TATUR Christmas Party

Monday night was the TATUR Christmas party. Comes around every year....and is always a treat! It's a time to eat, drink, be merry. A time to reflect on what all we've done, to rehash race reports, have more pie and brownies, give a few awards, and eat. We present six Silver Spud awards each year meriting various feats of endurance among our runner-friends. Also, TATUR presents a couple of charities a check from monies raised from races. The Turkey and Taturs 50K,25K,10K raised $2,907 for the Westside YMCA which will help many kids attend summer camp at this wonderful urban wilderness facility.Another race that TATUR put on, The Mud Run, raised over $5,600 for the Oklahoma Firefighters Burn Camp to benefit children who have received disfiguring injuries in a fire. I was proud of our club for these two awesome donations!!

The coveted Silver Spuds were awarded to some very worthy trail runners. Rookie of the Year went to Janeen Lovelace, who recently dived into the trail scene, and now eats 50Ks for breakfast. She did the Leadville Marathon (a tough race at an insane altitude), FlatRock 50K (the hardest 50K in this part of the USA), Turkey and TATURS 50K (some people think this is harder than FlatRock), Route 66...a total of 3 marathons and 3 tough 50Ks in the past year.



Overachiever of the Year, a newish category that replaced the hustler of the year award, was presented to Lisa Kedzuf-McGinnis. Lisa has ran and aced everything she has attempted this past year. I talked her and Jason into running a double marathon back in April. Then, to get 5 stars in the Marathon maniacs, I talked them into doing a double marathon in New Mexico and Colorado, and then Turkey and TATURs the next weekend. Again, she exceeded my expectations. I had told her in NM she might wanna take the early start, and she in turn kicked my butt beating me by 38 minutes. Agian, I was wondering if she'd finish T&T 50K the next week and despite me taking a 2 hour early start, she finished only 10 minutes behind me. Do the math. Then, she tackled a 50 miler at Heartland and made it look easy.

The Most Beat Up Feet award went to Earl Blewett.Earl sports a pretty nice belt buckle here. He started ramping up his mileage this past summer, doing T&T, FlatRock, and then the Heartland 50. Earl then went to Missouri and ran the 1st running of the Ozark 100, a race that I really want to do in the near future. This race, from everyone I have talked to, is quite hard, what with roots, rocks, and lots of loose leaves covering them. Congratulations, Earl!



Best Performance in a Race went to Jason McGinnis. Jason was right there with Lisa in their quest to light up the ultra world. Jason was thinking about doing the 50 at Heartland, but I talked him into doing the 100. I told him he would be through, and then out all night anyway crewing me, so why not just RUN? Well, at times I know he had his doubts, but I always knew he would ace the test, and he did. Running your 1st 100 miler and almost breaking 24 hours is pretty amazing. Turns out later, he coined his trail name: TRAILZILLA!! A fitting name, me thinks.

Most Inspirational Tatur went to Randy Ellis. Randy cranks out 100 milers routinely. Oh, I am sure he would dispute this, and hey....a 100 is never easy. But Randy probably has more 100 mile finishes than anyone in the state. I would love to see the 100 mile rankings among Oklahomans. If he is not on the throne, I'd like to know who is. Randy is also one of the kindest, most encouraging people I have ever met. Plus, he wrote an awesome book that is a MUST READ among ultra runners: RUNNING WITH PAYNE. This book documents Randy's run across the United States a few years ago. Randy was a lot of encouragement to Jason and Lisa as they were contemplating their goals.

Tatur of the Year went to Arnold Begay. Arnold is no stranger to 100 milers, but this past year, he did not actually do a 100. He did Badwater, the HOTTEST race in the USA, a 135 mile footrace on pavement across Death Valley starting at the lowest point in the continent to the Mt Whitney portal, the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. 135 miles, in 58 hours! Filling out is year was the Athens/Big Fork Marathon (the hardest marathon in the WORLD), the Dan Man, AOK 50K, OKC Marathon, T&T 50K, and McNaughton Park, where he signed up to do a 150 miler and made it 80 miles in absolutely miserable rainy conditions. But his accomplishments at Badwater was what earned him the Silver Spud. That, and this pic of his foot after the race.

One thing I wish we had done a better job of was recognizing other runners accomplishments. It'd be great if we could give Silver Spuds to 15 or 20 people, but that might mean many little kids would not get a Mr. Potato Head in their stockings for Christmas. We did give props to the Chicklettes, Sandra, Susan, and Christin, who helped crew us at several races and also several all night training runs. I am so glad they LIKE doing this. Running all night and knowing every 2-3 miles we'll have some friendly faces with cold water, Gatorade, and snacks is just awesome. makes training all the better.And the Crew Babe Princess again was recognized....my own Dana!!

I'd like to recognize some other TATURs that accomplished some amazing feats this year. Roman, who is well known for showing up on marathon day and getting the job done on little training, actually trained some this year and ran his first 50 miler at Heartland. Roman also had quite a list of marathons and 50Ks, and rumor has it he is thinking seriously about doing the Lean Horse Hundred this next August.

Kim had a busy year. Beside getting married, she ran Route 66, and back in Late February, ran a 50K on a Saturday in Ft Worth. Then the NEXT DAY, ran a 50K in Atoka at the AOK Trail run.... something I have never done. I ran the AOK run with her, and she ran strong. I have heard she is thinking about longer distances in the future.


Susan Alexander has ran 8 races of marathon distance or more this year.

I do not know the exact total, but I do know Caroline has ran 4 marathons in the past 6 weeks.

Last years winner of the Most Inspirational TATUR, Bobby, has put together a great year.
Bobby is a Marathon Maniac, and has 6 marathons in the past 12 months.
Bobby has turned from student to teacher, and is in his second session as a running group leader.
Now, if we can get him to do a 50 miler?!?!?


Bobby, Ken aka K2, and Dana listen attentively as Brian rambles on. K2 ran farther than he ever had in his effort at heartland, covering 69 miles before being pulled. He'll be back though to give it another go, I am sure of it.

I am sure there are many other great stories that could be told, and I have most likely forgot someone who had a breakthrough year.Merry Christmas to all, and happy running in 2010!!

Airing Dirty Laundry. (The Bad, The Ugly, and The Wonderful)

No, this post is not about me hanging up my sweaty Icebreaker shirt for the next wearing.

I had promised a post documenting The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly....along with The Wonderful. THE GOOD, was the previous post. I have fulfilled that part of the promise. Now, here's the rest.

THE BAD
Few people know that I have a bad bad problem of procrastination. Not just a silly occasional thing--I can really get myself into trouble with it. Anything hard to do or confrontational, I tend to ignore, put my head in the sand, push it back to tomorrow or next week. Sometimes it is small silly things that fester and erode into big bad things. I am not so proud of this.

I got a speeding ticket a few months back near my house. I drive a hybrid, and I am all about gas mileage and was coasting down a hill where I was clocked at 9 miles over the speed limit. I was upset about it, especially when I discovered that the posted speed was 5 miles less going one direction than going the other....on the SAME ROAD! I just knew I could take some pix of the speed limit signs and beat the charge, but I forgot my court date. A week or two later, my drivers license was suspended. I should have immediately fixed the problem, but I let it go and didn't worry about it.

A couple of months later, I was pulled over for having an expired tag. Yup, I put that off too. Very stupid. Tagging my car would have been about 90 dollars, but I just blew it off. Of course, this time, I was also ticketed for driving with a suspended license, and was given another court date to clear it up. I intended to go, but forgot. See a trend here? For quite a while, I have been driving around...insured, but unlicensed.

THE UGLY
Coming back from my Arkansas marathon, we ate in Ft Smith, and had to take HW 64 back to I-40, which took us through Roland Oklahoma. I know from years past that this is a bad speed trap. I even thought about it briefly as I drove through around 8:00 Saturday evening, but was chatting with Kathy as I drove by a sneaky hiding small town cop who was waiting for another car to stop. I noticed a white pick-up truck passing me on the right as the police car whipped out. AHA! I thought--that dude is gonna get it, but a lump of fear arose in my throat anyway.My luck was bad though, and I was the one pulled over. "This is soooo NOT GOOD," I told Kathy. I watched as Bubba got out of the car and waddled up to my window.(OK, I borrowed this pick....but you get the idea--this pic is not too far off.) "Do you know why I pulled you over?" was one of his questions after the license and proof of insurance request.
"Well, not really," I tried. He told me he clocked me at 57 in a 45 zone. (I am skeptical of this, and wondered if he maybe clocked the pick-up that had passed me.) Then he pointed out that my tag was expired, and had expired several months back.

This story goes from bad to worse. My current insurance certificate was at home right by my tag info, as I intended to get that before the trip, but....

It didn't take long for them to find out about the other unpaid tickets and that my DL was suspended, and was also expired. I must have seemed like cop candy to them! "Sir, I need you to step out of the vehicle." They directed me to the back of my car, and had me put my hands on the back of the car. I thought a frisking was coming, but they just pinched at my pockets and called it good. They asked me if I had any weapons. I told them no, and they asked if I was SURE? Nope, no weapons. Any drugs? No. I am surprised they did not search my car.

I am not sure what Kathy was thinking, or Jason and Lisa who were following us in their car. Next came the hand cuffs. OMG, they had my hands behind my back and slapped those bad boys on me. They were not too forceful, but did put the cuffs on pretty tight.I was taken to the back seat of the patrol car where I waited for what seemed an eternity. There is no leg room in the back seat, and I am a short legged dude. I had to really focus to NOT FREAK OUT. After a while (I think they were questioning Kathy) I noticed a tow truck pull up, and Officer Quickticket opened the door and asked why I took the key with me. My car is a Prius and has a remote that only has to be inside the car for the car to start. He needed that key to give to his tow truck buddy. I could not get it out of my pocket with the handcuffs, and after he put his manly hand into my right pocket, he decided to uncuff me and let me get it for him, which I did. In all fairness though, at that point he seemed to be a little more civil and recuffed me with my hands in front and even loosened the cuffs a little and set them so they could not accidentally tighten up. He said we were going to the police station and my friends were gonna bail me out. WOW!It took a long time for them to do all the paperwork. Writing 4 more citations takes time. They had a ton of questions for me. Name, address, phone #, but no SSN. What meds was I on, and what was each drug for? Any tattoos? I was waiting for Aliases....and I was gonna tell them Trail Zombie, but that question never came up.

About the bail....the amount was $800!!!! YIKES! I was truly nauseated when I heard that. Just sick. Just leave me here!

THE WONDERFUL
My awesome friends would not hear of the idea of me staying in jail. $800 dollars was scraped up, thanks to an angel of a friend. Of course, she reserved the right to SMACK ME SILLY, which I more than deserved. After an hour +/- in the jail of Hicksville, I was free to go.

I am just amazed, floored, and humbled by my sensational friends. I have heard an old saying that said true friends will bail you out of jail, and mine WILL! :-)

Now, two days later, I have spent a few hours on hold with court clerks and the DMV. I am about half way to being clean with the law. My car is tagged, and out of impound, thanks to the help of Dana and my Dad. I had to bring a driver with me to drive my car home--I did not dare drive it out of Roland knowing Cletus would radio Roscoe and they'd check me out before I crossed a county line. I have to be downtown early tomorrow to talk to a judge about some old tix. I suspect this whole mess will end up costing $2000 or more, besides two trips to Roland and a couple of missed days at work.

Have I learned a lesson? Oh please believe me, I have!

LOViT!!!!

I learned about the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) Marathon a year ago when a group of us went to Sunmart and my friends Randy Ellis and Rob Phillip instead went over into Arkansas to do this low-key trail run. The Arkansas folks put on several great trail runs that are no frills, no t-shirt, no medal, no entry fee, no whining events. The cool thing is that they are always fun events, great courses, good aid stations, and the price is right....just a couple bucks in a donation bucket is all that is asked.

I had got on google and found a motel that seemed close to where the race start was. Google is great, and I was even luckier than I thought as the lodging was only 1 mile away from the race.However, the above picture WAS NOT the motel. It was an old concrete block building, which would have been great in the event of a tornado. The windows and doors were drafty, and did I mention it got down to 17 degrees during the night? When we arrived, only 15 minutes before 9:00, our rooms were ice box cold. No need to turn the heat on if no bodies are inside, right? The old wall heating unit ran for an hour before it was warm enough to undress for bed. BRRR!

It was a not-so-restful night. Not sure why, as I was not at all nervous about the race. We turned out the lights around 10:30 and at 12:30ish, I stumbled across the room to turn the heat DOWN. The heater was slow to heat but was doing a better job. Then, I kicked off all the covers (I was wearing PJs) and snuggled my head as close to the icy single paned window as possible to try to keep my body temp cool enough to go to sleep.

Someone's I-Phone started blaring at 6:30, and that along with the noise of several winter bass fisherman right outside my single pane window, woke me up....no chance of dozing back off.Jason and Lisa, who I shared the room with, were getting ready going through the ritual of applying tape, body glide, butt paste, tights, Icebreaker apparel, and such. Notice the nice ambiance of the room.We had adjoining rooms with Susan, Caroline, and Kathy, and their room was no nicer than ours.

Our whole group before the start.

Chewing on your glasses....a nervous habit?

Without a lot of fanfare, the race was off. A marathon on trails. Oh there was a bit of road to start....maybe a quarter mile, and then all the sweet single track you could ever want.And several great view of the lake....hence the reason for the name of the trail I would think....A lot of the trails were covered with leaves. These leaves hid a few rocks and roots. I was able to readily find these hidden roots and on a number of occasions did my best to dislodge them. However, the score was 79-0 in favor of the roots. A couple of these encounters sent me sprawling to the ground. More on the second crash and burn later.

Caroline and Susan motor up a pine needle cushioned trail.


Lisa running strong early on.

Jason and Kathy took off like a shot, and other than seeing them after the turn-around, I did not see them until the finish.

I'll probably go a little overboard posting pix of the trails, but these trail were that good!Throughout the day, we saw nice park benches installed at various places deep in the woods along the trails. I marveled at the trouble someone went to to put these benches in. Someone hiked materials miles and miles on the trails to set these benches, and there were at least 20 of them.Lots of wooden bridges too. Notice the whitish rocks lining the trail. These rock, I am guessing, were some kind of quartz. Some were impressive enough I gave thought to taking a souvenir, bit my tights had very small pockets. Not a good idea.
Friendly aid station volunteers....gotta LOViT!

Onward, up one short climb and down another.Not all of the race was on single track. There were a couple of short sections with gravel roads.

About a mile before the turn-around, we came to a very significant hill. I think the website called this a 450 foot climb. I think it was considerably more than that. There were several switchbacks in the climb, and this section was also some of the rockiest trails we encountered. Still fun though.Caroline takes a breather on the way up.Susan bombs the downhill on her return trip.

A cool tree....would work well as a goal post.

Another short section of jeep road. These sections were quite runnable, and it makes me think I could run a PR here if I showed up rested.

Another bridge, another bench.

Last major climb of the race. 25.5 miles, and less than a mile to go.

In these smaller races, basically when people finish, they might stay and chat for a bit, and then they go home. That's a given. Slower people like me don't have a whole lot of crowd support when trotting across the finish line, but Kathy and Jason were there to cheer us on. Also, Phillip Carr, the race director was there to congratulate us and record our finishing time.
I think they put on a great race. having such a nice bunch of trails to run on makes the job easier. The course was well marked--the LOViT is marked with white blazes, and the major truns were marked with yellow ribbon and arrows. We did miss a turn at one point but it was due to chatting and not paying attention. This is definitely a race I'd do again.