we pull back on the reigns and we proceed. Things are great…but the heat was ON…and it now felt like I was riding in a blast furnace. At mile 90 the heat began to take it’s toll. I was nauseous…positioning myself in the group…that if I puked, it wouldn’t get it on everybody. I was fine on the fitness end…not on the stomach end…I tell Amber to go on. I had pulled earlier…now it was her turn…she was cycling incredibly strong at this point…so the last few miles…with the patience of Job…pulled and encouraged…that’s what team mates do…

The finish line is always sweet…but this year…It was enjoyable.

After about 30 minutes of cool down…I was good to go. If I wouldn’t had been so nauseous my finish would have been stronger…but averaging about 18.5 mph for the entire 100 was not a bad go at it in this heat. Afternoon temps registered 122 F coming off the pavement. The MASH unit at the end looked like Grand Central Station and there were cyclist who accrued some frequent flier miles on the MEDIVAC Careflight. Hearing stories of cyclist being submerged in ice because of 102.5 body temps…and racing officials black flagging riders to get on SAG wagons.

I am so pleased, not only with my ride but the rest of Team Legacy…Jason burns up a sub 5 hour…and tells me that was sub par…whatever boss…I can’t keep up with him on my best day. Jackie and Amy had a stellar finish coming in just ahead of us. Carl finished in full order. Natalia’s perseverance and toughness should never be in doubt…as she completed the 100 miles at the very worst part of the day…and Amber…well Amber finished her first 100 miler…oh…by the way…it was only her 8th ride of the year…The rest of Legacy Cycling…Pat…the Barborao Rocket, Ken...Pyllis...Rana...Keith…all finished in great times…I love that Cycling Team…My brother rode a 450 mile staged ride this spring…and being the Pastor he is, tied cycling into a Bible Study…Ecclesiastes 4:9…a Good Lesson in cycling…in life…in marriage. My sweet wife Bren is a saint…she supports my endurance/endorphin fix. Saturday Morning I get a message…from her…”Ride Strong…Ride Fast…Love You!” I have to say that her support means more to me than having a perfect race. Hey Bren…”Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work.” You are a cornerstone that makes our family incredible…you are large part of why are kids are incredible…you make me a better person…and I love you.

Press On!

Life Moves Pretty Fast...

2011-08-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

It has been a while…the water is travelling swiftly…and as that great philosopher, Ferris Bueller, stated, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

So let us stop and look around for a moment…and give a brief update to Team Elliott…God is good…and has blessed us immensely. Last week Team Elliott saddled up and flew to San Diego California for a 6 day vacation…where the break from 40 straight days of 100 + degree Texas Weather was very welcome as the high temps in Southern California for our stay were 82 degrees.

We land…pick up the Ford Excursion at the rental place and then moved ever so swiftly to Marine Corps Recruit Depot…a return visit after graduating boot camp there in 1988. Not much has changed and I relished imparting this part of my past to my wife and kids. I think I am 0 for 3 in having any of them sign on the dotted line…maybe something about that DI going off on a recruit that deterred my kids wanting to spend 3 months there.

My wife had gotten a great deal at the W Hotel in San Diego…and it was a wonderful place to stay the first 2 nights. While in San Diego we went to Legoland and Mission Beach. The kids loved both places and for different reasons. After our second day we traveled into Los Angeles… we visited the Tar Pits where literally 1000’s of prehistorically animal skeletons were found. We also did the Hollywood walk of fame, the observatory in the Hollywood Hills and a Dodger baseball game. We rounded out the vacation with 2 wonderful days at Disneyland and California Disney…being a big kid…I love that place…and if you can’t be happy there…you are a true grouch and I don’t want you around me. Luke, Macy and Hope will ride anything they are tall enough to ride. After getting off the Tower of Terror in which the one drops 13 floors in an elevator in pitch black darkness only to be jerked back up the 13 floors to hang a bit and then drop….I ask my 5 year old Hope, “How did you like that.” Hope responds, “Awesome, but I had my eyes closed for most of it.” I reply, “That’s fine, it’s dark for most of it anyway.” Macy kept her eyes closed for most of the raucous roller coaster California Screaming….where I was giving her a play by play of going into the loops and down the massive drops…she was glad she rode it even though she couldn’t tell you what she saw…hahahaha. Luke will ride anything…and always holding his hands up…even when going inverted…crazy like his dad. Although not quite as swanky as the W Hotel, Anaheim’s Embassy Suites was better suited for our family as we had 2 rooms to spread out a bit.

Just hanging with my family makes me happy…I laugh a lot…we all laugh a lot…I can say that my kids truly care for one another…they look out for one another…and I have to be honest…they hardly every argue or fight with each other…oh, there is the picking on…and trying to make each other laugh…but not much dissension. My wife did a wonderful job of hammering out the details on this trip…and being 4 months pregnant, not once complained and always was up for the “fun.” All my kids adore her…and it speaks of who she is as a person, wife…and mother.

I trained a couple of days while on vacation…mainly cardio. This past Saturday I rode 80 miles with Team Legacy…and at finishing time it was already a bit warm at 102.
This coming Saturday is the Hotter N Hell 100 mile ride…and I will be riding for Carolyn again…she won’t be at the finish line as she was last year…she is in the ICU…pray for her and her family…she desperately needs the prayers…for this century ride will be rode with a very heavy heart.

So Press On!...but make sure you don’t miss anything…

Chapter One...Of The Book

2011-07-27T05:44:00.000-07:00

Ok...here we go...yep....in all of my free time I have been writing a book. Which means I may be finished with it 4 years after I retire. Anyway...here is chapter one....and if there are any publishers out there willing to sign a big deal for me to finish it...I bet I could find time to get it done...hahaha. Enjoy.

The chartered Greyhound bus line was headed north, or in at least the general direction of north. James knew this because of two things: a.) He was going to the MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) located in Amarillo Texas and the general direction from Lubbock to Amarillo was due north. and b.) The shadows of the mesquite brush from the late Sunday afternoon Texas sun told him as much. Of the fourteen people on the bus, nine of them were going into the Armed Services…of course he was the only one to have the intestinal fortitude to sign on the dotted line for the freaking United States Marine Corps. The rest were pansies…either going into the Air Force, the Navy…or God forbid, the Army. James would be lying if he told you there was not an element of pride in that fact, but would equally be lying if he told you he was not flat out scared of what was to come….and thus he sat there silently, listening to the other recruits talking about all they were leaving behind or what was to be anticipated…Even one female Army recruit was going on about when she anticipated that her period would arrive in the timely manner during the second week of basic training. “For the love of God, do we really need to know that?!” thought James….”Really?”

The bus pulled into the Plainview bus station, it seemed like the bus was going to stop in every semblance of a town between Lubbock and Amarillo…even if it had only one stop light and it was a flashing light, making the normal two hour drive time nearly twice that. James was not happy about that fact. Mainly because he was having to listen to the gal, who had given precise scheduling of her menstrual cycle, had now moved on to the topic of her dysfunctional boy friend, who was still considered a junior in high school despite being 19 years old. James then pointed out to the gal in the most sarcastic manner possible that even though Johnny hadn’t graduated high school, he is old enough to go into the Army without his mommy’s permission. The snide comment, at that point, only got a string of expletives thrown his way by the gal. James was unfazed by that as he gazed out the bus window, thinking of nearly absolutely nothing except of how barren this land was.

He had grown up in west Texas, a small community of just over 10,000 people, and he always wondered what kept people around this place. Why didn’t they move to a more lively place? Since he could remember, James felt like living in West Texas had isolated him from the rest of the world. Being a young boy, during the later years of the cold war, there was plenty of talk about when the Soviets would bomb the place. James didn’t worry about any of this talk. In his simple opinion, he had two thoughts. The first was that some of this country already looked like a nuclear winter had blown through and the second was, “Why would the Soviets want to waste a warhead on this place.” This bombing thing had all been a moot point since 1994 with the fall of the Communist Soviet Union anyway and now since they had shown Hussein who was boss in 1991, there really weren’t any known enemies to be concerned about.

James’ mom was not all that excited about his signing up for the Corps. In fact, he had to actually fudge some responses to the medical questions on the application. There was that history of asthma question, but then again the recruiter had coached him on which box to check. All this didn’t sit well with his sainted mother, a staunch Southern Baptist woman. Couple this with the college applications that had been accepted, some that even came with bags of scholarship money, and momma had different ideas on what her oldest baby should do with his life…and being a Marine was nowhere on that list! Because James had scored exceptional on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), he was given an opportunity to go into any field of choice that the Marine Corps offered. Much to the disgust of the recruiter, James had voluntarily selected light infantry. Even after being questioned and harassed by the recruiter to go into something that would better be suited for the “Big Brain that the good Lord saw fit to give you” and maybe select something like intelligence, or aircraft mechanic…or anything…but not infantry! After three different times of asking the question, the recruiter finally gave up and mumbled that maybe James wasn’t so smart after all and deserved going into the infantry. Momma didn’t like this infantry thing either.

The one thing that Momma did like about this whole plan was that James at least would be in the Reserves, and that this would allow him to go to college while fulfilling his obligation as one of Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children, a term affectionately used by the recruiters after the ink had dried on the contract. It referred to being a distinguished member of donning the Eagle, Globe and Anchor in the USMC. Being a Reserved meant that James was required to take part in training one weekend a month and two weeks a year, usually during the summer. This would fit quite nicely into going to college to getting a degree and although Mom still was not happy about all this, being a Reserved made it easier for her to stomach. James’ father was supportive of any decision that his son made. This didn’t sit well with mom either. “What if he wanted to go off and join the circus?” she would ask, “Do you support that too?” It didn’t matter much now…those good byes were an hour and half ago…and strangely enough seemed liked years to James...as that Greyhound bus rolled on down the road.

Heat Related Ramblings...and Don't Tell the Wife...

2011-07-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

I was born and raised and TEXAS. So with that said….I dig the heat…usually…but this year it is relentless. It seemed to go from a comfortable 76F to 101F over night…and it hasn’t let up. We are now on day 18 of 100+ temps. Oh it cools off at night…well, not really…usually hovers around 88 to 89 for a low.

But when you grow up in TEXAS…you can’t use the heat as an excuse for not training. This past weekend I rode 65 miles with Team Legacy…a beautiful country ride….you can literally ride for hours without unclipping. At one point around the 50 mile mark, I stop at an intersection to allow the team to regroup. It was nearly 100 F and the heat coming off the asphalt was unreal. Without having the air move across you when you pedal…standing still made me thankful that we were nearly done! My bud Chris and I hammered out another 30 mile early Sunday…and were done before 0800. But there was a problem…a real problem Sunday Morning.

My wife is HOTTT….I mean other than being a bombshell of sexiness…which she is!….I mean literally HOT! When I got up at 0530 on Sunday, I realized the A/C wasn’t cooling! I texted my A/C guy…and to cut to the chase…Sunday it got up to 90 degrees downstairs in our house. I hear that being Hot and 4 months pregnant is not a good combo…at least my wife tells me that…We’re good now…but watching that Tour de France while sweating wasn’t too bad…just don’t tell my wife that. (OF course this is coming from a guy who told his wife during contractions of our first born, “Honey, you’re going to have to suck it up…it’s going to get worse till they get you an epidural. “) We laugh now…but when I said that…it didn’t come across as funny as I intended it to….come on that is, like…really funny….ok, not so much.

Speaking of HEAT…BADWATER 135 was run this past week…you know….the 135 mile foot race through death valley with 120F ambient air temps….and 8,500 ft elevation increase. I have two buds that ran and finished the darn thing…North Texas’ Rochelle Frazuer in 39hrs 30 min….and Virginia’s Brenda Carawan in 36 hrs 45min.

So until next time…stay cool…and for crying out loud….don’t tell your wife to suck it up during birthing contractions…only by the Grace of God did I live to tell about it….and then again….I still may be on borrowed time.

Press On!

The Wheel in the Sky Keeps on Turning

2011-07-06T05:32:00.000-07:00

I looked over at Jim…we were cruising at about 20mph on a chip sealed road…a road that rattles the fillings in your teeth. Jim would have none of it and he drops the hammer…and then there goes Jamie. She had been racing in Criteriums…and was stronger than last year. I follow…out of the saddle…shifted to the highest gear possible…the 54 was cranking…up to 26 mph…the engine revved up…and despite being only half done at 30 miles…I was wanting off this chipped sealed road as much as the next guy…or at least as much as the guy and gal just in front of me. A couple of miles later we turned off to a more pleasant ride and brought the respiration rate down a bit…I wondered how many matches I just burned…that would be revealed soon enough in the temps approaching a 100 F…And the Wheel In the Sky Kept on Turning.

Oh the Texas Heat…this summer seems to be more stifling than most. Last week I had taken Luke to Webelo Scout Camp at Camp James Ray on the edge of Lake Texoma. For three days of tent camping, the heat continued to be brutal. Luke didn’t seem to mind…and for the 3 mile afternoon run on Thursday…it was hot….but my body had adapted to running in these high temperatures. Luke has come a long ways in just a year. I reveled in watching him joke around and converse with new friends….watching how he handled himself around the older 19 and 20 year old Staff members…the quick wit. But what I really enjoyed was how he was responsible for getting what he needed and scheduled for earning the activity badges that he needed to earn. He was on auto pilot and took care of business with minimal input from me…I have every bit of confidence that he is ready for Boy Scouts…and Wheel in the Sky Kept on Turning.

So on Saturday morning I had returned from the furnace of Camp James Ray. Before church on Sunday, I go out for a solo ride of 35 miles or so…including a great climb on Windhaven Hill. On Monday July 4th, here I was for a 55 mile ride or so with Team Legacy…to make it 90 miles in two days. After the cancelled Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim run in May, I had just maintained a general sense of fitness. There had been no training cycles…no intense 8 hour aerobic runs…I lamented to myself after our little chase group of 3 breaking away on the chipped sealed road that I was nowhere near where I was last year….you remember right? The 50 mile ride on fixed gear bike followed by a 50K trail run that night…all night! In May and June I had been doing weight workouts with Amber who had trained for her last body building show in June. She was riding for the second time this year, keeping up with the big boys. My endurance was not what it was. I had ridden twice with Plano Bicycle Association….with DB1…63 miles…and my buddy Chris Howsner and I had made it a June Sunday morning ritual to have a testosterone filled ride of 30 miles before church. He had an epic ½ Ironman performance in April. That really was the crux of my training in May and June…I was still non committal to the Hotter N Hell 100 mile ride in August…going through the motions….and the Wheel in the Sky Kept on Turning.

Monday morning I had unload my bike…Team Legacy was leaving from Coach Jim’s farm. His lovely wife, Sara, comes up to me and says, “congratulations are in order for you Dave, Is it a boy or girl?” Yep…for the first 15 miles of the ride that tended to be the conversation…at least the conversation directed to me from the gals. “No we don’t know the sex of the baby…Team Elliott never finds out, that’s how we roll.” “Yep this is number 4.” Jackie, mother of 4, reminds me that our wait just went up about 20 to 30 minutes at restaurants. “Luke is 10, Macy …8 , and Hope…5…they are all excited!” “We’re due in December sometime.” …and thus the conversation went. The social aspect of the group ride, at least in the early miles is something I really enjoy. Only during end of the ride, dehydrated a bit, and wanting to be done do those conversations seem like long ago. It is a reflection of the past and of things to come. The excitement of a new life being brought into the fold of Team Elliott…and the knowledge that the Good Lord has blessed us…of something we thought may never happen. It shows two things: God has both a plan and a sense of humor. The heat mirage of the road indicates that it is to be another scorching Texas summer afternoon…and we pull into Jim’s drive way. A really good country ride with no stop signs…no read lights…And the Wheel In the Sky Keeps on Turning!

Three Are Not Easily Broken...

2011-06-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

In 2006 I watched the Mavericks crater… they were up by 2 games…and in game 3 of the NBA Finals the Dallas Mavericks had just lost a 20 point lead and the game. The Miami Heat went on to win 4 straight games and ultimately the Championship Series. Being a sports fan, that one hurt….until this week, whenever I would think about that game, I would still wince in anguish.

All those basketball demons of 2006 have been vanquished into the pit of hell. With 30 seconds left in game 6 of this year’s NBA Finals, Dirk Nowitzki stared up at the clock and realized that his dream of being a champion was about to come to fruition. The nation looked on…the polls showed that 84% of the NBA fans were cheering for the Mavs. Yes, those Mavs…Dirk a 14 year veteran…Jason Terry….Jason Kidd…38 years old who had to have a walker to get on the court….you know…a bunch of “washed up has beens”...the Maverick TEAM.

If you watched any of the ESPN coverage you realized that the national media was more interested in the Miami Heat…only last summer did we all tune into the ESPN show, “The Decision.” The show where Lebron James in all his hallowed greatness announced to his kingdom, us mere mortals and peasants, that he would bless us all by “Taking his talents to South Beach .” It was orchestrated…Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh…and now “His Hallowness King James” were to be the 3 head monster that was to bring not one,…not two…how many? 8?…yes at least 8 championships. At least that is what “His Holiness” predicted. Three of the most talented professionally basketball players were going to be on the same team. How could anybody beat them?

Contrast that with Dirk Nowitzki. Just like His majesty Lebron, Dirk was a free agent…with the ability to name his price…put himself on the open market…pretty much go where he wanted to go…and demand a crazy amount of money. Dirk re-signed with Dallas…and outside of the metroplex it went unnoticed for the most part…there was no ESPN special…no resounding trumpets….no big party at the American Airlines Center like the one in Miami showcasing the big 3. Dirk simply said the Maverick organization and Dallas in general had been good to him…and this was where he wanted to be...where he wanted to play. Dirk has no manager…no agent….does no endorsements. Dirk doesn’t trash talk…he doesn’t showboat...character counts.

In the fall of 2010, the Dallas Mavericks began the season…they had their ups…and downs…and were given a long shot to make it to the finals. They added Tyson Chandler to the roster. They toiled away…began to develop as a team…began to sharpen one another…to bond…as a TEAM.

Unless you live in a hole in the land of the hobbits, you have to know that a bunch of old guys who played as a team, beat the chosen 3 who had guaranteed 8 NBA titles. The Mavericks had 9 players that made significant contributions in the finals. Cardinal drawing a charging foul on Wade…JJ Berea driving a stake through the Heat’s heart with a crucial 3 point shot at the 4 minute mark in game 6. Dirk in his own words, was out of rhythm in the first half of game 6 hitting 1 of 12 from the field. Jason Terry and Berea pick up the slack nailing shots from down town....and we can't forget the elder statesman, Jason Kidd, running the offense, the second oldest player to ever win a title.

My son, Luke, came into the room to watch the Mavs close out the championship. I look over to him and ask, “Why did the Mavs beat a team that had more raw talent?” “Dad,” he responds, “The Mavs are a team.” It’s cliché…you hear it when you play your first game when you’re 5 years old. But it’s true…not only in the NBA Finals…but in life.

I have written about my brother riding 360 miles on a bicycle with a team. On morning he, being a pastor, was asked to give a devotional. He turned to Ecclesiastes 4…specifically verses 9-12…v.12 “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” A week of cycling will help you quickly realize that 2 can travel faster than one…drafting saves up to 30% energy.

King James should have lent his ear to King Solomon for Solomon understood a simple principal. Miami's Big 3...snapped like a chicken bone...3 individual strands...broken.

Teamwork...coming together as one...It works in a marriage…it works in training…it works in an Ultramarathon crew…it works in cycling…it works in the NBA. To have someone there to pick you up when you fall…it’s Jason Terry draining the 3 pointer when Dirk is out of rhythm…

…in basketball….in life.

Press On!

The Balance of Life...

2011-05-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

Balance Grasshopper!....Balance! My friend John says….clean living and moderation in all things. My personality does not know moderation. I never have done drugs…never been an alcoholic…but I am here to tell you that if I didn’t have intense focus on other things…who knows…but for the Grace of God go I!!! It is just how I am made…and my wife Bren knows this…

I have to be honest; the past month has not been great for me. I continue to train…but have backed off…nothing more than 2 hours at a time. Started riding my bike…continued with boot camps…training on weights…but there was always angst. Mentally, I didn’t have it in me to run all night long if my son had an early Saturday morning baseball game….Running or riding for 5 to 6 hours. The paradox? I didn’t want to train for an ultra….and I didn’t give myself permission not to train for an Ultra Endurance event. I remember sipping a cup of coffee one Saturday morning. I should have been enjoying my kids…and their upcoming events, baseball and softball games. My wife comes out and looks at me and knew immediately that I had a war waging inside…I was stewing…mad….frustrated! Over the past 3 years, Saturday morning was hard corps training time. I loathed where I was!

The following week, I got an email from a bud…it was a partial list of all the events I have done in 3 years. At the end of the email my friend basically said….you need to chill for a few months…really! “For over 3 years you have pushed your limits were most cannot comprehend…with a family….and a packed schedule.” Within 3 days I had 2 other of my inner circle tell me the same thing. I came into the gym at 5:15 one morning, and a training buddy looked at me and said, “Give yourself permission to take time off from endurance events.” “You don’t have to stop completely…just enjoy some time off from the crazy stuff for a period ….till it becomes fun again.”

The past 2 weeks I have had a peace about all that. Oh, I have climbed back on the bike…and we have hammered some 40 mile rides out…but nothing over a couple of hours. I have started studying magic again (slight of hand.) I have started writing…and reading. I got my spiritual life back on track a bit. I have focused on my kids more…working with them on their baseball/softball skills. I have spent more time goofing off with my 5 year old, Hope. My wife and I have always made it a priority to go out…and that has been fun…and I am content. No angst. I believe God uses others in your life to show you things…and I am thankful for buds who help me grasp what I really need to know.

So what’s in the future? I honestly don’t know…I probably will ride Hotter N Hell 100 miles again this year…but who knows.
Press On!

What is Next?

2011-05-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I woke up at 6:00AM…grabbed my Nook…started a cup of Coffee…turned on Sports Center….and pondered things in the still quiet of the morning before the chaos of the Elliott Cat 5 hurricane awoke from peaceful slumber. Macy had a softball game at 9:30, so I had talked myself into taking it easy…and not get up at an ungodly hour to go run. By 7:00am, I was stewing…and although things were peaceful on the home front, my mind was reeling…thinking…my spirit was anxious. It was a total paradox within my soul. I had no motivation to go run…and yet I was self loathing for not lacing up any running shoes. I was restless…and angry…more with myself. For 3 straight weekends in a row, I had done nothing on the exercise front…mainly from sickness. When my wife woke up she could tell things were angst ridden in my psyche. She looked at me and said…you don’t have to go run tomorrow…but do something…you are miserable.

Why the misery? Because I really don’t know what to do next….what I want to do next. The cancelling of the Grand Canyon run had done more to me emotionally than I wanted to admit. I wasn’t pouting or feeling sorry for myself…but I lacked any motivation to get out and train for another ultra.

Macy played a great game…she has laser focus for an adult…let alone an 8 year old. When she steps up to bat…she is intent on hitting the ball…and on Saturday’s game went 2 for 3…and got robbed on the third at bat.

Before the game, Bren tells me…get on Stubhub….and get tickets for you and Luke to go to the Texas Ranger’s for the Saturday afternoon’s sold out game. The weather was perfect…72F….clear skies…just Perfect! I love the Ballpark in Arlington. I look over at Luke, my only son, eating his ice cream and ask, “Has it been a good day?” He responds between bites of chocolate mint, “Dad, more than you know!” All of a sudden, my morning workout didn’t matter a lick…not one bit.

That evening, I was watching to New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox…and Jorge Posada had pulled himself out of the line up only an hour before the game. Normally that would amount to a hill of beans when a player does that…but not here. First it’s the Yankees…and everything makes headlines. The crux…Posoda who was batting a 0.180 was moved to 9th in the order…yep…5 time all star…instrumental in all 4 World Series Championship wins and 5 time Sliver Slugger Award winner was getting old…and his skills seem to be slipping. I think that is the hardest part of being an aging athlete…knowing when to say when…and frankly, Posada is struggling with that.

I related to the Yankee catcher that night. No…I am not an elite…and no, I don’t have to say that I quit…but that morning I was struggling with what to do next…in training…in endurance realm...and yes I was frustrated.

Sunday, I vowed not to sleep in. I lined up a buddy that had just finished a ½ ironman in epic fashion in April. “Chris,” I asked, “What are you doing tomorrow morning at 6:00AM?” “Let’s get in a strong 40 miles on the bike,” I add. So on Sunday…we pounded at 40miles…it was literally the 2nd time I had been on the bike since last Augusts’ Hotter N Hell 100 mile ride. The first 20 out was strong…18 to 22 mph…I didn’t eat anything before or during the ride and the last 8 miles back in were not good….like bonking not good. But when it was over…I felt good to have gotten out on the road.

I still have no idea what to do next…I really don’t know what I want to do next. I at least plan on staying in Marathon shape…but right now…going out for a 2 to 3 hours on Saturday is really all I need…or want for that matter.
Till then…we will enjoy Macy playing softball and Luke playing baseball…and the Rangers…well lets hope they get things shored up...relief pitching and the bats need to wake up.

Press On!

What Is In a Name?....That Would Be the Elliott Name!

2011-05-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

Ok...here we go with something quick. My only sibling and younger brother is a cyclist...and a full time pastor. So this week he is riding from Beaumont to Texarkan...375 miles on his bicycle...to raise money for Hunger.

Yep...another endurance event....5 days. I talk to him every day this week...I mention, "think about those guys in the Tour de France!" His comment....doping or not they are some of the best athletes on the planet.

This event is tough for the sole purpose of the day to day hammering of the body. It's not like an Ultramarathon....in 24 hrs your done...but more like a mind thing....of climbing back on the saddle the next day....whether you feel like it or not.

You can follow him here: Sammy's Blog

and if you want to donate for the cause...go HERE and put it in Sammy Elliott's name

Press On!...and BIKE OUT HUNGER!

The Hard Decision!

2011-05-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

I woke up Friday morning, April 29, thinking to myself, “This time next week I will be on a plane to Arizona…to Run that Big Hole in the Ground.” The Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim…start on the south rim at Bright Angel Trail…down the 4500 feet….across the suspension bridge at the Colorado River…up to 5200 Feet…along the North Kiabob Trial to the North Rim…touch the fence….and come back…all 48 miles…at one time. I was also thinking to myself, “Did I eat something bad as my stomach was aching a bit.

So on that Friday, I go on to work…come home and get ready for the weekend…a Y Princess camping weekend with my 8 year old daughter Macy. We were staying at a place where a lady insisted we call her Muddy and who ran a water ski camp for 30 years. That ought to tell you that the cabin was on the lake…and lake activities were required. We fished…and Macy caught a fish…and Muddy taught Macy how to water ski. There were two boats going…one skiing…one tubing…and Macy did both…and I was told by another dad on the boat that Macy was fearless…at the got the boat up to nearly full speed with her signaling for “FASTER” while hanging on for dear life to that tube. Her dad went tubing as well…and when the 25 year old, alpha male from that lesser Texas university whose mascot looks best served on a plate as a medium rare steak for a boat driver learned that the 41 year old, slightly cocky dad with a mouth was an Aggie…did everything to shake me off that tube…at one point another Dad said I was about 4 foot airborne. When I climbed back into the boat…he grinned and said, “Not bad old man.” Overall it was a great weekend…with my daughter…and bunch of great guys with their daughters.

Saturday my stomach still continue to hurt…and the pains were coming more frequent and with more intensity. I wasn’t nauseous or had bowel issues…just pain. By Sunday when I woke up…ready to pack up and go home…I now had gone from mild discomfort to actual pain…and on the 2 hour drive home downed an entire bottle of Pepto Bismol. I get home…unpack…shower…and went to bed…now the pain was constant…and 2 hours later, texted my boss saying I would be going to the doctor on Monday morning. Two hours after I penned that text…I couldn’t stand up straight for the pain…and told my wife to get me to the ER. Four hours, a CT Scan and two shots of narcotics later, I learned that I had severe inflammation in the small intestine…probably caused by a bacterial infection. The doc prescribed 2 antibiotics…and I left the ER thinking that after a couple of days on the antibiotics I will be good as new…in hindsight that was probably the pain killers talking.

I stayed home all day on Monday and rested. I told my wife that by Wednesday I would assess how I felt…after all on Saturday I was to go for a little run in Arizona.

Let me take a moment here and express the gratitude I have for my wife. She looked at me and said if there is anything she can do to get me ready for the trip let me know. She said that she trusted my judgment completely…and whatever decision I made, she would support me completely. That’s a good woman.

Wednesday rolled around…and I was getting better…but now I needed to start thinking about running 48 miles the coming weekend…and access my body…honestly…with my mind…not my heart. I was far from 100 percent…this was evident out at Luke’s baseball practice that evening. I knew what it was to be…and I despised it. You have to get into the psyche of an endurance athlete to completely understand. A person who sacrifices so much to push his body…many times past discomfort into pain. Where tenacious, bull headed determination when most others have decided, “NO MAS!” is more common than not. The hours in the weight room...literally thousands of reps…waking up at the most ungodly hour to go run…ticking off the miles…the hours…the back to back long days…the tearing down of the body…the building up of the mind…where quitting simply isn’t an option.

I made a handful of calls to some of my inner circle…all endurance guys…and received confirmation. It didn’t sweeten the bitter pill.

So here I sit. I just prayed for Marlee, Jenn, Char, and Fred…they are probably over half way…descending down the North Kiabob…reveling in the glory of the creation.

It was the right decision…I don’t have to like it…the last thing I wanted was to have things go south…being medivac’ed out…ruining the trip for everyone else…and never living it down with my bud Clive. Clive told me, he was putting it on the calendar next year…the trip to the Grand Canyon…and Marlee told me if I run it…she will run it again too. Those are good friends. My wife, Bren, has already started looking at dates…did I tell you that she is a good woman?

Press On!

Three weeks out to R2R2R...

2011-04-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

Ok…sorry for the delinquency in writing…and blogging….but right now Life is an Ultramarathon event.

Two weekends ago (wow…it has been a long time since I have blogged), was a “recovery” weekend. I do that every 4th weekend…after 3 Long and sometimes back to back long run weekends. I had built up to 32 miles over Saturday and Sunday….and I have dropped the bike. Frankly, my poor performance at Grasslands 26.2 lit a fire underneath my butt.

So…on April 1-3, we had a Cub Scout Campout…and with me being the Cubmaster…feel some sort of responsibility of making sure everyone has a good time. Fortunately that fell on my recovery weekend and I was able to get an easy 10 mile run early Saturday morning on a “new” trail.

So….the intensity is up…every workout with a specific purpose. One workout during the week is a bootcamp….and Allie keeps the heart rate up and keeps it core intensive…and that is the purpose…strong core! Two weekly runs….on is a hill repeats…5 to 6 miles worth…the heart rate is high… The other run is to engage some speed…either 5 miles or so of Tempo or interval training. The day before Saturdays’ long run, Amber hammers my legs in a weight workout with nearly 1200 reps…squats, lunges, leg presses…leg extensions…and then back to back long runs…Saturday and Sunday. This past weekend was a 22 mile day on Northshore trail. It got a bit warm and I dialed it back. I try to keep my heart rate below 150 bpm to train and enhance my body for metabolic consumption of fat as the main fuel source. Sunday was a 16 mile day done on the road….just to hammer out a consistent pace and to get it done before church...for a 38 mile weekend....and very little soreness on Monday. It is amazing how the body can adapt. Over the next week or so...I will increase the weekend milage...up to nearly 45 miles and the weekly up to nearly 70 miles.

Soccer for Luke has wound up….and now we have Baseball for Luke and Softball for Macy…and of course all the spring activities from School….so I am literally going from one event to another with no break on the weekends. My bud Paul Tidmore calls this true Ultra Training…because after a 4 hour run…you still have to carry on like there was nothing to it.

So….that leaves us with just over 3 weeks out to the Grand Canyon R2R2R run….I feel ready…for an Epic Adventure with some really great People….Press ON!

A White Knuckle Ride...or What Team Elliott Calls Normal

2011-03-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

Buckle up…because here is the cliff note version of the white knuckle ride of Team Elliott on the previous weekend….and could be any given weekend.

Friday up bright and early for a 0530 leg work out the weights…I added up 1200 reps of squats, leg extension, leg curls, more squats…lunges…and for the rest of the day Friday felt much like Bambi did on Ice… Left work a bit early so Luke and I could go camping…it is almost time for him to cross over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts and Troop 380 had invited us on the campout. We leave a little before 1800 on Friday (6:00PM for you air force types) and we are off to Camp Wisdom. We set up camp….and finally hit the rack at nearly 2300 (11:00PM for you army types) I am up at 0500 (5:00 AM for you Navy Squid Types) to get in 10 miles of running before reveille sounds at 0700 (that is 0700 for you Marine types ;-)) The 10 miles of running was a bit painful due to the extreme intense weight workout the previous day…but all by design. We had Breakfast and carried out the plan of the day for Troop 380. Luke absolutely loved the troop and was highly impressed. It is truly boy lead and I was really impressed with the older scouts…they really had their act together.

We break camp and saddle up at about noon…to get back by 1500 (3:00PM) for Luke’s Soccer game…and then after that I had squid duty so Bren could go with her mom on some high fluting event at Glenn Eagle Country Club.

On Sunday I am up at 0430 to knock out 20 miles on the trail. The legs were dead…really dead…but I kept a good pace…the body adapts and the mind overcomes….and about 4 hours later…I am back at the house cleaned up and ready for church. After Church….I had a quick lunch and then Macy and I head out for a Y Princess outing at Heritage Farms in Plano Texas. Macy had a blast with her friends and us dad’s had a good time with no shortage of smart elleck (how do you really spell that?) comments.

I had to have Macy back home by 1600 (4:00 pm for country club types) so that she could get to AWANAS at Church. Luke had soccer practice that I had to get him to at 1630….but alas it was cancelled…which really suited me just fine…at about 1700 (5:00PM for you civilian types) I finally got to sit down…for the weekend….so what did you do this weekend? Press On!

Post Script: Last year I rode for Carolyn Boyd…the LIVESTRONG campaign for people battling cancer. Right now her situation is grave…she is seeking alternatives that are real aggressive since her prognosis is grim. This burdens my heart more than I can tell you…Please keep Carolyn, her 16 year old daughter, her 2 younger sons…and her husband in your prayers.

A few of my favorite things...and a marathon to boot.

2011-03-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

You know how Oprah does a favorite things episode?...and she gives away all that stuff….ok…I only know about this because of my wife tells me about that. Anyways….this post is about a few things that s that I use and think they are incredible….They are typically not mainstream….and sometimes hard to find. I don’t go with low dollar….but more quality. Two of these companies are small and you cannot find any of their stuff in retail shops but only on the internet. I endorse all these products and do not receive payment from any of them….except one will pay me a small commission if you tell them you learned about it from my blog...and I will get to that in a moment. And by the way...unlike Oprah...I can't give you all this stuff...;-)

First…my Sanuk’s. I have blogged about them before, so I won’t go into detail on these…but suffice it to say…they are absolutely the most comfortable shoe I have ever owned…I wear them to church and really do not care what people think….and they are the best to wear after a long run. Cost: $55-65.

If you follow my blog….you know that I own a Nook. When perusing the internet for Nook covers, I came across some designer leather covers that cost nearly $200.00. yikes….that is a bit steep….like more than the Nook steep. Then I came across Oberon Design. These people are artisans…handmade from leather…wonderful pieces of work…without the $200 price tag. More like $75.00.

Ok…I have had one of these for nearly 5 years….and you can find them in high end camping/outdoor retail. The Tilley Hat…made in Canada…many styles and such but I have the T3 Cotton Duck hat….quality…awesome design with the snap up brim….it floats for you water people…I have the khaki color…and it looks as good today as when I bought it….I do wash it often. Cost - $69.00.

This last item is my favorite…bar none. I love the story behind the company…I love the quality…they do not cut corners so don’t expect the price tag to either. It is a Saddleback Leather Product. Their tag line is “Your kids will fight over it when you’re dead.” It comes with a 100 year warranty…yep…that is ONE HUNDRED YEARS! I bought the chestnut color large briefcase pictured below. It is handmade of full grain leather…lined with pigskin. It is absolutely gorgeous. When I am old and decrepit…I want this bag to whisper of adventures of life that we went on together. It is tough enough to go anywhere. This is the one company that will give me credit if you tell them you found it here….I got other stuff I want to buy from them…do some research like I did and you will find this Texas Company and incredible quality. On a sidenote…these bags were given away in the “gift bags” for the MTV awards in 2008. Price for my bag…$555.00.

On the training front/endurance front…Ran the Grasslands trail race this past weekend. I only ran the marathon...2 years ago I ran the 50 mile race...and this weekend was a far cry from that success. The race was hot...at least for this time of the year...and my buddy Clive insisted that we run together...and we did for the first 5 miles at a pace that sent my heart rate into the stratosphere...and I went ahead with it knowing I would pay the piper...and I did at about mile 18. I went into this race as a training run...and not until it was over did I realize that I had only run 3...yes 3 times since we have gotten back from Chicago in late February. I haven't been putting the miles in...and as of tomorrow that will change...at least for the next 6 weeks. Time to put the bike on the rack and get back on the "running" road. So there you are...a little over 5 hours of tough love inflicted on myself...This was the last year for my peeps Kevin and Stacie Boudreaux to be race directors for the Grasslands...They are two of the good people in my life. My bud Matt Heinz ran his first trail race...the marathon...and absolutely owned it...and told me he had a wonderful experience...He is another one of those good people in my life...yep...I keep track of 'em. Till next time Press On.
(pic courtesy of Matt Heinz pre race)

p.s. All the pics do not do the product justice...all except for the pre race shot...I really looked that bad...when I get up at 0400 in the morning.

p.s.s. I was made aware that I didn't include Clive as a "Good person in my life" catagory. Let me take this moment to ammend that and say that he absolutely is!!! Let me also say that I did think bad thoughts about him from miles 18-26...let me also say that there are few people that can make me laugh as hard as he does while we are running.

Life and Training…Sometimes it’s just…

2011-03-08T06:34:00.001-08:00

...moving forward…it ebbs and flows…climbs and descends…surges and pulls back. That is where I am…last year I was on top of my game for most of the year…trained for Bataan…ran an epic race…then moved right into cycling…lots of core and lots of endurance….riding a 50 miles on a fixed gear and then running a 50K trail run that night…going like I was on fire during the Hotter N Hell 100 miles ride and then running the ½ marathon trail race the next day. Currently, that looks like a long ways off…the edge isn’t there….but I press on.

After the Chicago trip I had a double ear infection and sinus infection…so I did something I had never done since I started running 4 years ago. I took the entire week off. I am now back in the swing. I feel about at 80%...I ran 2 hours on the trail on Saturday and enjoyed the moment…about an hour into it I ran into my bud Rochelle...and we finished the run together…to learn that she has been excepted into the Badwater 135…you know the 135 miles through death valley in July….where it gets a 130 F. She inspires me as she quote Palms 139:14…”I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” She is a testament to that as she finished a 200 mile relay…solo.

I continue on….not up…not down….just moving forward…and what that means is usually a boring blog.

So I leave you with this…it reminded me of my Marine Corps Legacy…the buds I served with….and what made us do what we do…that, my friend, makes me want to run fast….and far…Press On!

A Whirlwind Trip to the Windy City...and Saw Oprah Too.

2011-02-25T09:25:00.000-08:00

I like to watch people perform when they are exceptional in what they do. I don’t really have to be a fan of the event…but if it performed with excellence, I enjoying seeing such perfection…a performance at a high level. Where am I going with this?

First…this week was the trip to Chicago with the Hott Wife. As mentioned before I got tickets to Oprah. Not a fan but I got them when I put my name in the lottery at the request of Bren. We…actually, I was awarded tickets to the “a” taping of February 22. It was to be the Michael Vick interview…thus when we showed up I notice a more than normal amount of “straight” guys in the holding room than you would expect for a Oprah Taping. Long story short…Michael Vick did the Heisman Stiff Arm to Oprah cancelling just a few days before the taping….leaving Oprah scrambling…so the first part of the show was we the audience viewing a tape of previous recorded interview with Oprah…and the second half was going live with Oprah interviewing Lisa Ling. After the taping, Oprah made it up to the audience suffering through a tape by hanging around and answering questions for 45 minutes. After that…we concluded our Oprah experience with a trip to the gift shop…and no I didn’t even ask how much Bren spent….I really don’t want to know. As we are leaving the shop Bren suggest that we go stand by for the second “b” taping in the afternoon….another long story made short…we got in as “seat fillers” for 75% of the show…which was nice in that we got out early to retrieve coats and bags and not having to wait in the excruciating line we suffered through at the end of the morning show. This taping was an interview with Meredith Baxter…the mom on "Family Ties"…to be aired March 2. My hot wife had the time of her life…and we headed off the airport in good spirits.

My take on the whole thing? I have never seen such Oprah Worship in my whole life…and no I don’t really like Oprah….I disagree with most of her political/religious views…I believe she does many good things with her money….and watching her with a skeptical eye, believe her to be gracious with her success and feels that she needs to inspire women to be all they can be. She works her butt off…just the recording and prep time of doing two shows a day…and she is exceptional at what she does. Most of her inner staff have been with her 10 plus years….which tells me she probably is a pretty good person to work for…I have to say that we were treated extremely well…and I didn’t even have to tell them I was “Dave Elliott.” ;-)

During our little trip to Chicago...we didn't sit around but went into "the typical Elliott get things done mode." We saw the Blue Man Group....very cool....my highlight of the trip. We went ice skating at Wrigley Field...caught the movie "Black Swan." Ate at some incredible restaurants....and of course shopped along Michican Ave. We stayed at a really nice 4 star hotel called Hotel Felix...I think Trump owns it but I may be wrong.

On the training front…I have taken the entire week off. After the half marathon, my sinus cold went from bad to worst…a double ear infection and severe sinus infection…that really left me reeling…

Actually it may have been God’s way to slow me down a bit….the break has been good for me mentally. I plan on starting back full bore next week.

Till next time…Press On!

It was Ugly...like Sundial Ugly...

2011-02-19T19:07:00.000-08:00

I usually don't have bad races. I train hard...go in knowing what I am capable of...and then try to execute it. Not every race is great...but most are hardly ever "bad." In the last 3 years, I have had 3 bad races...races where things go south...and just making it to the finish is all that I ask of myself.

Today...well...today was a bad day on the trail....but then I was reminded all of the good things...and those good things are really good things...and then I knew that my bad day of racing...really wasn't that bad....but let's not get ahead of myself.

Crosstimber is a tough race...bottom line...people ask me which Texas Trail race is tougher...Bandera or Crosstimbers? My response: "Whichever one you just got done running!" That Crosstimber trail is relentless...no long climbs....but very steep ups and downs...with lots of roots...and I love this trail....I love the race...and I call the race director, Teresa McCoul ,a dear friend.

Hindsight tells me it would have been wise not to race this weekend. I have been sick all week with upper respiratory stuff...taking decongestants to just to be able to breath...and feeling bad all week. I take off at the start running with Marlee and she looks over at me and says, "Dave, I can hear stuff in your lungs." Yep...and the heart rate was high too...real high....probably from the acetaminophens....and what do I do?...I try to race the thing like everything was good. By mile 5 my calves started cramping....probably from not hydrating like I should have...after all it's only a 1/2 marathon...and by mile 8....I didn't care anymore. I pull into the last aid station and asked them to call the finish line to breakout the sundial....yep, I was moving that slow. Just ask Rochelle....yep, that Rochelle...the Rochelle who runs 200 mile relays...SOLO....She sees me at about mile 11 with cramps so sever I couldn't straighten them out. She massages the cramp out and got me going again... I still chuckle at seeing her line up for a half mary...kinda like seeing Ryan Hall run the 100 meter dash.

So I finish...and Teresa and Marlee come up to me...take one look...and know that it was one of those days...they quickly added a hug and words of encouragement. I chat a minute with my friend David Hanenburg...and he introduces me to his bud Tim Jagoda...ok lets get some things straight here...David is a multiple Ironman...like fast Ironman...and a fast runner....Tim..well, Tim is wicked fast...like go out and overall win the Crosstimbers half marathon...they live just blocks from each other so I am thinking it may be something in the water...Tim assures me that it is and will bottle some up and send over to me. Within an hour of finishing I start receiving calls and texts....first Clive...then Patton...all wanting to know how I did...then telling me not to worry bout the race...remember to have a spirit of gratitude. Watching Scott Eppleman leave in second place for the second half of the 50 mile race and asking me how I was doing...these people mentioned are only a few that I had talked to today...you have heard me mention many of my running buds here on the blog...Ballard, Tidmore, Kennedy...the list goes on....

and that brings me around full circle...it's the people in this sport....my running buds....the people that help weave the fabric of one's life...and a bad day on the trail with people such as these...well that isn't a bad day after all.

Press On!

Crosstimbers...and such....

2011-02-18T07:03:00.001-08:00

Crosstimbers trail...just south of the Oklahoma Border

Hold On....here we go...weekend plans.

Saturday morning up and at'em early...I have a 1/2 marathon trail race. I want to run the marathon but I need to get back by 1:00PM for Luke's Soccer Game....and then a 3:00pm Basketball game. I think I could do it but it will be cutting it way too close....and so I have resigned myself to only the 1/2....remember last year I ran the half with a 45 lb back pack in preparation for the Bataan Memorial Marathon in the White Sands Desert.

So here's the plan....run the 1/2 marathon like I stole something...then run another 5 to 6 miles after the race to get in over 20 miles. The sports hernia is improving....I did run an easy 12 miles at Northshore last weekend....and been working upper body weights....and spinning like a demon out of control....the fitness is good.

On Sunday...Bren and I are off to Chicago for me to pay my penance for my Mother's day weekend Grand Canyon run....

Live life to it's fullest...so there won't be any regrets when they put you in a pine box...

PRESS ON!

Good Things....Happy Things...

2011-02-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

The surgeon looks at me after examining and says, “Sports hernia…I am not operating. I see it once a week.” So there you are…no surgery…he says treat it like a strained muscle…keep training…listen to your body…it will r heal itself. He mentioned that it doesn’t mean that I am immuned from having a full blown hernia…but right now….that’s it…so I have a 2 hour run tomorrow…for all you North Texas Peeps…no I don’t want to run with you…with all this icy weather, I have been cooped up with people and want to be ALONE…so tomorrow…alone....but thanks anyway.

Let me take this time now, to thank you all that have sent me messages telling my you are praying for me and thinking about me. It means more to me than you know. I don’t pound my chest much on this…but I take Josh Hamilton’s stance….”Glory goes to Him.”

On to more good things: I want to point out an event happening in New York City in Mid March…it’s a ½ marathon around the city and through central park. It is for the Fresh Air Fund that sends inner city kids to camp who otherwise would never get the chance….go check it out and if you are in the area run the darn thing…it’s only a ½ marathon…which may mean you have to run 12 miles to the start to get a good run in….or if you only want to go 13…sounds like a really cool place to go do that. If was able to run the thing I would be there in a heartbeat.

So there you are: 2 good things to warm the cockles of your heart….with all this cold weather…you need something to warm the cockles of your heart….plus I just like saying “cockles.”

Press on my friends…press on!

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men

2011-02-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

The 18th century Scottish poet, Robert Burns penned it best…"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley." Let me translate to Texan: “Thangs aint’ goin like I planned’em!”

I had been promising my daughters that there would be a daddy/daughters camping weekend. So here was the deal…go down to Huntsville Texas State Park on the February 4-6 weekend…coincidentally, that is also the weekend that the Rocky Raccoon 100 mile Ultramarathon is to take place…yep….in the Huntsville State Park. We would go down on Friday…camp…get up and watch the runners take off…go work at an Aid Station in the morning…and in the afternoon….go fishing…hiking…biking…whatever they wanted to do. We would eat supper and then go hang out watching the 50 milers come in and help out where need be. Macy, my 8 year old, thought this would be cool…and Hope, my 4 year old, just wanted to go fishing.

On top of that…this year’s field brought in some crazy fast people…you know, Krupicka, Meltzer, Jurek, and Koerner…I was excited to be in the same county as these four guys.

Previously in the week…things already started going askew…and I am not talking about the weather…we’ll get to that in a moment. I had a consult with a surgeon. Yeah I know…I don’t like how that sounds either!!!

The first week in January I felt a lower pull in my lower abdomen…nothing serious….I must have overdone some core exercises…no worries. So the first weekend in January, I go and run the Bandera 50K…and at mile 5…my lower abdomen started to hurt…and for the next 26 miles it only got worse…not only a pull feeling….put real life pain. I backed off for a week…and a couple of weeks later ran a ½ marathon training run at Northshore Trail…ok…this is getting worse….and I had my suspicions…REAL PAIN Here!

It was confirmed by the surgeon…a bilateral hernia…one on each side. DANG IT! I am getting a second opinion at the request of the first surgeon due what he called an “active lifestyle.” His standard method of repair he thinks may not be the best method for an endurance athlete. The second consult is this week. He thinks either way, I will recover quick…he murmured something about “being in really good shape…and being crazy.” I am not joking when he told me I may actually be crazy....he was being serious….like I may not be all there. Whatever…sane as I have always been.

Ok…I didn’t plan this little bump in the road…but then in North Texas….we had some cold weather…and some sleet…freezing rain…it kinda started getting cold Monday evening….but by Tuesday morning….there was a 2 inch sheet of ice on everything…so that means you might as well shut down all of Dallas Texas for 2 reasons: a.) North Texas is not prepared to clear roads in such weather…and b.) North Texans can’t drive in such weather. I know….some of you northern folk are scoffing…and mocking me right now…don’t care…I LIVE IN THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS!...and for a good reason…and cold weather is not it. It stayed that way for 4 days…no school…grocery stores started looking like a Nuclear holocaust had occurred….temps staying in the teens…throw another 6 inches of snow on top of that Thursday night to add insult to injury….and my plans for leaving to go to Huntsville got scrapped. If I was by myself, I would have probably gone…but I was taking my little girls with me….and if I had a brain lapse and thought about leaving them at home…my wife reminded my that she had been cooped up with 3 kids for 4 days and that if I did go leaving them there…I better make sure of either one of two things: I better never go to sleep ever again….or I better make sure my will has been updated. I personally think that she did cross that line of sanity/insanity and realized that Stephen King’s ,”The Shining” may actually be reenacted in the Elliott Household.

I have to admit…I was disappointed…upset…angry…I wanted to be in Huntsville. A running bud texted me and reminded me that I needed to be flexible…I grinned…it was a shot across the bow in reference of my last blog post.

The race happened…I kept up via internet…text messages…phone calls…what a epic weekend…the course record was broken by Ian Sharman…he ran the 100 miles in 12 hours 44 minutes and Liza Howard won the women's division with nearly 15 1/2 hours …yeah I know…that’s fast…wicked fast!!! One last note…my bud Brenda C….finished in second place for the 100 mile women….completing the last item to check off the list to qualify for Badwater 135…and the Surgeon thought I was crazy.

So here I am…things are not as planned…but we press on…that’s what endurance guys do…they press on.

Liza...yep...she's from Texas too!!! (pic by Lynn Ballard)

The 4 Horseman of the Apocalypse. (pic by Lynn Ballard)

Have Ultra Runners Grown Soft?

2011-01-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

What a firestorm! First, full disclosure! I am not running Rocky Raccoon (RR) 100 Miler. I think the race director of Rocky Raccoon, Joe Prusaitis, is one of the absolutely best in Ultrarunning and putting on a race!...And I like to listen to headphones from time to time when I run… Now on to the matter at hand.

RR has become a very popular race. It is a relative flat, single track and guarantees great finishing times for the fast guys. This year the four horseman of the apocalypse entered….Karl Meltzer, Anton Krupicka, Scott Jurek, Hal Koerner. WOW!!!! The odds are, the course record is going down…and I will be there to watch it. So…this week I start catching wind that the RD has sent out an email that there will be no headphones allowed…NONE….or risk disqualification. The reason was obvious…lots of runners…some very fast…on a multiple loop, single track course...and safety or runner impedance becomes a valid concern. The problem: It was stated only a week and a half before race time and it was not announced that there was a No Headphone policy in any of the pre registration information.

I started seeing comments pop up on Facebook from runners registered…I got some emails from friends lamenting the fact…and I even got a few text messages. For the most part…everyone understood…nearly all were disappointed…Some were looking at the opportunity to have to dig deep in sheer darkness of the night instead of medicating with music…but there were some that were livid…upset…angry.

I got a text from a running friend…not only very angry…but extremely upset. I understood their argument…”Why state it now…and not before I registered?” Point Valid. But I also completely understood Joe’s position…safety and no trail impedance. there is a reason elites want to run his races…because they know it will be an exceptional race. But that is not why I am posting this.

After going back and forth with my running buddy, they had refused to take this as an opportunity. They expended so much negative energy on the subject they had no control over. I would mention to them it as an opportunity for self introspection during those tough times…an opportunity to hone mental toughness in lieu of “zoning out.” They would listen to none of it…and I was disappointed…this was an exceptional runner.

I reflected back to words of my buddy Matt Crownover…I paraphrase...”Too many times we rely on our gear…what we have with us instead of our abilities. We carry too much baggage in a race.” If you know Matt, he is speaking on about 3 levels there…but he is also being literal. My bud Ballard told me that once, during a mountain 100 miler, he was struggling…and Matt started going through his pack at an aid station…getting rid of all the “baggage.”

I like Matt’s philosophy…although I don’t always adhere to it. But isn’t that Ultra running…at least it is to me…testing my abilities…both physically and mentally. Adjusting to what is to come…adapting….overcoming. You try to be prepared for everything…and you never are able to…and it is at that time where you have to overcome the unseen…maybe it’s weather…maybe a bad stomach….maybe broken gear…or even someone saying…”No Headphones.” What did they do in the 1970's...carry a boombox a 100 miles. ;-)

Have we grown so soft as a culture that such an edict completely rocks our world? Ultra guys are some of the toughest people…period…but after my conversation, I wondered a bit…were these people tough on their terms…and if you rocked the boat, they folded like a bad poker hand?

Maybe I still have too much Marine in me. I recall that one July summer we were on a 3 day Mountain patrol exercise nestled in the Sierra Nevadas . It was summer…so I wore my light weight jungle boots and adhered to the mantra, “Pack light, freeze at night.” No jacket..only a light weight sleeping bag…first night, it snowed six inches. So much for the plan…we had to adapt…over come…and we walked 18 miles at about 7,000 ft elevation, in full freaking combat gear… in 6 freaking inches of snow…in jungle freaking boots!

My friend is a good enough runner to finish, and finish well, regardless if they wore headphones…it was just something they enjoyed doing while running. I am not questioning their running ability…only their ability to adapt…to overcome…to roll with the punches. And if they struggle with this…what happens if it really hits the fan…when things really go south.

I closed the conversation by asking the runner to renew their gratitude for being able to run Rocky Raccoon 100 miler. Earlier in the day I had received a message from a friend fighting cancer. Really…you’re whining about headphones…while you get to go do something you absolutely love?

Joe has reversed his decision with a caveat...disqualification if it causes problems during the race because you couldn't hear.. He agrees that there should have been an announcement stating the Headphone policy before registrations. Once again a testament to the integrity of Joe.

So what your thoughts...have we gone soft?

Press On!

Bucket List Item...Running the Canyon

2011-01-25T15:03:00.000-08:00

When I first heard about it, it immediately went on my list of things I must absolutely do before I die…you know…a bucket list.

The allure is not so much the distance….heck, it’s barely a 50 mile run....and the terrain….well, it has some difficulty…mainly due to the elevation changes (roughly 9000 feet)….but it I hear it’s not as brutal as Bandera. You run it too late, then you have some high temps to deal with and if it’s too early….then you got some snow to contend with….no….not so much the difficulty, although it will definitely be a challenge…but it’s the Grandeur of it all…the majestic and awe inspiring scene….the sunrise over the ridge…and the sunset just mere hours later….yep…It’s on the calendar….I have bought airline tickets…and so, it’s on!

The Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim (R2R2R) run…starting on the south rim…descending down to the floor and up to the other side to the North Rim…turn around and run it back…the North Rim is closed that time of year…so no vehicles…got to hoof it…not a race…just a run….a celebration...of about 16 to 18 hours would be my guess…not to be in too big of a hurry to miss my Maker’s creation….I will start at about 3:30 AM….and finish in the dark…details to follow later…

So I ask you…what is on your list….what do you want to do before they put you in a pine box…The best line in the movie “Shawshank Redemption”…Red looks at Andy and says, “Get busy living or get busy dying!” Go look at that list…scratch something off of it this year…and if you ain’t got a list…well, you better make one! Press On!

Married to an Endurance Athlete...and the Oprah Show

2011-01-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

About a year ago Runner’s World did an article about running and marriage…about the issues that can arise by two people…one that runs and trains and one that doesn’t. Training is a time consuming entity…and if one party doesn’t “get” it, then there may be issues. Take on Ultra Endurance training and kick up the time spent alone, running….and all the issues that come with it….throw in kids into the equation and the balancing act becomes infinitely more challenging.

You need to understand….Bren, my wife, works out…quite a lot by some standards….an hour a day for 4 to 6 days a week. But when she looks over at my training schedule, frankly she can’t get her brain around it…why would anybody want to run and exercise for 6 to 8 hours at a time…alone?!? Why does anyone want to run in a 50 mile race…a 100 mile race…to run for 24 straight hours???

We are closing in on 16 years of marriage….and 19 years of knowing each other. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing…we are both pretty strong willed…and like all couples, have had some ups and downs. When I encroached into the Ultra Running and cycling, we both had to feel our way around that too…not to mention with the kids stuff too.

After all our time together, we have began to learn to meet the others needs, even when we don’t understand why….that includes hammering out training schedules, races, plans, goals and dreams. This year I will be scratching off something on my bucket list…with Bren’s blessing. She knows it’s a dream of mine, and even though it will take place Mother’s day weekend, she told me to go…in return I was to pay for her and her mom to take a trip together….looks like a Vegas Extravaganza may happen for those two.

I was sharing all this stuff with a high school friend…and she responded with the following: “I think one of the coolest things about marriage is when you realize that if you support your spouse in the things they love, it makes everything else that much more awesome.” That statement sums it up….Bren and I have far more ups now than downs…and having that support is what makes everything I do on the endurance front all that more special…that I have someone to share my triumphs with….even when she thinks it’s crazy. She said she married me knowing that there would never be a dull moment…she smiles now and says, “Life is never boring on Team Elliott.” I love that.

So that brings me to the crux of this blog…Bren LOVES OPRAH!...Loves her show…tapes it and watches it every night while the kids are in bed. Personally I don't care much for her…but Bren loves her…so there you are. She tried for over 20 years to go to a taping of a show. This past summer…her friend got tickets and took Bren with her. They had a ball. It works like this…if you put in for tickets on Oprah’s site…you are the ONE that has to use the tickets…you can change the guest you take…but if you are “awarded” free tickets for the taping…it’s you….no substitute. So Jen put in for tickets and took Bren. Brenda would always put in for tickets….and then ask her friends to do the same….and of course she would ask me to put in…and I would, knowing that I would never get tickets….never!!! NEVER SAY NEVER! I come in this morning from working out and notice I had an email on my “crackberry.” “Dave, Great News!!! Your ticket reservation request has been selected for the 02/22/2011 A show taping.” Oh joy…really….are they kidding? Maybe I worked out a little too hard this morning and didn’t read this correctly…nope…I read it right. So I did something I never do….woke up Bren early in the morning…We’re going to Oprah….I said “ We’re”….you and me babe…I always have funny and snide comments I quip off to Bren about Oprah…not a big fan…but who cares….my wife was giddy the rest of the morning…and waking her up at such an ungodly hour…she didn’t care. She looks at me and says, if you don’t really want to go…we don’t have to go. Are you kidding…we are absolutely going…not because I want to…but because I love you. Seeing each other fulfill what they have always wanted to do…that is truly one of the great things I have learned in being married to that gal. Oh…I still get to go do my thing this May (heck, this may be worth 10 years of races)…and that was to be my next blog…but this is too good…I get to go to Oprah…(yes there is some sarcasm)..but more importantly…I get to go with my wife…and watch her experience something she loves so much. She has been to more finish lines than not….she wants me to go run far…cycle far…and she explained to me what our marriage meant to her the other day in terms I understand….”Dave, Marriage is for the long haul….an Ultra marathon with lots of ups and downs…..the completion to the finish line is always worth the effort.”

Gotta go…I got bags to pack…we’re going the Chicago in February….to see Oprah….OMG!!! ;-)

Next time we will cover the bucket list item….til then PRESS ON!

Bandera 50K Race Report - Better to Burn Out than Fade Away

2011-01-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

I was climbing Lucky Hill. My memory served that I only had about 2.5 miles left when I got done with Lucky…and I was singing the lyrics to the Neil Young song…” It's better to burn out than to fade away.” It seems that was what had happened in the last 5 miles…I was trying to finish in….hey, wait! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Marshall King and I had checked into headquarters at the lodge in Bandera state natural Area…and unadulterated Texas Hill Country with all it beauty and brutality. First…this is my favorite race…period. I love the Texas feel…the complete brutality of it…the unpredictable weather, the race director…the intense technicality of it with all the rocks in insane climbs…the sotol cactus that slice your legs up to ribbons…I love the people…the aid stations…the intensity…I love how it will take some people 24 hours to finish the 100K…and how the race director allows for that!

I was to run the 50K (31 miles)…meeting up with friends…I saw Olga…she would be running the Lodge Aid Station catering to the 100K (62 miles) runners. She asked which one I was running…and after my response, called me out for not going long. If she knew how much I struggled on the decision for running the 50K instead of the 100K…she would have poured more salt into the wound. That is why ultra runners kill to have her in their corner during a long race. We laughed bit before we headed out to the start line. Meeting up with some other North Texas Trail Runners, Jennifer Kimble, Marlee Clark, Sonia Burdett and Marshall King…the race was on sharply at 0730.

Olga...Dave Carder called her an Ultra runners angel in a tough race...and a great ultra runner in her own right.

In my mind you break up the 50K into 3 parts…first, second, and third ten mile increments.

First Third

As the profile shows…this is the toughest part of the race…you have about ½ mile to get loose before climbing commences…and the descending…you count the climbs, not the miles…there will be 4….and for the first 10 miles I am right there pacing Jennifer…not ever dropping too far back…and Marlee was on my six…Sonia and Marshall…I had no clue where they were…and when it was all said and done…They all owned that race…but that is their story to tell.

Second Third

Coming into the Nachos aid station at mile 10…I was alone…and feeling good about the time it took to drop the first ten miles in my knap sack. I grabbed a waffle with peanut butter on it….and was out…30 seconds at the aid station…and most of that was to crack a joke…here is where your pace quickens…you run the course…there are a few climbs…and always rocks…at mile 18 on a flat part I trip and fall…hard…and for the next 5 minutes….gather myself and assess the damage…the right knee had come down hard on a rock and the blood begin to drip down….other than that….all systems were still a go…and onward we go.

Last Third

I coming rolling into the Cross Road Aid Station…filling my hydration pack and grabbing some Oreo cookies…sugar…I wanted sugar….less than 45 seconds there…you’re wondering why I am was so astute on how long I stayed in an aid stations? Part of my pre race goal was to never linger…in Ultra Terms…”Don’t make love to the aid station!”

And so I was off to finish the last 10 miles…it was just 3 miles back I was calculating splits…only other time I ran this race I completed it in 7 hours 6 minutes. My goal today at the start was to finish under 7 hours. Coming into the race, felt just a tad under trained in mileage but was running stronger than I ever had. So at mile 17 or so I was doing some ultramarathon pacing math…and thinking…there is a small chance to run this thing in 6 hours and 30 minutes. I was optimistic…even knowing that 3 Sisters and Lucky Peak were still in my future…but hey…I was feeling strong….running well when I left Cross Roads for the first time at mile 20. Three Sisters…mile 23 or so….and up we go…the pace begin to drop off….I had forgotten that these 3 sisters were women of ill repute….and descending…hard….hard as I could go….but not hard enough….back through Cross Roads the second time at about mile 26…staying just long enough to slam some chicken noodle soup and to crack another joke…I overheard one of the sweet ladies utter something about “he is crazy.” Ma’am…that was confirmed when you sign up for this race. My pace had lessen and a 6:30 finish was to be nearly impossible…and then the lyrics…”better to burn out than fade away”…yep, I may have burned that candle a little hot…but I don’t think I would have changed a thing about how I had raced the first 26 miles...up Lucky peak…thankful for all the squat super sets I did in the weight room…and then down…down….it’s all downhill….from there…well nearly….running…running…the last mile in about 9 minutes…finish….6 hours 45 minutes…the official results are not in but that should put me in the first half of runners.

post race pic

I sat down when it was over and began assessing how I felt…looking at the cuts and bruises on the legs...and thinking about what would I have changed if running the 100K. The body was beaten and I was contemplating what it would take for the 100. That was a good sign…usually after a hard race, I don’t ever think about any more pain induced races till I have recovered…but not today…today I was already thinking about next year…about the 100K. This race is always within a week of my birthday…and therefore a celebration…that I ain’t in a pine box yet…pushing up daisies from the underside…so let’s see…62 miles at my favorite course…let’s go have a birthday party in Bandera next year…you are all invited…remember if you’re not bleeding at the end it doesn’t count. PRESS ON!

* all the trail pics were taken by race director Joe Prusaitis.

Kindle VS Nook…and Why I Chose the…

2011-01-05T14:14:00.000-08:00

First let me begin that this post is strictly in reference to the Kindle and Nook EReaders….not the Apple IPAD. The IPAD is greatness…with all the things it can do. But I wanted strictly an EReader…you see when I sit down to read a book, I try to get away from the distractions of already feeling over connected…you know the email…the internet….the to do list. So…this post is why I chose why I chose…and the IPAD was not up for discussion…I wanted a device to get me away from distractions that the IPAD also provides…so there you go…and on to my decision.

Drum Roll please….and the winner is, at least for me,…the NOOK. (And here is why.)

For all practical purposes, the Nook and Kindle are very similar. They are nearly the same size, they nearly weigh the same, they both use EInk configurations instead of back lighting, you can get millions of different books for both of them…they both store tons of books…like 2Gig on the base model….and I will get to that in a moment…but there are some major differences in my opinion…and those were the game changers in helping me make the decision.

The Kindle is the “Amazon” Model…where you buy your Ebooks exclusively from Amazon…that’s right…they have their own exclusive format…and that’s it. Barnes and Noble have countered with the Nook…once again...using their own format for buying books from Barnes and Noble…but wait there’s more…the Nook also reads PDF formats and EPUB formats…the Kindle will read a PDF...but you have to send it in and pay for them to transfer to “The Kindle” format. Additionally EPUB has become the format used by public libraries and Library of Congress…the Kindle will not read EPUB…Nook will…and there lies the crux of my decision…format reading. My guess…Kindle will produce software that will allow it to read EPUB formats…or maybe not…who knows. If I were to bet on the long term future of this EBOOK stuff…EPUB will become a standard format…but who knows.

My Brother got a Kindle for Christmas…after much research he figured that this was the best decision for him. He is a pastor of a church and most of his reading is in the Christian Realm…and he thought that Amazon would offer more in this area. Last week, he was looking at buying a particular book from Amazon…but it wasn’t in Ebook format yet….after a quick search he found that he could buy the book form a Christian website…in EPUB format…oops…Kindle can’t read EPUB….and that made my decision…I know…it’s one occurrence…but I was already leaning with my gut feeling that being able to read EPUB format was a good thing.

The next big deal for me is capacity…the Nook has expandable memory…you can go up to holding like over 10000 books…the Kindle…well, you get what you get and you won’t have a fit…so when you max out at about 3000 books…well that’s it….like I am ever going to need that...

The best advice I had came from a Kindle owner….go to Best Buy and look at both and see how they feel…I prefer the Nook touch screen to the Kindle keypad…the Kindle’s battery last a few days longer before needing recharged…

So…there you are…Format…all came down to readable formats….Now you know…and Press ON!

Onward...to the Next Race...and New Year...

2010-12-30T06:37:00.000-08:00

Well….we’re about 9 days out from Bandera…isn’t that how you keep your calendar…everything relative to the next race. Really…that is how I keep a calendar….it’s all relative to birthdays and races…no?

Anyway….Christmas has come and gone…Overall a blessed time...Christmas Eve Service at Prestonwood Baptist Church and then a 3 hour 4 course meal with a dear family that lives next door at Maggiano’s…and then home to unwrap some gifts that we give each other….and prep work for Santa Clause….this year the big gift for the kids was a trampoline and DVD player for the car. Despite our best efforts to keep Christmas “reasonable”….we all seem to get too much. On to the New Year…

Yes, I fell into the gluttony trap over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day…I didn’t gorge myself…but ate a lot of the wrong things…and didn’t really care either. On Sunday, I went out for an 8 hour trail run…lethargic, dragging…It is incredible the effects sugar intake has on the body and it’s performance. On Monday I got up to punish myself…45 minute kettle bell workout, 5 miles of hill repeats and 20 minutes of ab work. I kept my heart rate up for the full 2 hours and went anaerobic on the hills. Good stuff.

Now for the next week of taper…no weight workouts for the legs…let them recovery….nothing to take me to the edge as far as long workouts either….maybe an easy 12 mile run this weekend…and then on to the Hill Country. This year Bandera 100K is the US Track and Field 100k Trail Run Championship….so there will be some fast guys showing up
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So as I gear up for the new year…I count my many blessings…I thank my Lord….and wish and pray for you to have a blessed 2011….PRESS ON!

Realistic Christmas Letter - 2010

2010-12-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

Holy Cow…(and no, we haven’t converted to Hindu)…where has the year gone…only yesterday was I writing last year’s realistic Christmas Letter. This year’s letter will not only be realistic…but probably politically incorrect….you have been warned….and proceed at your own risk.

First let’s get this out of the way….we still have 3 kids. I know…we haven’t killed a one…

Luke is now in the 4th grade. I am not going to lie to you and tell you he is the absolutely most intelligent boy in the world….he is smarter than most and not as smart as some. He reads like a monster….although I personally think this is a ploy to stay up longer on school nights….he does tend to knock out some 400 page books….and then tells me about them….as far as I know he could be making the whole thing up….which means that if he is using this as a ploy to stay up late….he may actually be a genius. He has really taken to baseball where he plays catcher and soccer where he plays goalie. He is also beginning his last year in Cub Scouts….working on his Arrow of Light Award. For the record…the cleanliness of his room has not changed one bit from last year….and he is now housing three of our neighbor’s missing dogs….ok that was a lie….the dog part…not the room part.

Macy is bout to turn 8…and in 2nd grade. She helps us all keep our schedules straight….and organizes all our stuff…and then plans all our meals…ok that meal part is an exaggeration…but she does make sure everything is squared away. She reads like a monster too….but hasn’t pulled the “I need to stay up late to read” stunt…you know, the stunt Luke’s pulls because his mom and dad just can’t figure it out….anyways…she played soccer this year…mainly to be with her friends….because…”Daddy, you just have to run too much for soccer to be that much fun.” She much preferred playing softball on the “Speedy Hamsters.” Evidently, softball requires much less running…I don’t get it. She has started taking piano this summer and just last week mastered Mozart’s Opus 5. No. 4 in E flat major….ok…I can’t quit lying…she only has completed the first half of it…at least that is what I think she is playing….but what do I know….I play a radio and that’s it. On top of playing the piano, she is still in dance, Girl Scouts, AWANA’s, and Y Princess…which makes for two things….an overachieving daughter and busy parents.

Hope is now 4 and in preschool. Last year you remember we had her in speech…and we had trouble getting her to talk. That, folks, is no longer a problem. She has not hushed this year…and orates as well as President Obama…only she makes a lot more sense than him and has a better understanding of why Keynesian economics doesn’t work in a free market….no, I am not lying here….trust me on this! There is a reason her middle name is Reagan. She has a wicked, sarcastic sense of humor…and always aims to make people laugh….out loud…she has pleaded to play soccer next year….and so that will be in full swing…

Bren and I have not done anything this year…nothing…really!…ok…again I am not being forthright. Bren serves as Chief, Cook and bottle washer of Team Elliott….as well as Girl Scout Cookie Mom for Macy’s Troop and Treasurer of the Cub Scout Pack. She is involved in a church Bible study, volunteers for AWANAS, does kickboxing, spin class and somehow makes sure that all the homework is done and everybody is fed. She fulfilled a lifelong dream this year….when…drum roll please….she got to go to a taping of Oprah in Chicago….I myself would have preferred a root canal…but this was something she had been trying to do for over 20 years…and yes she actually got on TV….fortunately she went with one of her girlfriends…and I didn’t have to go…I would have tried to get the pool boy to go in my place if that were the case.

Now to me…do you really care at this point….I still lean to the conservative side…and like long walks on the beach and nice long bubble baths…ok…another lie! (not the conservative part….do I really need to tell you that?) I am still doing the endurance athlete thing. I ran the Bataan Memorial Marathon (26.2 miles) this year through the White Sands Desert…with a 44 pound backpack and came in 10th for my age group. I also took up cycling and rode the Hotter N Hell 100 miles in August….and then ran the ½ marathon (13.1 mile) trail race the very next day…I know….I have issues. Plan on more epic races and events this upcoming year and read all about it at runningmandave.blogspot.com. Next up a 50K (31 miles) trail race in Bandera Texas…January. I helped coach Luke’s baseball team and am Cubmaster for the Pack...and I still work as a straight commission salesman at Timberlake & Dickson…still perform magic…and other than that ….I don’t do much. Oh…yeah….Bren went to Oprah….and I went to the 5th game of the World Series….I don’t have to tell you who got the better end of that deal.

As a family…we had a great year….Bren and I got to go off for a little vacation to Boston MA sans kid. What a wonderful time in Historic Boston…taking it all in, even a Red Sox baseball game at Fenway…and of course eating at Cheers. ;-) On top of that little trip, the whole family spent an entire week at 9000 feet in the Colorado Rockies. It was a Christian based family camp with more to do than you could stand. A great “camping” compromise with Bren and I as the accommodations had the proper thread count sheets and Bren didn’t have to go outside to use the bathroom. We went white water rafting…mountain climbing….horseback riding…kayaking ….swimming….all the great outdoor things….and LOVED IT!

Soooo, if you made it this far…Bless your little heart….you need to get a life….no, really, get a life. I know right now we are in some real uncertain times. It seems we have more friends that have been diagnosed with cancer this year…and I don’t have to tell you what is happening on the economic/political front. Sometimes I look around and think…how are we all going to make it…then I think about my Father, the Maker of Heaven and Earth…the immovable Rock…with His steadfast love and His Only Son….the Reason for the Season…responsible for crazy people sending letters out like this one…and I think…It’s all going to be alright…Peace and love from our family to yours….

The Elliotts

P.S. I know this letter has run-ons, fragments, and grammatical errors…but my High School English teacher, Mrs. Copeland, ain’t getting a copy…so just chill…will ya!

On to Bandera Boys!

2010-12-15T07:51:00.000-08:00

Back to Bandera…I love that place…quintessential TEXAS….beautiful, rugged, brutal…

That is the answer to what I have been asked over and over again the last couple of weeks.

The next race…only the 50K (31 miles) run through the trails of Bandera…the other day on a group trail run, Marlee and I joked that if you don’t finish the race bleeding, you probably didn’t run it…the Sotol Cactus is a serrated edge cactus that precarious guards the rocky trail. There are climbs…and descents…technical terrain….and some smooth parts…and the Texas Sky goes on forever!

Davy Crockett was correct…”I must say as to what I have seen of Texas, it is the garden spot of the world. The best land & best prospects for health I ever saw is here, and I do believe it is a fortune to any man to come here. There is a world of country to settle.”

Now you know….Press ON!

Just a Walk Around the Block...

2010-12-12T10:45:00.001-08:00

That was what my wife told me 15 minutes after I had run a 20 mile trail run. She was being serious...and the truth...she was right...my legs didn't hurt....I wasn't sore....my energy was good and I didn't feel wiped out...in fact I felt energized. This was the third weekend in a row were I had a 20 plus mile run...and I could feel my endurance coming back. As a bonus, I met my buddy Tom Crull out on the Arbor Hill Trails...and got to run with him for an hour...Incredible guy and we hound each other mercilessly...he was in the Navy...and with me being a Marine...well you wish you could here some of those conversations. We talked a bit about nutrition...and we both came to the same conclusion....as an Ultra Runner or Ultra Endurance athlete...it's all about training the endocrine system to release the proper enzymes via the liver to utilize fat as the main fuel source...which requires keeping the heart rate in zone 3 for extended period of times while consuming the proper complex carb/protein ratios. I feel it takes time...and unless you are a biological "freak"...I think that is why some of the best Ultra guys are in their late 30's early 40's. Those are just some of my thoughts.

Additionally, today I got up early to run 7 miles on "tired" legs the next day....and frankly, the legs aren't tired. I hope this is a good sign. One other thing to note, the day before my long runs, I have been hammering my legs in the weight room....lots of squats, lunges with heavy weight, explosion skips...stress on the quads and hamstrings alike. My hopes are that by hammering the legs like this the day before my long runs will build the strength, both physically and mentally. I make sure they get a good recovery soon thereafter.

Let me close with this...apart from running. I love my Sanuks...I know...they are so ugly they look good...and they are the most comfortable thing I have every worn on my feet...especially after a long run. I wear them everywhere...summer, winter...to church or to a ball game.

This summer we were on our way to Colorado and we had stopped by a road side park. A man about 65 years old wearing jeans, a western shirt and big belt and buckle....looking like he had worked on a ranch his entire life...he comes up to me and says, "you like your Sanuks as much as I like mine?" I look down and smile...sure enough his feet were adorned in the Sanuks. His feet didn't match the rest of him...and he didn't care....and neither do I. Until next time...Press On!

Who Pushes YOU...into the Chaos of the Hurricane

2010-12-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

Amber, Me, A.G.

Last week I wrote about the solace and calm of the run…the peacefulness…the restoration. But here is the deal...if all you have is calm…and you never get out of the comfort zone, there is no growth. In running, in academics, in life!

You need that…forces that push you out of the calm of the eye and into the chaos of a Cat 5 Hurricane…the winds of the storm that buffet you viciously until you cannot take any more….and then…growth…strength...perseverance.

After my completion of Palo Duro 50 mile Ultra in 2009, I vowed to become more overall fit…core, upper body…strength in the legs….not just stamina. That called for me to do more work in the gym…and so I began to attend 2 to 3 boot camps a week at our Y.

It is a full body workout…dealing with core, upper body, balance, footwork…speed…quick burst. It is not the solace of a run…but quick paced...fast rhythm…no recovery.

My bud A.G, a brother from a different mother... played collegiate football…he runs the boot camp. I remember when we started…falling into a calm rhythm was not permitted. It was constant…no rest. Amber, a bodybuilder and spin instructor at the Y… she would attend the boot camp as well….and A.G noticed that we never let the other get complacent…we pushed each other…if A.G told the class to do 20 push ups…we did 30…the class was to do 50 jump ropes…we would do 60…it was competitive…don’t let Amber get ahead of you in the run….”Dave don’t cheat yourselves on the planks” Amber would admonish.

There would be times when Amber would put together a kettle bell work out...constant…the chaos...relentless….kettle bell swings….clean-jerk-press…squats…dead lifts…dead hang pull ups…run….more running...suicides…close out with hand stand push ups…5 sets…20 reps a set…the arms go dead…the heart is redlined…and keep pushing…keep…going into the HURRICANE!

This past year I have gotten stronger…I have been pushed…I have been thrown into the chaos of discomfort…and the fire has refined. So I ask you, who pushes you to be better…who makes you go out through the storm…quit being complacent…PRESS ON!

The Calmness of the Run

2010-11-30T15:09:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year where things seem to get insane. I have vowed not to let that happen this year. I told Bren the other day, "let's make a list of what we have to do and want to do...let's not get overwhelmed with so many activities."

So where does running fit into such a hectic schedule? It is my essence in times of chaos. The temperatures are cool and on a brisk morning when most still are in deep slumber I ask my body to feel alive.

The soft rhythmic sound of my footfalls...syncopated with my breathing...and on the really good mornings you can see that breath. The long run is at the end of the week...where the solace helps me regain perspective. So...on a 4 hour trail run...solo...I renew my sound mind...running requires that.

My endurance is good...not great but good....22 miles on the trail and after 30 minutes of recovery...no soreness....no pain....no fatigue....and so I press on.

Coming Clean...and Changing Plans.

2010-11-18T09:06:00.000-08:00

Off the grid….that’s right…the blog has suffered…severely…and no, it’s not fair and the blog as whined a bit about being neglected…it being my 4th child…and with 3 real kids the blog is the least favorite…I still love this 4th kid…just not as much as the other three…and by a far margin too.

Thus, I will not pontificate about the neglect that this 4th child has received. You know why…time…time…the answer Bilbo gave Gollum in “The Hobbit” that guaranteed the release of the hairy creature…but I really digress here…badly, I might add.

I love to write…and actually have a book in the works…the estimated completion date…who the heck knows…remember…I can’t even keep a blog going very well these days.

I am not ready to give up the blog ghost. I enjoy it too much…going back and looking at posts from 3 years ago…and sometimes I cringe…sometimes at the writing…sometimes about the topic…but it is still fun. It has served as a journal of my journey. So…let us continue…regardless of posting frequencies.

I want to focus a bit now on endurance events and a change of plans. The Rocky Raccoon 100 miler is out…not going to run it. A few weeks ago I rolled my ankle violently in the predawn hours on Northshore Trail…on one of the mildly technical parts. I roll ankles a lot…its part of trail running…and you learn to “roll” the ankle with minimum injury and keep on going. This was NOT that type of roll! It snapped loudly…harshly….painfully. I ran another 4 miles with Holly and Jason in hopes to run it out…but when done, it had swelled to the size of a softball…nice….

I kept fitness by riding a bike…after taking 5 whole days off…and then started looking at the training schedule to run a 100 miles. Here is where I will be brutally honest with you…and it pains me to do this…more than you know. It goes against the very inherent characteristics of an Ultra Runner. Let’s face it…part of my identity is that I run…sometimes a long ways…it is who I am. I don’t know if it is right or not…but yes…I have put some of my self-worth in my endurance. Those 5 days off were horrible…and making the decision of not running a 100 miles because I just didn’t have it in me to train for this; tormented my soul…I know…it doesn’t make sense to most people. I didn’t want to have to run 10 to 12 hours Christmas weekend. The kid’s schedule would suffer too…I came to the realization that my plans were changing…and the reasons were as painful as my ankle…”I just didn’t have it in me to put myself through such brutal training this time of the year. The whole realm of emotions and thoughts…”I have gone physically soft…my mental toughness is no longer there for me…my perseverance and determination is now an extinct species.” Depression is probably an overstatement…but definitely there was a downturn in my emotional state…just ask my wife.

It takes time…for me to come to the conclusion that regardless of what I accomplish; my real friends will stay around. That I didn’t let anybody down for not running around 24 hours at Rocky Raccoon…yes…I felt that I let my buds down…the pacers and crew I had lined up...

My wife does not pretend to understand how I am wired…she just knows how it is. She also knew that I needed something out there to train for…to look forward to…even if it wasn’t a 100 miler. She looks me in the eye and says, “Go run 50K in Bandera. You love that race, and you can run 50K right now.” Let me get personal with you right now. Having a wife that knows what buttons to push even when she doesn’t know how those buttons are wired is absolutely priceless. Having a wife that supports me in such endeavors is beyond words. She doesn’t get why anybody wants to run for 31 miles in the most treacherous terrain Texas has to offer…but she knows I need that. I love Bren more than I can tell you.

During all this, my running bud Jenn, was having a rough go too…for far different reasons that make mine reasons look trivial. I told her I plan on running Bandera…more to purify my running soul than anything else. She’s game too…in fact there will be a group of us from North Texas Trail Runners that will be at Bandera.

I don’t plan on setting any records…I know what time I personally want to run Bandera in…part of me thinks I should be running the 100K…but for now I will settle on the 50K.

So there you go…no 100 miler for now…that will be later…

Let me wrap up. Having a spouse that knows what you need is more valuable than I can tell you. Having friends that support you regardless of your endeavors…and sometimes advise you…because they know what’s going on in your head…keep those people around too…they are good for the soul.

What Dreams are Made Of...

2010-11-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America is ruled by it like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again. Oh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.

Field of Dream Quote
Terence Mann:
(James Earl Jones)

Baseball…the game where commentator and baseball enthusiast, George Will, stated that 90 feet was the closest man came to perfection….that 90 feet…the distance between the bases. A game where Ken Burns describes as where the defense always has the ball and man scores the run by crossing home plate...not the ball...a game where being successful 3 out of 10 times will put you in the hall of fame…a game that has no time limit.

Baseball…the game where I played catcher for 12 years…from Pee Wee Little League through high school…the game where my dad took me when I was 5 years old to watch the Texas Rangers…the memories of going to a big league park. Growing up in a small town…and then getting to watch the Pros play…walking into the Old Arlington Stadium…what a cathedral to a youngster…by any other standard it was a dump…but you couldn’t tell me that. We watched Hall of Famer, Reggie Jackson hit one out of the park that night for the Yankees…the Rangers got beat…but frankly it was expected. In fact, losing for the Rangers was the norm growing up and even though they seemed to always have more checks in the loss column that the win column, it still didn’t keep me from cheering for them. Waking up and getting ready to go to school in the early 80’s…but having to check the box score in the paper to note that the Rangers were only 3 ½ games out of first place…this could be the year…but then again probably not.

I was blessed to grow up with a great Dad…and baseball was part of those memories. He tried to talk me out of wanting to play catcher. He would say, “Dave, second base….play second base….it’s easier on the body…and you can work on your hitting.” When my son Luke started playing baseball, he started playing catcher…without knowing his Dad’s history at the position….and I found myself saying, “Luke, play somewhere else…it is easier on the body.” He didn’t listen either.

Baseball…whenever my wife, Bren, and I take a trip, we attempt to schedule around when the home team will be playing…she does that for me. Going to the Old Yankee Stadium and watching Babe Ruth’s Ghost show up to pull out a 9th inning victory or walking the hollowed concourse of Fenway Park is something my wife wants me to do…in fact before we left town, we went to a Ranger Game on our Honeymoon….I love Baseball.

So this year, there was magic in North Texas. The Rangers won the division….and they won the American League Division Series…and then they went on to beat the Yankees to win the Pennant. THE TEXAS RANGERS WERE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!

Tickets were hard to come by…at least for a cost that didn’t have a comma in the price tag. But somehow my wife found some…Game 5…the last home game in the Series for the Rangers. There we are, me and my dad are going to watch the Rangers again…35 years from the time he took me to my first Big League Game…we are both going to our first World Series Game. He told me he never thought he would be able to go to a World Series.

We get there early….nearly early enough to suit up and throw batting practice. The Rangers were down 3 games to 1…and this literally was a must win. But I was getting to watch the Rangers in the World Series. The energy was palatable…with a twinge of apprehension. The bats better show up tonight…come out of hiding…our Ace…Cliff Lee was to grace the mound…6 feet 6 inches away from the San Francisco Giant hitters…I can’t describe how it felt…what it meant…at least to the point where you would understand. But in section 208, Row 4, seats 7 and 8, we were there…Baseball, Texas Rangers…the World Series.

It was a pitcher's duel…Lincecum vs. Lee…and for the first 6 innings it was deadlock…the pitchers duel. Then in the 7th inning, Renteria got a hold of one that went yard…for 3 runs…and with that One Pitch…the Rangers were down. The finial score would award the World Series Championship to the Giants. There was disappointment…but there was also pride…TEXAS PRIDE…and my dad and I stood there cheering the Rangers for a great ride.

Few things in life will be remembered when I draw that final breath…I will of course remember the day I got married to that beautiful gal…and the birth of my 3 kids…add going to the World Series with my dad to that list…for that evening...Baseball was life…

Up Next...training...changes in intent...what is next...and all that...

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-10-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

In 1993 a group of guys gathered together on campus of Texas A&M University to pray...and decide whether to start a Christian fraternity chapter at The University. It would be called BYX - Brothers Under Christ...Led by Brett Williams and a handful of his desperadoes, we decided to proceed. We reserved the Kyle Field press box for our first gathering, printed up posters and hung them around campus...and prayed. We had no clue what kind of guys would show up. It had been decided that the fraternity would be open to anyone with the stipulation that they be a Believer in Christ. We as the founding officers had no idea what the future would hold....we were honestly hoping 10 guys would show up....really.

That first social gathering in the press box brought around 115 guys out...football players, Corps of Cadet members, and student body government members...all kinds...all types...all solid guys...115. That first class...the very first A&M pledge class of BYX....90 members.....I would soon graduate....but was honored to part of the foundation of BYX A&M Chapter. There are now 24 chapters on campuses around the United States...and the Texas A&M chapter has 160 current members and pledges.

On October 16, 2010 there was to be BYX founders weekend, held after the Texas A&M football game. I was in...and decided to take Luke...we would go to the game...tail gate after the game with the BYX guys...meet up with old friends....meet the current members....then go and let the old guys lead the chapter meeting.

17 years later...a few of the Founding Officers

First, what a wonderful day. Luke and I left Plano at 6:00 A.M. Made our way to College Station...ate lunch at Sabisa dining hall...where I ate 20 years ago. We made it to the game where the Fightin' Texas Ags didn't do so well against Mizzou.

We headed to the tail gate party...you would have though Luke was pledging as he played football with some of the other's kids....and the pledges.

We reminisced about how our fist annual Island Party had a budget of 100 bucks...and a year later...they brought in 6 bands with Caedmon's Call headlining...corporate sponsorships and 10,000 in attendance...I remember asking Brenda to that first Island Party...she was an Alpha Chi Omega and I had been to some of their events...even with our first lame Island Party...She married me just the same...

Incredible weekend. Aggieland holds a special place in my heart...I met my wife there...I had some of the best days of my life there..."Those on the outside will never understand it and those on the inside will never be able to explain it." Luke drank the Maroon Kool Aide...wants to enroll now...and my soul sings with joy.

On the North Texas Home front...the TEXAS RANGERS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES. I was 5 years old when my dad took me to my first Ranger Ballgame. Reggie Jackson hit a home run for the Yankees that game. I literally have been waiting for this all my life...as a life long Texas Ranger Fan....WE ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES....35 years later....my Dad and I are going to a World Series...I have tickets to game 5....life has come around full circle. Just how cool is that?

On a training front...still running...still doing bootcamps. This past Friday I was up at 5:00 A.M. to go to bootcamp,...going anaerobic a hand full of times...a full day of work...home...watched the Texas Rangers become American League Champs...and then right before 11:00 P.M. I took of for a 20 mile run. That was a 23 hour day...and felt like true Ultramarthon training. I caught 3 hours of sleep before I was up for 2 soccer games and a date with my hott wife. The mileage will increase, the intensity will increase...and hopefully I keep my sanity through all this.

I want to close with a few things...first...this fall things have began to come into focus...my family, my magic...my running...and most important my Faith in Christ. My next blog will tie into what, Texas Ranger, Josh Hamilton has reminded me.

The last week we had family pictures taking. My wife likes to do this for the upcoming Christmas Card...and of course that will require another realistic Christmas Letter. Megan Graham took them...If you are in North Texas...try her out...she did a great job...check her work out here...and of course here are some of our family pics and my Magic Promo Pics.

Til Next Time Press On!

Needing to Clone Myself...or How Do I Have Time...

2010-10-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

Let’s catch up…and this posting is to be scatter shooting…with all that is going on in my life right now.

On Training…let’s get this out of the way…we are building on a great endurance base. With all the kid’s activities, my long run is usually done on Friday Night…and on a trail…for around 2 to 3 hours. We will ramp up mileage and back to back long run days as we move into November. We have also moved into speed work on the track, maintaining 2 boot camps a week for core and have began to implement kettle bell work for both cardio and strength. Running at night helps clear the head and is good sleep deprivation training as running a 100 miles takes 24, give or take a couple of, hours.

On Kid’s activities: Macy and I went to the Texas Hill Country this weekend on an Indian Princess weekend. We stayed at a awesome place with it’s own pool and hot tub. We went to the Longhorn Caverns on Saturday morning and then went tubing and water skiing that afternoon. What a wonderful weekend with my middle daughter. Luke and Macy are still in the midst of soccer season and I am still Cubmaster for our Cub Scout Pack.

The Cabin we stayed in...

The pool...

Macy on a rope....

Macy and Autumn....

On Writing: Yes I have a book started…and yes…I enjoy it, but time…all about time…when you work 50+ hours a week…and you see the above stuff going on…and I write when I can. At some point I may post the first chapter…It has been written…

On Magic: Have started working on a new knuckle busting card routine…and in my mind have a 10 minute routine to compete with at a Texas Association of Magicians Convention. In 2003 I won the best in Close Up Magic and would want to repeat that endeavor. I am about 60% there on the competition routine but need to refine my music, my patter and of course the routine…stay tuned for this…

So…Dave, you may ask, “How the heck to you have time for all this?” Here you go…I don’t watch much TV…except for sporting events…and when I am doing that I never just sit there and watch but I either am reading, practicing magic…or going over work outs…my AD/HD won’t let me just sit there…and of course I am working on cloning myself…that experiment is still in process…so stand by…then I think back to the movie, The Prestige, and what they did to the cloned individual on a nightly basis…maybe cloning is not such a good idea…

Til then…Press On…and for the love of Pete…don’t sit around watching TV…but do something…

HOLY SMOKES...THE ROOF IS ON FIRE!

2010-10-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

This morning's brisk temperatures...and the thoughts that plague me. They taunt me like a bully in the school yard. My soul is not at rest. The apathy has subsided and the righteous anger has began to emerge....the voices...the tormenting...they whisper...the shout...they inquire...."can you really do it?...do you have it?" And the furnace is stoked...and gasoline has been poured onto the fire.

It has been a month since Hotter N Hell 100 Mile bike ride followed by the trail 1/2 marathon. It has been a month since I have had a serious endurance run...serious being anything over 3 hours. Last Friday night I took off at 10:00 PM from the "far end" of Northshore Grapevine Lake trail...a trail not for the faint of heart in the dark...and I knocked out 13 miles....The embers started glowing again. I didn't even turn the headphones on the "out"...and then cranked them up on the "in" for a negative split...in the humid sultry temps. I have maintained with about 3 boot camps a week and an couple of moderate runs a week with one weekend "longish" type runs....nothing taxing...nothing serious...nothing that requires additional nutrition...

The month "off" has been good....and Now...I am champing at the bit....It's time to go...time to harness the energy...time to train metabolic rates....endocrine system hormones...hormones that tell the liver to metabolize fats as a primary energy source....time to start monitoring electrolytes and hydration...time to begin counting carbohydrate to protein ratios...

Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile ultramarathon is 4 months away...4 months...I have maintained fitness....I have watched my diet....and now the engine is ready to burn again....and the legs for that matter....The embers have ignited....and now the house is on fire...Do Not Call the Fire Department....stand back and enjoy....I sure am...and so I PRESS ON

Where is the FIRE because this is Hell !

2010-09-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

The fire is smoldering…as if 911 has responded and extinguished all flames.

That is the best way I can put it. This blog is about my journey…and right now that journey is at a low point. I wrapped up the Hotter N Hell 100 mile ride and ½ marathon trail race. The plan was to back off a bit…attend the Texas Association of Magicians Convention Labor Day weekend…run and exercise just a bit…and then after Labor Day start ramping back up and start the training for Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile Ultra marathon.

I burn the training fire as hot as Nebuchadnezzar's Fiery Furnace and this summer was no exception. For the last two weeks, the furnace has cooled…to the extent that the reexamination of my drive has began to occur. Saturday morning I ran 10 of the worst miles I have run in 2 years. I came home, went to my daughters soccer game…then went home and slept for 2 hours…got up to eat something and hit the sack for another 2 hours…went to bed early and slept another 9 hours…and then didn’t do anything for the next 2 days on the exercise front…and furthermore didn’t care to either.

This week I went to boot camp on Tuesday…and will do something on Thursday and Friday…and who knows on Saturday. Hopefully things will turn around….both mentally and physically…till then…I watch my nutrition…try to maintain a fitness level…will press on…just pressing on…

CANCER

2010-09-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

It was my junior year in High School and I had just came home that February afternoon from baseball practice. My brother had already made it home and my mom was waiting for me to give me the news.

My dad had gone in for test earlier that day and the results were far from what any of us expected. Dad had Cancer…bad enough that they would operate the next day. How??? Cancer always happens to somebody else…but not us!!!

The next day was the first step of a very long journey….removing 18” of his colon and chemo would soon follow. That was 22 years ago. My dad is still with us…getting to see both my brother and I get married, getting to see his grand kids grow up and still making me laugh with his crazy sense of humor.

Wednesday, I go in for the same test that he did over 20 years ago. It’s precautionary…nothing wrong except I got his genes…so we do what we have to do.

I have more people than I care to mention that are touched by cancer…far too many…so I ask of a couple of things....women get tested for breast cancer, men make sure the prostate is all good…if you have a family history….be proactive…and if you have some discretionary income, give some for a LIVESTRONG event…here is a good place (make sure you donate to Scott Blacburn's fund to help with his efforts)…my bud Scott and his wife Robin will be riding a bicycle from South Carolina to Austin for LIVESTRONG!

Till next time....PRESS ON and LIVESTRONG!

A Tale of Two Races

2010-08-29T20:00:00.001-07:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way –

If reading the above quote that Charles Dickens pens as an opening line in his epic novel, “Tale of Two Cities,” you would have thought that he shadowed me this past weekend. I had some of the best of times…and worst….at times wisdom prevailed and others…oh such foolishness…There were times I saw the light…and times my mind was dark…at mile 30 there was hope and mile 70 despair…we had 100 miles before us…and when done, nothing left to ride…cruising in a peloton at 27 mph were on our way to heaven and fighting brutal headwinds at mile 80…on a straight path of Hell…for this was…well, this was the weekend of the Hotter N Hell.

With all that being said, the “Best of Times,” far outnumbered the “Worst of Times.” It was the best of times meeting up Legacy Cycling Team members…of watching team member, Tony win his age group on Friday’s mountain bike trail race…of riding a bike in United States’ largest cycling event…of meeting Carolyn and her sweet family…she is done with her last chemotherapy this week…of running with my brother in law in a ½ marathon trail race…of riding in a peloton out of the gate like we were demons on fire down the highway of hell…only to serve as a foolish reminder during those worst of times from miles 60 to 100…in fact those were really the only “worst of times.”

Friday evening I had traveled up to Wichita Falls and met up with most of the Legacy Cycling team. Did the packet pickup - cruise the expo thing and then headed out to watch the criteriums and to cheer on Tony for the mountain bike race. As I mentioned before, he won his age group. Then we all went to eat together. Saturday morning the Legacy team gathered up close to the front of the start, to get on out of the chaos of the 14,000 other cyclist as there can be carnage and mayhem. Coach Jim did a great job of getting us out of the gate…and soon we had formed up as a group of about 10 to 15 riders. The first six miles are mainly about navigating through dropped water bottles and wrecks of the unfortunate…and we were heading into a good clip…and then at about mile 10…we picked up the pace…and the hammering began…we ranged from 23 to about 27 mph…about 10 of us…I was feeling good…and we continued till about mile 30…and I still kept hammering for the next 15 miles at about 22 to 24 mph. What was I thinking…if I was running a marathon there is no way I try to keep up with someone running a 6 ½ minute mile for all 26.2 miles. My first break of getting off the bike and resupplying with water was at mile 50 and remember thinking to myself, “my quads are already barking and I am only half done!” My original thoughts were maybe to burn a few matches in the book to get out of all the chaos at the start. But once out…I kept hammering with a group…kept burning matches…at a pace I had no business trying to carry for 100 miles…maybe a 100K…but there is a huge difference of being in the saddle for 60 miles and a 100 miles.

I arrived at Hell’s Gate (100K) marker at about 10:25…with more matches burned that I had left…and met up with Amy and Jan….Jan and I rode some of the next stretch to the 70 mile marker…Anthony and Tony were in there somewhere along the way….and frankly I don’t remember at what point…Anthony was also a casualty of the hammerfest foolishness I had participated in about 4o miles ago and were now paying the piper in spades. The last 40 miles where windy…much of it straight on headwinds…and much of it being battled solo…the heat now was rising off of the blacktop as the Texas temperatures encroached 98F. The winds served as a blast furnace and the legs seemed as on fire as the asphalt. I cursed myself for being so stupid…so foolish. Relentless forward motion…and finally I was done…most of the Legacy Team waiting at the finish line…cheering on each member to finish. Coach Jim comes up and says, “Rookie mistake…that pace at the beginning was unreal.” I nodded in agreement….said I need something to drink and went to look for refreshment. I heard someone ask if I was alright and Coach responded, “Yeah, he’s just mad.” That summed it up pretty good. Glad it was over…but I didn’t enjoy any of the completion of my first century ride or my first event. In hindsight that was wrong on my part…I should have celebrated just riding…just being able to ride. My rolling time was about 5 1/2 hours...not counting water break stops. I stayed at one place so long they wanted to name it after me. At the finish line Carolyn and her family met up with me. She’s fighting cancer…and I rode for her and Sarah Grace. That put things in perspective…and to be upset in a less than stellar performance is crazy when friends are fighting cancer…when people are having to endure pain and suffering of chemotherapy...the pain and suffering of a bike ride pales drastically. I also met up with my parents and my brother’s family. He was riding in the event too…word was he was struggling…the heat had grown stifling….and I know the winds were making it ugly for him. He finally made it to the finish…but only to get some medical attention at the aid station…dehydrated and spent. He’s fine and tells me he will be ready to ride it next year…it is the 30th anniversary of the thing.

I cleaned up and Carolyn’s family and my family went to eat a late lunch…what a blessing. Marshall, my brother – in – law, and I then left and made it back to where we were staying…I had to start prepping for a ½ marathon trail race the following morning. An ice bath, a good night’s sleep and several carbs later, and I was ready to roll on Sunday morning when the race started at 7:00AM. Everything I did wrong the day before was corrected…and I started out slow and steady only to pick up the pace as I went along. I was told by ultrarunning buddy Laura Underwood, who did the same thing last year, not to expect a mind-blowing ½ marathon time after riding the century. She thought 2 ½ hours would be really good. 2 hrs 33 min later I crossed the finish line. I stayed sure and steady, passing more people than passed me…feeling pretty good the whole time and thankful to be back running on the trail.

These were the best of times…and the worst…but mainly the best…I have a wife who supports this stuff…I have some good cycling buds…I have friends who are beating cancer…and that far outweighs any bad times on a bike…in fact a bad day on a bike is better than a good day on chemo…and so I press on.

A Bicycle Ride with 14,000 of My Closest Friends…

2010-08-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

That’s right…that is a comma after the 14…and that is what the Hotter N Hell 100 Mile Ride attendance was for last year…and they are expecting to surpass that this coming weekend.

With so many riders, well, I don’t know what my expectations should be as far as finishing time. The experienced guys say that for the first 20 to 30 miles expect mayhem, wrecks and carnage on the road…and so for getting a good pace and going strong…well that probably won’t happen…unless…well….unless you get up closer to the front…and hammer out of the start. You know… burn a few of the matches in the book to get on down the road and then settle into a pace line.

So how long do I think it will take me to finish? I don’t know! I know what I have in mind as for a goal…but there are a lot of variables here…lots….my first century ride….with 14,000 people….on a Texas August Day….So I am not giving any odds on this one. As far as the 1/2 trail marathon the following day...my goal is to have a good time and get it done as soon as possible.

I have been doing a lot of riding with the Legacy Group and Coach Jim says he has a plan…I probably will line up with him and the other Legacy riders…but Jim is a beast…like finished it last year in just over 4 hr 30 min.

Let me talk about the Legacy Group for a minute…MY FAVORITE GROUP TO RIDE WITH…bar NONE! They are a great bunch of people…and some really MONSTER cyclist. Saturday’s ride was a 50 mile cool down country ride starting and ending at Coach Jim’s house with hamburgers and swimming afterword. My whole family showed up after the ride for the food and swimming. On Sunday, at 3:30 we went for a 30 mile heat training ride….it was only a 107F…I guess you could say it was Hotter N Hell…oh wait that’s next week…till then…PRESS ON!

I PRESSED ON...To Touch the Face of God at 13500 Ft

2010-08-19T17:03:00.001-07:00

It was about 10:00 Wednesday night and I was putting fresh batteries in my Petzle headlamp. My wife looks over at me and says, “I usually don’t worry about you…but this one has me worried. There are bears and mountain lions…a lot can happen on that mountain and most of it is bad…and to top it off, you’re doing this in the dark.” Just two weeks prior, a husband and wife Team from Dallas Texas had perished mountaineering in the same vicinity that I would be climbing when an unexpected storm had moved in and they had fallen off the mountain. This was fresh in Bren’s mind…I could tell. I I responded, “Bren, I will be fine…I will watch the weather, I am properly equipped, I am in good physical condition…I will get a great picture of the sunrise over the mountains…and will be back before you’re done with breakfast.”

My goal was to proceed from the Lodge at Horn Creek Camp, about 5 ½ miles to Horn Peak. The elevation change would roughly be from 9,000 feet to 13,500 feet. My original goal was to summit in less than two hours. This goal proved ludicrous. I had spoken with David who had lived in Horn Creek for the past 8 years and summitted it 48 times. He told me that 3 hours would be considered strong. I had also talked at length with Andrea about the climb. She had been on staff the past 4 summers and summitted the peak 20 times. She told me that she tells people to expect the climb from the treeline to the peak to take 2 to 4 hours. She had completed that part in an hour. These conversations were good. They taught me what to expect…climbing routes…and timelines.

Sleep was restless that night. I tossed and turned…from the excitement. I couldn’t stand to wait…patience had been tossed to the curb…and at 0300 in the predawn morning, I was up…dressed in Nike Running shorts and a North Face tech shirt…ready to roll. I would be carrying a small generic pack….loaded with a generic fleece, North Face Wool hat, Nike Running Gloves, and a REI E-Vent Jacket…worth every dime I paid for it. Knowing that this would be over 4 hours of aerobic activity I also threw in an apple, a peanut butter sandwich and a 2 liter Camelbak for hydration.

At 0333, I stepped out the front door of the lodge, and started the Garmin 405 to begin the time…I was off…and time was of the essence if I wanted to catch the sunrise.

The Rainbow Trail runs over 100 miles long the Sangre de Cristo Mountains…named by the Spaniards because of the pinkish hue that occurs when the sun first peeks over the mountains…reminding them of the “Blood of Christ.” I head off into a jog up the trail head for about ¾ of a mile until I come to the Rainbow Trail…make a right and run an undulating and rocky route for another 1 ¼ mile till I come to Horn Peak Trail…make a left…and climb…up…up…up…a rocky terrain that my buddies Aaron and Hans named boulder alley…rocks…on top of rocks…with more rocks…footing is sketchy…and you’re climbing…two big climbs up to nearly 11,000 feet elevation…I had made good time…running… then fast paced walking as if on a mission….through the switch backs…up to the treeline. It was dark…for some reason this didn’t seem right…I should come out of the treeline…see a post marking the trial up the ridge to the first peak...the false peak…something is wrong here…and so I backtracked a little less then a 1/4 mile…and started back up…I came out a different place but recognized Horn Peak. One thing though… I wasn’t on the ridge…but along the base of the ridge…and so I began the ascent to the ridge at over a 45% grade…at over 11,000 feet. From the treeline to Horn Peak is about ¾ mile….and oh yeah…with about 2,000 ft vertical climb in that little jaunt. The darkness had caused a bit of disorientation…but not for long…I was on the ridge…climbing. Andrea had warned that all you will see from the treeline is the false peak. The air was thin…the footing difficult as the rocks left anything but a solid flat surface. The shadows cast by my lamp made the jagged edges of the rocks treacherous. The footing was bad enough, but being fooled by shadows made it more precarious. In the dark…with a single headlamp, I was cognizant of my footing…a wrong move here and it would not be pretty. There was no protection from the wind and I had donned my jacket. The wind would gust strong the farther I climbed. The temps were, I estimated to be below 40 and the wind would gust…up to nearly 50 MPH. Twice I hunkered down on all fours as the wind caught me in attempt to blow me off the terrain. I PRESSED ON…20 steps at a time…recovering for 15 seconds to get some oxygen in the whisper thin air…onward…the wind…being ever so vigilant on were to put my feet…and 27 minutes later I was at the false peak…27 minutes for less than ½ mile stroll…and the Peak still seemed too far…and the rocks were getting bigger…and the wind stronger…keep moving…the sun will be cresting soon. For some reason this part was the most difficult...I had pushed it physically and my body was ready for some recovery time…so onward, I PRESSED ON…as fast as I could go with over 12,000 feet of elevation to provide my oxygen. I live at 500 feet…and my mind was tired of focusing on where the next precarious step would be. I was about 75 feet from the peak and the sun began to show…quick…I grabbed my camera…snap….snap…snap. I turned around to summit…I PRESSED ON…quickly…pumping my legs…gasping for air…gasp…gasp…move, move…there…there…I was there…on the summit of Horn Peak…2 hours 52 minutes and for a brief moment…I stood in awe…of my Creator…of His wondrous love…from there it seems you can reach out and touch the face of God…not so…only with your heart…only with your praise…redeemed by the Sangre de Cristo…not sitting down but standing up…looking around…quickly…more pics…I must descend quickly if I want breakfast…I promised my wife I would be back for breakfast…I PRESS ON…

A rapid descent with this terrain can be brutal. The footing is so precarious…so poor…the quads have to compensate…and although you are not as winded on the way down…the legs are hammered. From the peak to the treeline in 45 minutes…it had taken just about an hour to go up…and I felt like I had been put through the ringer…I find the trail below the treeline…and there are my friends, Aaron, Hans and their wives, Lorren and Star. All 4 athletes…all four had begun the hike at 0500. They looked good…refreshed. Hans wife, Star, looked at me and asked, “Can I make it?” I knew she could…but not wanting to discourage her by telling her it will be the hardest ½ mile you have ever tread….I responded, “of course you can do it…of course!”

I continued my descent….quickly…trying to run…I PRESSED ON…the legs didn’t seem to want to move like they should…the quads were so hammered…and my mental focus was waning too. My mind was as tired as the body…I continued…running slowly…down boulder alley…careful…careful…don’t roll an ankle at this point…and down…down…so much easier on my breathing…but not on the legs…and there...done…across the field to the Lodge…5 hours and 12 minutes…11 miles round trip…and just in time to catch some breakfast…I promised my wife I would be back for breakfast…and I couldn’t break that…Reed, an Ironman triathlete, looks over at me and brings me some eggs…some fruit. I kissed my wife…told Luke and Hope…let me take a shower…then we will go bowling…the day had just started…and we had a lot to do…and so I PRESSED ON…

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:13

The Best Week of My Life - AKA The Great Compromise

2010-08-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

A great time for me would be to backpack a 100 miles down the Rainbow Trail along the Sangre de Cristo mountains in Colorado. Anything less than a Holiday Inn with 500 thread count sheets is considered roughing it for my wife Bren. Thus, when presented an opportunity to spend a week in the aforementioned Sangre de Cristo mountains in a cabin with and indoor shower and toilet…with cooked meals, the Elliott family decided to go out on a limb.

The Lodge Cabin...Where we stayed.

How we came to actually knowing about Camp Horn Creek is a bit convoluted with a circuitous route…our family getting an email from a member from our church…not meant to be sent to us…inviting us to family camp for a week….at Camp Horn Creek. We called Mr. White, the original author of the email…and his response is, “Absolutely you are Welcome to come!” So Friday before we left for Colorado, I found myself looking up on line for driving directions….to Camp Horn Creek (elevation 9000ft), nestled at the base of Horn Peak Elevation 13500 ft…about 45 miles from Pueblo. My wife ask me the week before we left if I had any idea what we were getting into? My response was simple, “No, if it’s bad…we will go into Colorado Springs and stay there.” By Sunday evening, after arriving at Camp Horn Creek Lodge, 3 hours earlier, we both knew we were to have a special week.

Founded in 1951, Camp Horn Creek, is a Christian based camp that caters to the family…much like Pine Cove except that you don’t attend a camp with the East Texas 105F temps with humidity. The crisp, cool, dry Colorado air at 9000 ft caused me to have amnesia of the sultry, hot, Hell like temperatures of a Texas August.

I would love to give you a minute by minute account of the entire week….but I am not writing that much…and frankly you couldn’t stomach reading that…so I will give a feeble attempt of the Highlights with pictures.

Macy and Andrea who was on staff...and loved on my kids...

As I previously mentioned, this was a “family” Camp. These families constituted about 110 people and there were children of all ages. For some, this camp was generational as parents who attended as kids were now bringing their kids to Camp Horn Creek. By mid week, there were no strangers as all the kids run off into the woods to go play together or head down the to rec center to play an organized game. Each family has more activity options to partake in than you can fit into 4 weeks…little lone a single 7 day period. Russ the camp director could not have done a better job either….knowing he and the staff were working there rear ends off…and making it look effortless.

Luke with his new buddies on skit night.

On Pancake morning...you had to catch your first pancake...Macy trying not to go hungry...

Tuesday found Me, Macy and Luke shooting the white water rapids with Noah’s Ark Rafting. We would hit the Cat III rapids and Macy and Luke couldn’t stop laughing. Thursday, Macy and Bren went Horseback riding…Luke, Hope and I went bowling in the Rec Center. Friday morning I took Hope kayaking on a peaceful Colorado Lake. Wednesday morning, Bren took the girls to an arts and crafts activity while Luke and I went geo caching, trail blazing over 2 miles as the crow flies. Monday morning the Elliott family went for a 2.5 mile hike along the rainbow trail…and Hope even held her own. When we came to Horn Creek, we took off our shoes and held a contest of who could keep their feet in the extreme frigid water the longest….Macy Won! Every afternoon found the kids at the water slides.

Ok…lets talk trail running and training…every morning at 5:30 you would find me at the Rainbow trail head…running up to about 10,500 feet of elevation…ranging from 6 to 8 miles…on what I would call “technical” terrain due to mainly rocks and few tree roots. I would be back in time for breakfast and then the day would commence. Training at 9000+ feet took some acclimation and I have to say after 7 days, I still was not completely acclimated as running uphill at 10000 ft elevation left me huffing and puffing. My endurance was good for the week though and this showed when I went 11 miles round trip to summit Horn Peak at 13,500 feet for sunrise and descended in time to catch some breakfast. (This adventure will have it’s own blog post with details later this week!) The coming week it’s time for me to climb back on the bike…but with the increased red blood cell count, I am hoping to make some of my buds suffer trying to keep up with me…the Hotter N Hell 100 mile bike race and ½ marathon run is less than two weeks away.

Horn Peak...I eyeballed it all week...gazing up 13,500 feet elevation....

Most evenings would consist of a post supper Christian devotional from Andy Neillie and music by Nathan Clark George. Both of these guys are incredibly gifted. On Wednesday there was an old fashion Western Melodrama and square dance in a barn…Ok…I can’t believe I am saying this…but that “Western Night” was a blast…ok… I said it....

So the week came to a close…spending wonderful quality time with the family… lots of trail running …standing in awe of my Maker’s creation…meeting new friends….the fun and fellowship cannot be fully described here…heck, my kids have already booked in their minds for next year.

If you are interested in attending next summer, drop me a line….would love to have some of my peeps show up…and my endurance peeps…yeah…we got some running to do in the Sangre de Cristo mountains…I need those people at Camp Horn Creek to know that I am sane in some circles….Press On…

Tonight We Run...Tomorrow We Ride...

2010-08-02T09:02:00.001-07:00

It’s mid afternoon on Saturday and I am hanging with the kids after my 70 mile morning ride with Plano Bicycle Association. I had chosen to ride with DB1 and we averaged nearly 19 mph for the ride with some good pace lines between 23 to 25 mph. Towards the end of the ride 5 of us broke off to go climb Windhaven Hill just for good measure. We had decided to dial it back a bit and get ready to climb hard. About a minute and half later we were in a 5 man pace line into the wind hammering at 26mph…so much for dialing it back…and then we hammer up the hill…and take it on home…good ride…no…GREAT ride! So…back to where I was…oh..yeah…mid Saturday afternoon…my buddy Paul Tidmore who was coming off of a stellar 100 mile Ultramarathon (1 of 5 finishers) texted me and said that there was to be a kid’s fun run at Northshore trail to be put on by Rochelle during the North Texas Trail Runners night run. I asked Luke if he was interested. After some deep thought of about 2 seconds….he says, “WELL YEAH!!!!”

So at about 8:00 PM Saturday with the Texas Mercury reading 102F, we ran. Luke did well with the fun run of about 1 ½ to 2 miles on the trail…and well I got to run about 3 to 4 miles. The legs felt great…it was a little warm…but good times…I love hanging with my Trail running peeps. I caught up to Buddy Teaster…and we ran together a bit…just enjoying catching up…he is headed of to run the Headlands this coming weekend.

On Sunday, the temp was 103F…and at 3:30PM Bryce, Chris and I head off to ride with the Legacy Group…about 30 of us that day. This has become one of my favorite groups. I will blog on this later…but let me say they are a great bunch of people. It was going to be a 30 mile ride and I was going to dial it back a bit. Then at about 4 miles into it…Steve was feeling froggy and too took off followed by Tony…”what the heck…see what you got Dave,” I said to myself…and I find myself on their wheel at about 21 mph….and thus the hammering began…nearly all 25 miles of it…so much for dialing it back…and I don’t think I would have had it any other way.

Yep…I was done after that ride…it was a great weekend of training…we have the Hotter N Hell 100 mile bike race and the ½ marathon is 4 weeks out…and I am beginning to feel dialed in…at least my endurance is now at a decent level.

Ride On…Run On…

I Am Shipping Up To Boston

2010-07-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

The atmosphere was electric. These Bostonians take their baseball seriously and the only thing that comes in a close second is the bratwurst on a bun you buy behind the Green Monster of Fenway Park.

Bren and I had flown into Boston early on Saturday morning, an afternoon nap and a subway ride later, and we found ourselves in Section 15, Row 8 of the legendary Fenway Park. They were playing my beloved Texas Rangers, who won the four game series 3-1…but that night was the Red Sox’s night, and I was not disappointed. Extra Innings, singing “Sweet Caroline” in the 8th inning…all part of an incredible experience of a baseball fan.

The 5 days, north of the Mason Dixon Line, with just me in my wife was a great break from work, day to day life in Texas, and parenting. My mom and dad watched the kids and we resided along the Charles River.

We did all the normal Boston things…the Freedom Trail, the Boston Commons, trips to Harvard and MIT…and even a day spent on the Cape…of course lots of seafood…and all that entails. What a wonderful time with my wife.

A break from “life” also meant that training waned a bit as well. I did do one upper body weight work out and one morning I did run 6 miles along the Charles River. Additionally to that, you need to be in good shape to go on vacation with Bren and me. We walk….a lot…average of over 10 miles a day.

So this weekend, I was back on the bike after a 2 week hiatus. Saturday was a 65 mile group ride at an average of 19 mph and a pace line of about 24 mph. It was my first pace line and I think I kept from screwing it up too bad. On Sunday…well a solo ride of 32 miles with an average of 19.9 mph.

We are a month out from the Hotter N Hell 100 mile bike race and ½ marathon the next day. I am riding for 2 individuals that are currently one of the 28 million in the battle of cancer…Carolyn Boyd and Sarah Grace. On Saturday Evening, we went to a celebration dinner for Sarah Grace…she has completed 6 months of chemo therapy. She is a beautiful 8 year old girl…who is sweet and tough as nails…and inspires me to push on…even when it hurts. LIVESTRONG!

It's Hell's Kitchen...and Gordon Ramsey dare not tread!

2010-07-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

If you can’t stand the HEAT, get out of the Kitchen…and at a heat index of 104 F in North Texas, the entire region is now a very Hot Kitchen with no other rooms to retreat to…especially if you are training.

We sit right in the middle of July…theoretically ½ way through the summer and I am feeling the cumulative effects of the sultry temps.

The Hotter N Hell 100 mile bike race is a little over a month away. (I have to clarify bike race. When I mentioned a 100 mile race, I typically get the question, “Running or riding?”) I feel ready and have great training rides. This past Saturday, we rode 75 miles in the morning and on Sunday hammered 30 miles at 3:30 in the smoking afternoon. My legs and body feel great….a testament to all my bootcamps, running, weight training and infamous core work. But there is something else I have noticed…and I think it’s the heat.

I am tired a lot of the time…like dragging butt tired. I recover well, there is no physical soreness, I am adamant about hydration/electrolyte intake…and yet I am exhausted all the time. Not so much mental or emotional…but physical.

After Hotter N Hell 100 miler and ½ marathon trail race, I will take some time off…ok…maybe not completely off, but will definitely dial it back a bit …for a week or so…

So until next time…ride on…run on…

ATHENA - Greek Goddess of War

2010-07-08T08:45:00.001-07:00

I know I have been delinquent in posting. It’s busy for TEAM ELLIOTT….really busy…and throw in training…being a dad…and a husband….and the blog suffers so be it….you will get over it.

So here are some random thoughts…

The Tour de France is in full swing. I watch it every year, but this year have a whole new perspective on it. It is always on in our house in the evening, and this week my 4 year old, while watching it, exclaims, “Look Mom, there’s Dad!” Too Funny…I wish Hope!

So on Saturday, we had some rain…and not wanting to reenact Stage 2 of this year’s Tour decided to do something different…I ran 10 miles, then went up to the Y and did 30 minutes of fast paced upper body work, and then 2 spin classes back to back….for a total of about 4 hours of aerobic work. The instructor did not show up for the second spin class…so yours truly taught it. My first every class…my wife was in there and said I kicked everyone’s butt. I wanted to do some lactic acid threshold work….so a lot of the hour was going into and coming out of anaerobic….poor class.

And so I have decided on a name for the Trek bike…I have been reading the Percy Jackson Series with my 9 year old boy Luke (we each read the book seperately then discuss - he loves it) ...they are a series of books that meshes Greek Mythology with current modern day culture with the Hero a 13 year old boy...geared towards boys Luke's Age...it has been fun...but in the middle of book 2...the perfect name for my Bike...

ATHENA

Greek Goddess of War...and yet, still sounds sultry too...

With my Marine Heritage...perfect…

So this weekend…ride on….run on…but don’t sit on the couch for crying out loud….unless it is to watch the Tour after a smoking workout!

The View of the Wheel Ahead from a Rookie

2010-06-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

It was the last couple of miles of a 30 mile day and Steve and I were pulling the group. The computer read just a bit over 19 MPH. Steve looks over at me and tells me the couple on the Tandem bike are about to take off…”Dave, try to stay on their wheel.” Two seconds later that tandem bike blew by us as if we were rocks on the road. I looked over at Steve, sweat dripping off my brow as the Texas mercury registered 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and responded, “Alright!” I immediately changed to a higher gear, out of the saddle, and pressing hard. Another cyclist had surged as well. Looking up, Marcel in his black and white jersey had excepted the challenge as well…and our two bikes were wheel to wheel to wheel with the tandem bike that had two engines to crank out high RPM’s….in a high gear.

The legs were already spent….the 62 mile solo ride the previous day and now another 30 in the Texas heat. This afternoon ride with the group had proven something memorable. It was the maiden voyage of the Trek in a group setting. My mind was racing, “You show up with a Trek Carbon decked out in racing components, you better have the engine to operate it!” For most of the 30 miles I had been up at the front…not trying to prove to anybody but myself that I had the engine. The ride is easier draftingwithin the peloton, the front guys have it tougher, but that’s what I wanted on this ride…the harder I work now, the less pain during the race…an adaptation to a Marine Corps mantra, “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” And so, this was what I asked of my self…from the start to the top of Windhaven hill. Make it hurt more now, and it will pay off later.

We were wrapping up the ride, the 3 of our bikes had surged from the group…with about a mile and half left. I gear up another gear…and look down at my computer; we had just passed the 25 mph reading. Lactic acid poured forth into my leg’s quads, they burned like fire, they screamed like a tormented demon from that fire. The heart rate was high…too high…my breathing labored with quick shallow breaths….and my body went into severe oxygen dept. The mind had become fuzzy and told me to quit…”Dave, you have ridden well…coast on in for God’s sakes.” I tasted salt as sweat dripped into my mouth with every labored breath. My vision was blurry, either from sweat dripping into my eyes or the oxygen dept, I couldn’t tell…but that blurred vision was on the wheel in front of me…on Marcel’s wheel…”Dig deep Dave, I told myself…hold it together!!!” And for the next mile I did…until the tank was empty, completely, and every effort I had was not enough. My mind demanded but my body just could not respond. The mind screamed, cursed, shouted for my body to give more, but there was nothing left to give as the tandem and Marcel began to pull away….and so for the last ½ mile I coasted…the engine had blown…but for the first 28 miles…well…we have room for improvement but the Trek Carbon actually had responded with the new engine….and that was a good thing….a satisfying thing.

A New Bike...and French Braids...

2010-06-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

Ok...EPIC Father's day Weekend...and I really don't know where to start. It was a busy weekend with running, cycling, softball and just being a Dad.

Heck...let's go chronological:

Saturday at 0600 I found myself at Northshore Trail at Grapevine lake with Kevin, Matt, and Jennifer...to cut to the chase...13 miles on the trail...with our mild spring, I still have not acclimated to the heat/humidity yet. We all suffered and had a good time...does this make sense???

Then back to the house...Macy's has started the Softball playoffs. The 1st grade Speedy Hamsters were 1st place in the regular season thus being awarded a first seed into the bracket...and a victory on Saturday Afternoon.

As soon as the game was over, Luke and I went to go look at a bike a guy was trying to sell. A bike of the caliber had been neglected and the owner thought maybe somebody else could find a better use for it...a TREK carbon with Shimano Dura Ace components...a lot of bike...with the specs HERE for you bike freaks. Sold...it is official, I now have a real bike!

I have not gone for a real ride yet as I need to get the cleats for the DuraAce pedals.

Sunday, I slept in and relaxed as we had Father's Day stuff to do. Off to church...then back to the another Speedy Hamster softball game...with not so good results as the previous day. On a much less important note...last week I posted on Facebook...that "My name is Dave, I am a Marine and can French Braid my daughter's hair." Yep...I French braided her hair for the game...and here is a picture for proof...

After the ballgame, we went swimming with some friends...then I got off for a 30 mile recovery ride on the ole Fixie...

Wow...what a weekend...

I want to close with this...that meant more to me than you can imagine...

My Wife, Bren got me a Father's Day card with Superman on the front...and the inside reads, "I wish you could see yourself the way I do!" That gal is the wind to my back, the anesthetic to the pain, the octane to run the engine and the lead that shields the kryptonite...I love that women!

Another First...and I nearly Puked!

2010-06-14T05:46:00.000-07:00

Ok…Another weekend…and another First….but I will get to that in the minute.

First, the Baseball/Softball season has wrapped up and playoffs will start this next weekend. Both Macy and Luke are playing well. Luke hit the ball like a monster this past weekend and Macy went 1 for 2…and loves every minute of it.

So Saturday before Luke’s 0800 game, I was able to squeeze in a 10 mile run…but it was Sunday that I was focusing on.

I was going on 2 rides….a 40 mile ride solo before church early on Sunday…and at 3:30 PM a group ride in the heat for the purpose to accomplish 2 things….heat acclimation and to get use to riding with a group. The heat index registered 100 degrees and there was about a 20 MPH wind out of the south. If you are on a Fixed Gear…well there are certain challenges when riding in a group. I still have a lot to learn on how the handle the fixie in a group ride. To get up a hill on the fixie…well the best way is to get out of the saddle and use momentum to ride up the hill…which means that you may break away for a minute…but then, ironically on the downhills the group will take off and keeping up is difficult because your legs can only move so fast…and being “fixed”…you are always having to “peddle.”

The first 22 miles I slipped into the group and had a good time riding with the group. I even did some work on the first part of the ride. Then we came to Windhaven Hill…and Maria warned me about a mile out. This was “THE “ hill. We start into the hill and I hear everyone slip into what they called “granny” gear. My granny gear was out of the saddle and up we started. I have never ridden something so hard…my heart rate JUMPED to a 190…I couldn’t believe how hard this was…can I move any slower and still stay up….finally it was over and we all regrouped at the top. Someone asked Amy, how was it…and she responded, “I don’t know, I watched that psycho on the fixie ride up that thing.” I didn’t tell everyone I nearly puked at the end…I could feel it starting to come up as we peaked the hill…”hold it down…don’t let it come up…”

I had burned the entire matchbook on that climb…the legs were done…and so the last 5 miles I struggled to keep up with the "A" Group…soon the ride was over…31 total miles for total afternoon ride…and a 71 mile day. I was cooked…a little disappointed that I couldn’t keep up very well the last few miles…and well also glad it was over…and glad I didn’t puke...really…not a good way to acquaint yourself with a new riding group. Ride on…or run on…but do something other than sitting on the couch…

BONK!!!

2010-06-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

even Contidor...even he...I dare say has bonked.

Pronunciation: \ˈbäŋk, ˈbȯŋk\
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: imitative
definition: In endurance sports, particularly cycling and running, hitting the wall or the bonk describes a condition caused by the depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and muscles, which manifests itself by precipitous fatigue and loss of energy.

The sad case…I know better. You exercise for over 2 hours, you better have some fuel…some food…you know the fine art of nutrition. Karl Meltzer has been know to run a full 100 miles on gel packs alone. The thought alone turns my stomach. My buddy Paul Tidmore concocts his own mad science recipe…to the nth gram and calories…you know right, that 4 calories is equal to 1 gram of carbs…right?

So when I left on early Sunday morning to get a long ride in…I realized two things at about mile 20…a.) I forgot any nutrition…doh!...and b.) I forgot ID and credit card…DOH DOH! Dave you are a freaking knuckle head…a term I affectionally call my kids when they do something less than stellar. So at mile 35 I am hungry and by mile 47…begging for Mercy….oh Lord, have mercy. I had hammered a lot of hills on the fixed gear…and well…the last 10 miles were anything but pretty. You think back when people call you a machine…and you think the good Lord that a.) there are no cameras around and b.) they aint there to see you BONK…to Suffer…and so at mile 57 I wrapped it up…lamented that fact that I was a knuckle head…and thought…that won’t happened again…and by the way…it had nothing to do with me running 13 miles the previous day.

To close on a completely different note…the below photo is a pic of my son, Luke, sitting in the dugout between innings with his catching shin guards still on. He predominately plays catcher and loves it. I tried to talk him out of playing catcher…that’s what I played from PeeWee through high school…I warned him that there would be days you would feel like you have been in a war…Saturday he had 2 collisions at the plate where he made play…I asked how it was…he replies, “It’s a war Daddy, and I love it.” Dang, I am proud.

The 50/50 Endurance Test Weekend

2010-05-31T17:36:00.001-07:00

left to right: Jess Wilson, Buddy Teaster, Dave Elliott, Paul Tidmore, Lynn Ballard, Mike Potts

Jennifer Kimball in typical training...;-)

This is a training intense blog entry…so if you are looking for literary genius, please proceed to another source.

Memorial Day weekend….a 3 day weekend, and I haven’t been on the fixed gear bike in over 2 weeks…ouch! So this week I conjured up a 50/50 scheme to determine where my endurance is.

That is to ride a 50 miles on the bike Saturday morning and to run a 50K (31 miles) on a Sunday night trail run.

The Saturday ride started just before day break. It was good to get back in the saddle and I hammered hard for nearly all 50 miles with rolling hills the first 40 miles. The last 7 miles was on a long flat stretch with no traffic lights and I averaged 22 mph on this part. A real confidence boost to hammer like that at the end of a ride. I returned home and 17 minutes later had eaten, showered and was at the ball park to help coach Luke’s baseball team...who needs recovery...;-)

So that brings us to Sunday evening for the 50K trail run. Since the Bataan Marathon, the longest I ran was 13 miles. I was anxious to see how things would go. A group of us met up to run…the deadline was 12 hours….whoever ran the farthest in that amount time won the self supported race. Above is the picture of all us…Jennifer showed up just a bit late for the picture so I lifted a pic from her Facebook Page. My intentions were to only run 50K regardless of how much time was left on the clock.

Everyone of those guys have had a profound impact on my short Ultra career…Buddy Teaster who pulled me through my first dark hole in my first 50 mile completion. Paul Tidmore, 2 time Hardrock finisher has taught me pacing and nutrition. Jess Wilson who has inspired me to press on when I was first starting out in the Ultra World. Mike Potts who shows his quite steadfast spirit as he prepares for a 72 hour race. Lynn Ballard, who I have shared the trail with so much that we have begun repeating our stories.…and of course Jennifer Kimball, a subdued intensity who inspires with tenacity and spirit. She finished her first 100 mile run this February in less than 24 hours. In fact when I look at that photo…I am the one who doesn’t belong...There are over 25 100 mile races between the group…for they have all finished a 100 mile ultra…all except me.

At 8:00 PM, we commence on some really deceptively difficult trails with the temperature set at 90 degrees. This was the first seasonal run in the heat…and it took it’s toll early. The first 20K was run with Jess and Jennifer, and since they both have finished a 100…I picked there brain a bit. By the 30K mark I was struggling to stay hydrated and my heart rate higher than it should have been. Frankly I was ready to cash in the chips at the 30K mark, but there were people I didn’t want to disappoint…would rather die on the trail than disappoint. Throughout the night, the temperatures dropped a bit but it was still humid. It was Wet and Hot…that’s alright if you’re in the bedroom, but not if you’re running trails. By the 40K mark, I had come through the wall and the last 20K was not as tough as I thought it would be. Running with buds like Lynn and Jess helped to pass the time. It was good to be out on the trails again…with a bunch of really good guys.

I came home, showered and caught about 3 hours of sleep and then up and ready to celebrate Memorial Day…thank you to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Overall a good training weekend….I have a really long ways to go to get where I want to go…but have a little sumtin sumtin to work with….and there you go….

The White Running Shirt

2010-05-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

I have a white “tech” running shirt. I think New Balance manufactured it...but I am not for sure since the logo has long since come off. I love that shirt, not because it looks good but because of what is in it, what it means, what it has come to symbolize. I once wore it in the White Rock Road Marathon, a far cry from what you usually see in running apparel in a road race. You know the flashy, bright colored singlets and tops. I even got some looks like they wanted to say, “somebody buy this guy a descent running shirt….poor guy.”

I wear that shirt in all my Ultras and usually in all my really long trail training runs. It’s the white shirt in all these pictures, but the photos really don’t do it justice. When it was brand new, it was REALLY WHITE…like blinding white. Not so much any more. In fact a dingy grayish color with a lot of stains. Most trail running shirts are dark colors, just for that purpose, they usually get dirty at some point.

I can not tell you how many times I have fallen on the trail in this shirt. One sultry summer, I was running all night long. The shirt was soaked with my sweat from 5 hours of running…there it happened. I tripped and fell, hard, and the red dirt of the trail covered the whole left side of my body. I can still see the stain from that fall, in fact I can still see the stains of all my MAJOR falls. I look at that particular stain and instantly go back to that very moment on the trail. The moon was shining, the sweat dripping onto the parched summer earth. I was hurting, not so much from the fall but from pounding the trail. I sat there a moment, making sure that all the parts still worked and reevaluating why I do this thing called ultra running. I can also still see the stains of the billions of gel pack remnants, left overs of PB&J’s, and Gatorade that have gotten on the once snow white shirt. The very sustenance that fuels the body, left there as a reminder of what it takes to keep going.

I said it before, I love that shirt…man, it’s ugly…and what once was pure now, not so much. It reminds me of all the suffering on the trail. It reminds me that I am not perfect but a work in progress, both as a runner and as a person, It reminds me that regardless of how hard I try the stains will never come out….and neither will my imperfections of a mortal man. It also reminds me of the great runs I have had. It reminds me of my running all night with buddies, where things are hashed out and friendships are forged. It reminds me there was a suffering far greater that occurred 2000 years ago. It reminds me that all the stains of my life have been forgiven because of that suffering…and although the shirt will never be white again…I am…and so I run on…in that stained, dingy, once white shirt.

LIVESTRONG...I RIDE FOR...

2010-05-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Carolyn’s birthday. A gal I graduated high school with and she is in the dead center throes of battling breast cancer. Full on chemotherapy and all that it entails…losing hair…skewed white blood cell counts, nausea, sickness…and then being an employee, mom of 4…and wife of one. She is nearly always positive…fighting this thing with everything the good Lord has given her.

Lance Armstrong has put the battle of cancer in forefront…at least among cyclist and endurance athletes with his Livestrong campaign.

So it is only natural that the cycling has become a way to raise awareness and money for cancer research…thus, in steps my buddy Scott Blackburn and his wife Robin. This fall, they and 25 other cyclist will go on a little 1600 mile bike ride from Greenville SC to Austin TX to the Lance Armstrong Fundraiser…I hope to possible meet up with them and ride a bit. Scott is trying to raise money for cancer research. You can donate here!

Make sure to click “Scott Blackburn” so that the donation will go towards his goal of $5,000.0

For $25 – you can forward me an IN HONOR OF or IN MEMORY OF individual and He will write that person name on his cycling jersey, arm warmers, leg warmers, shorts, any place to carry with him during my trip.

For $50 - In addition to the above, he will have an IN HONOR OF or IN MEMORY of magnet placed on the ride support car for the entire trip to Austin for everyone to see during our trip. This magnet will be sent to you after the event it complete.

Back to Carolyn…she turns 40…I am thinking she is good for at LEAST another 40…probably more…she has things to get done…being a mother, a wife, a cheerleader, a mother of the bride…you know all the things that make life sweet…

In August, I ride...the Hotter N Hell 100 miler…and I ride for Carolyn… LIVESTRONG!

Rocky Racoon 100 Mile Ultra

2010-05-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

I remember my first marathon…1996…Houston….the pain was incredible… I couldn’t walk for a week without extreme pain. I remember my second marathon…2001….Oklahoma City….yep….took 7 years to forget about the suffering…and at the end of number 2 told my wife, “DON’T EVER LET ME DO THAT AGAIN!!!”

In 2007, I had ballooned up to 194 lbs…and probably had about 25% body fat…Dave the Doughboy…and found myself on the couch watching the White Rock Marathon…Nope…not ever doing that again…never say never!!!....and 3 months later was training for my first 50 mile Ultra….what part of that “Don’t ever let me do that again did I forget? Furthermore…This was 2 marathons back to back…non stop…and frankly I really do not know what ever possessed me to even consider doing this…and really…mentally…I just could not wrap my head around it…Just couldn’t…14 months later…from the point of being a couch doughboy…to completing my first 50 mile ultra…DONE!...now what…oh…let’s do another one and 7 months later…the second 50 mile ultra DONE!...In fact that year I ran two 50 milers and two 50K’s (31 miles)…a far cry from 194 lbs…and swearing…”I would never do that again!”

The question always arises with my ultra buddies…when are you going to run your first 100 miles? And once again…I JUST CAN’T GET MY MIND AROUND IT! It’s a 100 miles…it will take somewhere in the neighborhood of running for a 24 hours…straight…and so I find myself mentally where I was 2 years ago.

My running buddy, Jennifer Kimble ran her first 100 miles at Rocky Racoon…and did it in under 24 hours. She once posted a list of Ultra Runner quandaries. One said, “You know you’re an Ultrarunner if you are in better shape than you think you are.” Yep…that sums it up…I am in pretty good shape…but Ultra shape….100 mile ultra shape…NO!...not right now…yep, I think I can currently run for 5 hours…but it won’t be pretty….and so…I pulled up the Rocky Racoon 100 mile Ultra website…8 ½ months away…that’s it…oh…I have been planning on this…even have talked to people about crewing and pacing…and have about 90% of that in place…even with backups…But it’s that mind thing again…8 ½ months…that’s all the time I got…not so much the physical…It’s the mental part that will take that long to prepare…and so I run on…and yes…the Hotter N Hell 100 bike ride is still on…just to put your mind at rest…

Training and Kids...and other stuff too!!!

2010-05-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

Everybody’s sense of history datum point begins with their own origin. Whoaaaaa! I just wrote that…but heck, am barely smart enough to know what it means…Let me break it down like this.

My wife and I were telling our kids, who sometimes struggle to think of our lives before they were born, that their mom and dad were once cool and hip…and had a life together B.C…..Before Children. That’s right…our Saturdays were planned to what ballgames were on T.V…or what sales were going on at Macy’s….long before planning on how were we going to get 2 kids to 2 ballgames simultaneously or if Macy had to go sale Girl Scout Cookies. The house stayed perpetually clean…and eating out without ordering Chicken nuggets was normal. You actually had some free time to catch up with the latest Newsweek or in my wife’s case, Goodhouse Keeping…which by the way now seems like a moot point since there wasn’t much “house keeping” to really do. We had duel incomes…did what we wanted, when we wanted…and really…WOW…what did we do with all that time…I can’t remember….I do know I could knock out a 500 page novel in a week…and didn’t know what “sippy cup” was.

Oh those days…

Luke was sleeping through the night at about 5 weeks…and not till he learned to crawl was there really much trouble he could get into…that seemed like a month ago…he is now 9…more worried about base runners stealing 2nd than learning multiplication tables.

Macy was always trying to keep up with big brother since she could walk…that was 3 weeks ago…she is now 7…reading like a monster, dancing…hitting about 0.678 on her softball team.

And…

Hope…she is now 4…thought she would never learn to talk…in the last 6 months she hasn’t hushed…the happiest kid more interested in making you laugh than anything else…always go for the laugh…always…and then smile big letting them know your cute.

Why am I writing such nonsense…well it came up in a conversation with some of my ultra running buddies the balance of family, training and other stuff.

Free time is no longer a luxury…last night at 9:00, we were finishing up school work after a baseball game…trying to get Hope bathed…making sure Macy brushed her teeth…and Luke telling us how the posters he was working on would help him in his campaign for student council….

I need more time in the day…and more money for that matter…and so I have to admit there are frustrations. My wife sometimes calls our 3 rug rats “Heavenly Sandpaper.” Great description…Somehow God has saw fit to bless them with Bren and I as mom an dad…which raises the eyebrow of many…especially after looking at me as a Dad. With all the joys of having kids…well, it’s all not a gravy train with biscuit wheels.

I was lamenting the fact to a blog buddy last month that a race I really wanted to run fell smack dap in the middle of one of my children’s events…something they were really looking forward too…I was so disappointed…not to be able to run the race…and worse felt like a bad dad for even being disappointed. They wrote back...something like…”No, it’s natural to be disappointed…and that doesn’t make you a bad dad…but running the race and missing the event…well that’s a bad dad.” I need people like that in my life…it helps me keep perspective.

It seems that there is always a balance…training time…money for racing fees, equipment…whatever. People will say, “Dave you are hardcore…you run all night long.” Ok…here is the secret…I would rather not run all night…but sometimes that is the best I can do without impinging on the family schedule…take off at 11:00PM on Friday night and running to 5:00AM on Saturday morning…and still making it to a baseball game by 8:00…There you go…the cat’s outta the bag…that’s why…and some other things but that is for a different blog for a different time.

My list of races I want to run is so long that I may have to live to be 200 to get it all done. But for now God has seen fit to give me 3 beautiful kids. Parenthood is not for the weak and timid…there is nothing worst than watching your kid go through a really bad disappointment…or helping them through a life lesson that is tough to stomach. Sometimes there is some big time frustrations….how many times do I have to tell Luke to pick up his shoes and if I step on one more Lego barefoot…well…you know…I have a lot of races to run…to train for…but…

One day, there will be no Legos to pick up…and the laundry loads will be a lot smaller. There will be no fingerprints 3 foot up the wall to wipe up…and the milk won’t be left out…with remnants of cereal to be swept up off the floor. In about 2 weeks…or so it will seem…we will have 3 “guest” bedrooms…the house will be quite…my race schedule will be full, uninhibited…and I won’t run all night long to in order to coach a 8:00 AM game.

The photos on the walls will speak of good times past…and those “times” I will miss terribly….even though they now may not seem so as much…and so I Run On…ok…guys who put this Lego in my running shoe?!?!

Let's Ride....into the wind...and no, it's not a Christopher Cross Song

2010-05-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

Alright...week 2 on the old fixie...Saturday morning...was going to be a packed day...ballgames...birthday parties...and oh...the bike ride.

So at 0700 I found myself in the saddle heading North...into a 20 to 25 MPH wind....dang....this is harder than it's suppose to be....all my cycling/tri buddies...quit laughing ;-)...I have 2 gears...in the saddle and out of the saddle...but still enjoyed the thrill of the ride. Heading south...oh so much more fun....cruising no effort....24 mph...when it was all said and done the 2nd ride was a 41 miler...so much more to learn...and so much room for improvement.

On Sunday I got up at 0530 for a 10 mile barefoot run just to get the running legs going. (actually only the first 6 miles were barefoot (Vibram Five Fingers) and the last 4 with real shoes...I have begun to feel the difference in my form change...and I think that is a good thing. Back at the house...before everybody else gets up so I can cook breakfast for my wife on Mothers Day...and yes, I showered first...geeze...give be a break....you have already laughed at me for lamenting the fact I actually had to ride into the wind. ;-)

Full disclosure...and I am being serious about this...for an Ultra Marathoner....I feel out of shape...I can't tell you when the last time I went for a 6 hour run...and I would be lying to you if I said that there is not a small amount of concern with this. My overall fitness is as good as is has ever been...but my endurance is off a bit. I will reassess, but I think by the end of summer I want to be doing a 4 to 5 hour trail run with not much problem. This will spring board me into the fall training with the Rocky Racoon 100 mile Ultra event next February.

So I close with this...I have felt a little like a fish outta water with the new cycling thing. All you cycling peeps that have sent messages of encouragement have made a guy feel very welcome into this new sport I have undertaken. My good pal, Ultra marathoner and triathlete, Kari Kennedy is a great athlete and better person...She is going to get me into some group rides....she says....those are real fun....I inquired...."even on a fixed gear?"

The picture below is one of my favorites....My daughter, Hope who is an absolute riot...and at the age of 4...we are already on the same wavelength....YIKES!!!

No Longer a Virgin

2010-05-03T03:28:00.000-07:00

The questions that ran through my mind. When I do this for the first time...will I have a clue what I am doing? Am I going to be clumsy? How bad could this hurt?...You know the very first time you go for a "real" bike ride. Not the kind of ride you did as a kid...but a ride where actually have a distance and cadence in mind.

After taking a couple of days of last week, I started back into boot camp on Friday...only really having about 70% to give ...but I could feel I was coming back. On Saturday, I did about 30 minutes of core work then did 2 back to back 1 hour spin classes. Ok...good...I am getting back...things felt normal. So that leaves the long awaited Sunday...

On Saturday evening I had picked up the fixed gear bike from Lynn...earlier in the week I had made the necessary purchases (helmet, bike shorts, etc.) to go for a ride...and now it was time. Full disclosure, I was a little apprehensive...really riding with cars around me...on the road...and operating the fixed gear...there were a few questions there.

At 0630 Sunday morning...not wanting to burn daylight....I was off...with intentions of going between 30 and 40 miles. My legs were a little cooked from the previous days spin...but I was anxious to get out on the fixie...

The course I road had a lot of rolling hills...which was really great and I had the time of my life...yes I am hooked on the cycling thing!

The biggest lesson learned this day was that many of the red lights were at the bottom of a hill...so let's talk about this for a minute. My bike is a fixed geared track back...which means it originally did not come with a brake. Lynn Ballard had the foresight to put on a front hand brake to help slow down. Keep in mind you DO NOT want to lock up the front wheel...last thing I want to do is go over the handle bars going 30 MPH. So when you decide you need to slow down...you have to start using your legs to resist the bikes momentum to get it to stop. So when you have a stop light at the bottom of a hill...you have put some stress and energy in your legs to stop...then more times than not...it is uphill when you get through the light...DANG...always fun starting up a hill from a standstill on a fixed gear. The only other small challenge is clipping into the fixed gear pedals...since they are always moving....but I quickly got the hang of that after about the 4th stop light.

When it was said and done...I rode 35 miles...and averaged nearly 18 mph. I tried to maintain 17 mph up hills...but sometimes that was just impossible to do without blowing the engine...and sometimes slipped to 13 to 14 mph up the hill...20 mph on a flat road was normal...and well, the down hills...isn't that what we ride for...

So there you have it...the first real ride. Nothing epic except that I didn't get hurt....The first time wasn't bad.

On the family front....opening baseball/softball day was Saturday afternoon as both Luke and Macy had ballgames...so about 5 hours were spent at some sort of ballpark...I love this time of year.

You guys have a good week...Run On...or should I say at this point Ride On and Play Ball!

KRYPTONITE...and how to have abs like Superman

2010-04-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, Let’s talk rest and recovery FIRST!....I cratered this week…yes, somebody hid kryptonite in my office.

I am not formally in a training cycle…thus….I have no training schedule. For 17 straight days I hammered…hard…including running a ½ marathon hard following a one hour spin class (multiple times)…and pushed the lactic acid threshold harder than I should have. Throw in the hour long boot camps, sessions with a personal trainer…2 hour trail runs…I did not realize that I had not taken a day off to recover…17 straight…17 WHAT THE…Never in my right mind would I have set up a training schedule to do such a thing. So on Tuesday this week, the house of cards came down…all the signs of over training…high heart rate, high blood pressure, fatigue and on Wednesday, the “depression like” mood set in…if you know me…I am hardly ever down…but on Wednesday, questioned everything…You have got to rest…God rested on the 7th day…You have to rest…so for 2 straight days, I slept in and did nothing workout wise…two whole days in a row…and my peeps know that is asking a lot…it was a good thing.

So on to a core workout…and mainly on the abs…

I like to combine about 4 exercises…performed back to back…in sets…and I like to do 4 to 5 sets…

For example: I would start out with 25 normal crunches, followed by 15 leg lifts, then 30 “bicycles” and then a minute plank…no rest between each exercise and only about 15 seconds between sets…then do 4 to 5 sets…do you follow? Your abs should be screaming my the end of the 4th set and the 5 set takes you to “Superman” realm. I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!

So I have posted either pics or very brief videos of the exercises demonstrated…except for the crunches…everybody knows how to do crunches.

The leg lifts:

The bicycle (actual exercise starts 44 seconds into vid:

The plank: side note – I like to be in the push up position rather than on the elbows as this engages the shoulders. I also like to lift one leg off the floor for 30 seconds then switch legs for the next 30 seconds as this engages the obliques…If you point your toes in, this engages the quads too…all good stuff…as you improve, these variations will make it more challenging.

Have Fun…and RUN ON…and REST OCCASSIONALLY TOO!

Maintain the D Train...and other stuff

2010-04-27T13:20:00.000-07:00

Ok...here we are with no real training cycle...so where does that leave me on posting....and furthermore do you really care? I don't know, but I do know that most of you peeps have been doing a better job than me posting...so I here is what I plan on doing...talk about maintenance training...the kind of stuff that most endurance athletes neglect...or don't do very much...or don't let others know they are doing this stuff. Let's start from the top...of why...

I get done with Palo Duro 50 Mile Ultramarathon last October burned out...totally torched. Second I decided in December to run Bataan Marathon Heavy...with pack. Those two things caused me to review my training. After completing Palo Duro, I vowed to get myself in better "OVERALL" shape. In November I changed my training regiment up. I needed a change...running 6 days a week with an occasional spin thrown in through the summer months just whipped me into submission.

I began attending 5:00 A.M. boot camps twice a week, working overall body and core. I also attended a strength/flex group exercise class every Monday evening. Throw in speed work, long runs and maybe a spin class every once in a while and I began to drop weight 7 lbs to be exact...and more importantly body fat.

Why do I feel this is so important? Multiple Reasons: First, It breaks up my training regiment, keeps up my cardio (intensely I may add) and the Marine in me likes the hardcore approach. Second, a strong core is paramount in the long races...50 milers and further. Also, it helps with balance and being a trail runner that loves the technical stuff...well yeah...you need some balance. Stronger body...less injuries...let's not forget that one either. Let me add as well that I also started watching my diet...maybe too much. My wife said that I began to live like a disciplined monk....watching carb to protein ratios....eating for the training...every two hours watching calories and what kind of calories...it's a sickness...I have lightened up a little...but after a bad day of eating...I try to get back.

Next post I will cover some core exercises...we will start with the following plank...ok...maybe not...;-)

A challenge...me holding a plank for a minute and then into a push up....it sucked...just sayin'

HOTTER N HELL 100 MILE BIKE RACE...AND WHAT???

2010-04-19T05:34:00.000-07:00

Ok...here is the next Endurance Challenge...thanks to my good buddy Lynn Ballard for the idea...and for Laura Underwood who encouraged part 2 of the festivities...

Every August in the sweltering Texas Summer HEAT, there is the Hotter N Hell 100 mile Bike race in Wichita Falls Texas. Thousands upon thousands of cyclists descend upon the otherwise nondescript location to partake in this little bike race. A few years ago, my buddy and Ultramarathoner Lynn Ballard rode it on a fixed geared bike. During one of our epic trail runs, Lynn starts talking about it...the Hotter N Hell was on my bucket list...so, well, it's going to happen.

Since Lynn and I are exactly the same height and stride...well, his little fixed geared track bike was a perfect fit. Yesterday, I go over to his house...clip in and go...it was perfect...absolutely perfect.

For all my non cycling buddies...a fixed geared bike is a bike with one gear and when the bike is moving the pedals have to be moving...there is NO coasting...the pedals and and back wheel sprocket is like a "rigid member" for you engineering types...(keep your mind out of the gutter...I know most of you that read this and your mind just when off road! ;-))

On Sunday, the day following the bike race, there is a 1/2 marathon trail race to go along with the weekend. It's on the agenda too...Ultramarathon gal and friend Laura Underwood did both events last year...She also accomplished the 100 mile bike ride and the 100 mile Ultramarathon in the same year. That is something else I hope to finish within the next 12 months...the 100 miles on the bike and a 100 miles on foot...so there you are....ICE BATH ANYONE?!

The Tribe Has Spoken..,YOU'RE GONE!

2010-04-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

The Tribe Has Spoken...

Ok...here we go again....another delinquent posting...but hey...my wife just got back from an Oprah Taping....a dream of her's and I have been busy...personally I would rather run a 100 miles....but that's another story.

Let's get up to speed. Last weekend was Pack 2008 Cub Scout Camp out. Yours truly is now the new Cub Master...the real difference between the Marine Corps and the Cub Scouts is that the Cub Scouts has adult leadership...our unit more resembles a Marine Corps unit in that aspect.

Everybody came back safely so I consider that a success....couple that with everyone having a good time and well...it's good to be in Pack 2008. The camp out was held at Eisenhower Texas State Park....this is an absolutely great place about an hour drive from North Dallas.

During the Pack Campfire on Saturday night...one of the adults pointed out that Ihad dressed like Jeff Provost, the host of Survivor....I looked down...hadn't realized it and started to chuckle. I closed out the campfire with that the tribe has spoken, one of you is GONE!!!...a mother not real hip on camping stood up and hollered, "OH IT's ME!!! YAY!!!!!" oh good times.

On the training front...maintaining...spin, boot camps, running...you know...all the stuff. I really needed to recover since I had only taken 4 days off since Bataan...and a week later I had hammered out a quick 1/2 marathon distance trail run...so... I really didn't run this weekend...on purpose....although I think I probably ran about 6 to 8 miles getting stuff done on Saturday...and yes I run everywhere I go during a camp out.

This coming Sunday, I am meeting with Lynn Ballard to discuss the next challenge and by Monday should be ready to come clean with all that....oh good times...good times...then....maybe not so much with all the suffering...;-)

WHERE THE HECK YOU BEEN?!?!

2010-04-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

Ok..Ok...yeah....it's been busy....and yeah I know....I need to at least tell ya it's been busy.

After Bataan....a little recovery....ok...2 days at least before back to bootcamps, spin classes and then I ran a 1/2 marathon on the Grapevine Lake Northshore Trail with my buddy Lynn Ballard the weekend following Bataan Marathon.

The body feels fine but I can tell my legs aren't a 100%...probably because I still hammered only a few days after Bataan Marathon.

So the next question...at least posed to me multiple times is..."What is NEXT?" Well, there will be more races to run this summer...I just haven't nailed down the schedule. Originally I wanted to run Jemez Mountain 50 Miler....25,000 feet of climbing up to 10,000 feet elevation. It is out due to family events and schedule.

SO...YES I DO HAVE ANOTHER ENDURANCE CHALLENGE ON THE HORIZON. I am currently nailing down some details...it is outside my comfort zone and when I talk about it to some of my closest peeps...well, the word "INSANE" is usually muttered in the conversation. I am hoping to release the details and challenge in the next week. Good times are afoot....and some pain and suffering too.

Bataan Memorial Marathon - Race Report

2010-03-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

Bataan Memorial Marathon has been on the list ever since I took up running…and after Palo Duro 50 miler last year, I needed a goal. In December 2009, I decided now was the time to run Bataan….and with fewer and fewer Bataan POW survivors…delaying this race was not an option. My Marine ideals told me that the only way to run this race was to run it heavy…which means….with a 35lb pack. Thus, it was etched in granite...training began….and on March 21….MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! That’s the short version, but you want details…right?

The race was held on Sunday, March 21, allowing me to fly in on Saturday Morning. This gave me plenty of time to get to the White Sands Missile Range Military Base to sign in and partake in some of the events. It was also a time to catch up to TEAM RELENTLESS from Austin….a team of Melissa, her husband, and 5 other women that would be marching Long – 26.2 miles. (at some point there will be a cross blog about the experiences.) Additionally, there was a time set up to listen to some of the Bataan P.O.W. Survivors stories. Unfortunately, they had each Survivor, simultaneously set up in different rooms, causing you to choose one to listen to instead of staggering them to hear multiple tales of the historic account in Bataan. I jumped around a bit to the different rooms and regret that decision. I got fragmented stories of each instead of a one really good account. Most rewarding to me though was shaking hands with the survivors and saying thanks. They seemed so appreciative of the Bataan Memorial Weekend…A celebration of these Men.
Bataan Survivor Paul Kerchaun

Bataan Survivor Tony Reyna

Bataan Survivor John Leroy Mimms and his wife

On to Sunday to find me up at 0300 to get ready and to the base by 0430…security checkpoints can be time consuming but it was a very smooth operation. On to the staging area to prep….both mentally and physical…and the physical mainly meant staying warm as the temps were below the 30’s and to get the pack weight just right. If at the end, your pack weighs less than 35 lbs. you are DQ’ed. The very thought of that made me want to be a bit conservative. I took all my gel packs out…my hydration bladder out…and weighed to 38 lbs. Perfect…3 lbs over for good measure. Sonia Burdett, my NTTR buddy did the same and soon it was time to roll. The opening ceremonies were a moving part as they posted the colors, introduced all the survivors, had a roll call for those that had died the previous year….and of course an awesome F-22 fly over…Thank God I am a redblooded America.! The bagpipe corps lead the survivors to the start line and I heard the faint notes of my beloved Marine Corps Hymn….”If the Army and the Navy ever look on Heavens scenes…they will find the streets are guarded my United States Marines.”

Calm Before the Storm

Shaking hands...a spirit of gratitude!

The race started….and the survivors lined both sides just prior to the starting line…allowing runners to shake their hands. I was moved….5500 runners representing all 50 states and many foreign countries. I saw military from both Germany and Great Britain participating in the event. Many of the runners/marchers were U.S. Military, either marching or running it to win….most Heavy.

About 70% of the course is on dirt, sandy roads…causing one to always look for the most solid dirt to run on…the ankle deep, beach sand I will get to later. The course could be described as undulating but at mile 10 you start climbing till about mile 13.5…from 4500 ft to 5500 ft. You start a descent at 13.5 only to go back up another hill for about mile before you begin the final descent into base and finish line….don’t forget the sand pit…we’ll get that, I promise!

I start out of the gate doing my 4 minute run/ 1 minute walk routine….and I am averaging 13 to 13:15 miles. At this point I should point out that my goal was to run a sub 7 hours race. My plan was to average 15 minute miles as long as possible….and then hold on, letting the mile pace decrease as needed and hopefully…it would be enough to run sub 7 hours….my training taught me as such. So here I am….feeling good doing 13 minute freaking miles at mile 5 and thinking...”What AM I DOING TO MYSELF?!” But the body felt fine…the heart rate was fine…so just keep doing what I am doing…at mile 10 I am 15 minutes ahead of a “15 minute per mile pace”…and then the hill….the long 3.5 mile hill. I told myself, don’t loose to much time on the hill, watch the heart rate…and time I give up here…I will get back on the descent…just don’t fry yourself. And when I was done with that Godforsaken hill…I had only lost 6 minutes….and on the descent for the next 3 miles…got most of it back. The body felt good…the mind was strong….the back….well was as tight as a banjo string. I remember a miles 12 or so I was falling into rhythm with 5 Air Force Para Rescue guys….of course racing heavy…and they were actually racing…for the Pride of the Air Force. We joked around…I thanked them for their service and after finding one of them was a prior service Marine the ribbing started. At mile 15 or so they picked up their pace and when it was all said and done, came in 2nd place at 5:45.

Yours Truly

Things proceeded as normal…as far as running a marathon goes…the legs tend to start aching…and the back muscles really started to ache. MILE 21…the “Sand Pit”….@!%$&…when I talked to my buddy Clive Miskin who has run Bataan a few times…he warned me of the this….and when I asked how long…he replied, “TOO DAMN LONG!” Ankle deep sand….loose….like running on a beach…..at mile 21…..for nearly 1 ½ miles. I walked it. My calves were cramping at this time….and I started to give back time….by the time I got to mile 24, I started to calculate the rest of the mile splits. A 7 hour sub was out of the question….NO WAY….I’ve got a chance to run a 6:30 here….At the mile 24 aid station they were handing out small American Flags to run with the rest of the marathon….I took one…and started to think, “a sub 6:30 would be tough….I would have to pick up the pace and my back and legs just voted…that poll came back to slow down…you have suffered enough…you’ve made sub 7 hour easy.”

I graduated high school with Carolyn. Through Facebook, I learned she has been diagnosed with breast cancer…my age with kids about my kids age. She is currently going through chemo…and she is quite candid about what it is doing to her body. Before the race I asked her if I could write her name on my hand for inspiration and told her she’s going to whip this cancer…she’s in my prayers. On my left hand was inscribed, with a Sharpie marker, Carolyn...I had seen it every time I peeked at the Garmin 405…but hadn’t really focused on the name. At mile 24 I looked down to review pacing from the Garmin…and the name was all I saw. Dave you hurt…but it’s not Chemo…the heart was already near redline. Dave, It’s not cancer….so gut it up…and finish this thing strong….not settling. The mile 26 marker came and went as I turned the corner to the finish…I had picked up the pace sufficiently to leave the group I had been running with…I was by myself and when I entered the last 400 yards or so to the finish, each side of the street was lined with screaming and cheering people. I had my American Flag…I heard one voice loud and clear…Keep it up HEAVY…KEEP IT UP…running at nearly a 9 minute pace….crossing the finish line nearly on the dot….6 hours 30 minutes. Finished! (unofficial for 26.2 - heavy -civilian 39th overall, 9th for my age group)

The volunteered asked if I was alright…”sit down, he said.” I responded, “No, weigh this damn pack so I can get rid of this stuff.” Weigh in….44 Pounds…I think I uttered another, “Damn!”…I don’t know. I then went on to shake a few more of the POW’s hands…thanking them…and thankful for their sacrifices...thankful I was a red blooded American…my tank was empty…my cup was full!

This race is not a PR race….It’s an experience…If you are a runner…RUN THIS RACE…SOONER…not later as fewer and fewer POW survivors are with us with each passing year.

I recovered a bit. Hung around talking with many who ran the race…and then got in line to get something to eat. The kind lady said that they had beef burgers or veggie burgers. I replied, “I am a red blooded America…make that beef burger.”

I took so many pictures that I plan on putting together a virtual slide show to be posted here. Thanks for your support and interest.

IT IS GO TIME!!!!

2010-03-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

Yours Truly - 1991 - Mortar Gun Team Leader

In late December 1944, the Japanese began to see the writing on the wall. The United States had recovered from the December 7, 1941 and were now on the offensive. Artillery and air support on the beaches of the Philippines made it clear that the Japanese days were numbered. And initial movement for American P.O.W.’s was to put the ones in best physical condition on transport ships and get them mobilized as soon as possible to the motherland. By the 1000’s, the Americans were put in cargo holds where livestock had been staged. Crammed in so tight that if you over came the claustrophobia, you actually may succumb to suffocation….and after all that….many times prisoners still met their ultimate demise by U.S bombing the Japanese ships because of no known knowledge of Americans were on board. This was how my running buddy, Lynn Ballard’s great uncle was killed during the war.

By the first of January 1945, the Japanese had all but abandoned Cabanatuan P.O.W. compound. They were regrouping with the impending American invasion. Upon leaving the compound, they warned that any prison escapes would be dealt with by execution. The American soldiers were fearful that they had just jumped from the frying pan into the fire. With thousands of Japanese soldiers milling about the area, who was to say that some sadistic S.O.B would come in and begin to kill them just for grins. I was a very real concern. Despite, the concerns, the prisoners, began to ransack the Japanese quarters of the compound, discovering great amounts of food and amenities. Some P.O.W.’s began to put on 10 lbs a week for the next 2 weeks just due to the improved nutrition. Moral began to run high. By late January, some Japanese soldiers returned to reside at the compound, but no strict or harsh treatment ensued.

The Rangers, had their plan together…and a jail break was about to take place. F company would go around to the back of the compound and take out all Japanese residing. After the first signal of the rear attack, Company C would storm the front gates. The plan went off without a hitch. Many prisoners were caught off guard. Many refused to go with the Rangers due to chaos and confusion. Some had to physically being carried out of the prison. The prison break was only half of it…you now had to make it through without being killed by surrounding Japanese soldiers. The Rangers and Filipino guerrillas insured that prisoners would be safely evacuated.

It’s show time...to run long and heavy in Bataan Memorial Race. The training is in the bank. The flight is booked…the reservations have been made. I will fly out Saturday morning in hopes to attend the historical presentation that afternoon. There will be survivors there. At this point…I have received numerous emails, messages, and donations for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. I can not tell you what this means to me. I only hope to run with strength and pride that those that have gone before us did…those that sacrificed so much for our freedoms. Running this little race pales in comparison…and so I RUN ON.

(much of the historical accounts were taken from the book, GHOST SOLDIERS by Hampton Sides. I strongly encourage to read it.)

Deep Pockets - the American Spy

2010-03-07T18:40:00.000-08:00

Deep Pockets, was owner operator of Club Tsubaki, a slinky Cabaret that came ever so close to that fine line of “brothel,” located in the heart Manila Philippines. Deep Pockets ran the ultra-exclusive nightspot and dance club, greeting the clientele at the door. The high end clientele consisted of high ranking Japanese officers, usually in route to various locations in the South Pacific to carry out the war. Floor shows, lap dances and sake flowed freely.

Deep Pockets' real name was Dorothy Clara Fuentes, a Filipina with Italian extraction...usually dressed in a white evening gown with a plunging neckline. Her real purpose was to get the Japanese drunk….make’em happy….and then get all the intelligence she could. Sometimes it was as simple as to the next destination of a troop transport ship. Other times it was the Japanese intentions and plans of an impending battle. The covert operation ran deep and wide….all the way to General MacArthur’s ears.

Even more interesting than the Covert Operations Brothel was the background of the Mrs. Fuentes, the Filipina Italian. Her real name was not Clara Fuentes….and she wasn’t from the Philippines. She was a red blooded American from Oregon and her name was Claire Phillips. She had married John Phillips who served in the 31st Infantry of the U.S. Army. They were stationed in Manila before the war started. John was killed when the Japanese invaded the Philippines and through a convoluted means lead to his widowed wife becoming a U.S. Spy. When learning about her decease husband, she tanned herself in a rice field for a week, came up with her means and a cover…and now you know of an unsung hero.

Where her services really aided in the American effort was what she did for the American POW of Bataan. The money that the club earned was used to by medical supplies, semblance of food and other necessities for the men of Cabanatuan compound. They were snuck in by the chaplains…often at high risks. The spy ring was wide…and there was always a fear of the hammer dropping. Clara Phillips was once tortured by the Japanese when they encroached on her efforts. She refused to break….and was released. She continued.

We are two weeks out from Bataan Memorial Marathon and the taper has begun. Over the past two years, when I get to the taper, I am mentally and emotionally spent. It is not the case this time. I don’t know if it is the history behind the race or the efforts of raising money for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, but I think that this may have something to do with it. The support I have had for the training and the running of this race has made each step easier. I cannot tell you what many of your emails and comments have meant to me and my family. I am a blessed guy, humbled and I thank you. This past Saturday consisted of only a 10 mile run with the pack. All of my other workouts have stayed consistent with the rest of my training schedule.

Join me next week as we close out the Bataan Story.

Almost GO Time...and 3 weeks till Bataan

2010-02-28T20:03:00.000-08:00

Colonel Mucci and Captain Robert Prince

Colonel Mucci and his Army Rangers had made their way through the perilous Philippine country side. They were now mustered only two miles from Cabanatuan City. Captain Robert Prince served as Mucci’s Ranger Assault Commander and his fastidious nature had attempted to plan the mission to rescue only God knows how many U.S. P.O.W.’s in God only knows what kind of condition.

Getting to this point had been dangerous enough. Could you trust the native Filipinos? Were the Japanese leading them into a trap?...and if not…and the assault was completely successful…how in the hell were they going to transport American Soldiers who for the past three years have wallowed in misery and whose conditions were just this side of the fine line of the walking dead….and actually being dead. Prince was uneasy. He had actually ZERO intelligence of the Cabanatuan P.O.W. compound….ZERO….and any military commander knows that the key to a successful mission is knowing what kind of crap is about to come down the pipe. The Filipino guerrillas once again answered the heroic call. Appearing as natives, able to get close to the compound, to note the guard change over, the compound lay out…the details. Additionally there were the U.S. Army Alamo Scouts, that were able to hold up at advantageous viewing point for a 24 hour period. The information obtained was incredibly detailed and left Captain Prince in awe of the amount of detail. The plan was refined…and it was go time. Captain Prince reviewed the mission details with the Hard Charging Army Rangers….ripping and rearing to arrange the meeting with a Japanese Soldier and the Grim Reaper. There would be no dress rehearsal. This caused a certain amount of consternation among Colonel Mucci and his assault commanders, but hell, they were in uncharted waters as it was in covert ops….completely in their infancy. On that late January afternoon, they were on the eve of being the salvation to U.S. POW’s that had been held in captivity for 3 years. God Help Them!

For three years, the Americans had endured more than what could be imagined. After the diseases had somewhat subsided, malnutrition began to be take it’s toll on the Americans. The doctors in the infirmary began to observe what organs would fail first and to what vitamin deficiency was the culprit. Starvation coupled with the lack of will begin to put the American POW’s in the grave. Catching vermin, mainly stray dogs and rats became not fun thing to do, but paramount for survival. The skinning and prepping a dog or a rat for culinary purposes was as standard knowledge as field dressing an M1. Because of the savage condition of starvation, nothing was sacred, at least on the animal front….all except one dog. There was a small contingent of U.S. Marines with the Army Soldiers in the compound. Through a circuitous route prior to Bataan, the Marines had adopted an old bulldog that served as their mascot. The Japanese simply over looked the dog in the compound and the Marine element pampered that dog, even in the miserable conditions of Cabanatuan. The Army POW’s often eyeballed that dog as a main course for the evenings dinner…but lacked the intestinal fortitude to deliver to the butcher for fear of ramifications from Uncle Sam's Misguided Children (USMC). How I love my MARINE BROTHERS!

The training for the Bataan Memorial Marathon continues. This week, I realized how the Cross Timbers ½ Marathon Trail Race, torched my body harder than I thought. The legs and body were a bit beaten. I didn’t miss a work out this week, but I could tell the body waned a bit. The results from Cross Timbers showed that I finish 15^th from the last. Running with Helga the 40 lbs pack, my goal was to just do better than DAL. On Friday, I began to review my Saturday schedule and realized that I either start at 10PM on Friday and run to about 4AM on Saturday morning or get up at about at 2 AM on Saturday and run to whenever. I chose to leave Friday night…and about 10:45 PM, I left the house with my 40 lbs pack into the dark lonely night…it was cold and had been raining….it was to be a long night. At the 10 mile marker I swing back by the house to rehydrate, eat and adjust the clothing as it had dropped to near freezing temperatures. The house was warm. My dear family was resting in deep slumber. The effort to cross the threshold back into the night was Herculean. There are people who hold me accountable, who encourage me. The thought of letting them down is more than I can stomach. They know who they are. The last 9.4 miles were tough…not going to sugar coat it. At about 4:30 AM on Saturday morning, I returned to the safe confines of our home…hungry, cold, tired, filthy….and forgiven. I remedied the first 4, my Father had already taken care of the last. Sunday was a day of rest.

This past week, David Hanenberg asked if he could feature me on his blog/website called ENDURANCE BUZZ for my “running with a purpose” and raising money for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. I was humbled and honored. Here is the interview/article. Thank for those that support me in these efforts.

NEXT TIME: "A Cabaret Owner Turned Covert Operative"