It all started with this post on Adrian’s Facebook status:

“Congratulations! You have been accepted to compete in the 2010 Badwater Ultramarathon”…

Later that day, my phone rang and it was Jimmy O.  He had been in touch with Adrian to begin the preliminary planning for his second trip to Death Valley.  When the topic of crew came up, Jim had our back and suggested that Paige and I join them.  Adrian was on board.  Jim was calling to plant the seed and get us thinking about our availability to join Team Adrian on an adventure to the hottest place in North America.  What he didn’t realize was that he hadn’t planted a seed but rather a 5 year old sapling which already had leaves on it.  Paige and I quickly agreed that this was something we very much wanted to do and that we needed to make it happen.  Just the week before, we had sat down and planned out all our vacation time for the year, now we were going to have to do some rearranging - it was worth it.  The next step was getting the vacation approved at work - check.  So, come July 12, we will be in Death Valley with the world’s most elite ultramarathoners and we couldn’t be more excited about it!

I remember talking to a friend years ago and telling him that I really wanted to try running a marathon.  He responded that if I wanted to run a marathon, I should start hanging out with people who ran marathons.  It was good advice.  Before long, I was running marathons.  Now, I hang out with people who do Badwater, hmmm….

Ed And I

Fellow CHUGs Tony and Brian put together the first annual Palos Hills 50K and they did a great job!  Brian put together the website and coordinated with Tony who worked on the course and with the park officials to get proper clearance - together they pulled off an awesome event.  It had been wet leading up to the race and when Saturday morning rolled around, it was raining yet again.  The trail is a mixture of surfaces but primarily crushed limestone.  We gathered in the shelter just before 8:30 AM and then, as a group, we rolled out into the rain for the start.  As we headed down the first section of the trail, it was evident that the feet would be wet for the entire race.  I found Ed and settled in for the first two loops with him.

It Was A Wet Day

The trail ranged from very forgiving but firm crushed limestone, to very soggy crushed limestone, from firm mud, to shoe sucking mud, from water covered trail, to “where the heck did the trail go” water covered trail.  At one point on the first loop, there was a section that was about 5 feet wide and several inches deep; some of the runners in front of us had stopped and were attempting to get across without submersing their shoes in the water.  Ed and I splashed through knowing full well that just ahead was a 50 foot section that was much deeper and completely unavoidable.  By the end of the second loop, Ed decided to respect the signals his body was sending and packed it in.  I headed out on my third loop alone but at least I had a dry shirt on.  I was feeling good and pushed the pace for a while.  Eventually, this, combined with the miles, caught up with me and I had to ease back on the pace.  Even though I was starting to feel the miles, my legs were feeling good considering the minimal amount of training I’ve done since Rocky Raccoon 100 in February.  It continues to amaze me what the body can do if you just ask nicely.

Co-RD, Tony, Showing Us How Its Done

The second half of the third loop was tough and as I started out on the fourth loop, I was pretty stiff.  It wasn’t long before I loosened up some and was running smoothly again.  I thoroughly enjoyed the last hour of the run and felt better at the end than I did for most of the race.  Paige was a trooper and used the time to get a little hill workout in before standing in the damp cold air for the rest of the day greeting runners as they returned to the shelter - of course she was smiling the whole time.

After the run, Paige and I went for burritos with our new friends James and Cindy.  They were up from Bradley and happily accepted our offer for Chipotle.  The inaugural event was a success despite the less than idea conditions.  It was good to see some CHUGs and meet some new friends.  Thanks to Tony and Brian!

Today marks one month since RR100 and it also marks my first “long” run since the race.  Paige and I left in a cool feeling 45 degrees with the sun that had been present for the past few days rapidly disappearing.  Paige is still easing back into her running as the muscle tear in her upper calf area continues to make tremendous progress with the help of Athletico and their amazing team of professionals; this was her first run outside since RR100.  We did a short loop together and then I headed north to finish my run.  I am doing the Palos Hills 50K next weekend and thought it would be good to check out the legs before then.  By the time I dropped Paige off at home, the sun was completely gone and I was preparing myself mentally for the rain that was forecasted.  I felt good and the first several miles went by quickly.  Before long, the rain began to fall.  By the time I hit my turn around point, everything was wet and the trail was puddled.  I couldn’t help but wish that I would have gotten going earlier to finish in the sun but here I was.  I started to feel tired and finished off the bottle of Gatorade that I had with me.  This definitely helped but the truth was that I was just feeling tired.  I finished up my 15 miles in a steady rain.  I feel happy with the result considering the proximity to RR100 and am getting excited for next weekend!