Old Man Still running

Sapper Joe 50K

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Location:

Saratoga Springs,UT,

Member Since:

Jan 31, 2008

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

2016 Finished 12 100-milers during the year.  86 career 100-mile finishes, 9th in the world.   First person to do 6 consecutive summits of Mount Timpanogos.  Won Crooked Road 24-hour race. Achieved the 5th, 6th, and 8th fastest 100-mile times in the world for runners age 57+ for the year.

2013  First person to bag the six highest Wasatch peaks in one day. First and only person to do a Kings Peak double (highest peak in Utah).  I've now accomplished it four times. 

2010 - Overall first place Across the Years 48-hour run (187 miles), Overall first place Pony Express Traill 100.

2009 - Utah State Grand Masters 5K champion (Road Runners Club of America).  National 100-mile Grand Masters Champion (Road Runners Club of America). USATF 100-mile National Champion for age 50-54.

2006 - Set record of five consecutive Timpanogos Summits ("A record for the criminally insane")  See: http://www.crockettclan.org/blog/?p=42

2007 - Summited 7 Utah 13-ers in one day.  See: http://www.crockettclan.org/blog/?p=14 

Only person to have finished nine different 100-mile races in Utah: Wasatch, Bear, Moab, Pony Express Trail, Buffalo Run, Salt Flats, Bryce, Monument Valley, Capitol Reef.

PRs - all accomplished when over 50 years old

5K - 19:51 - 2010 Run to Walk 5K

10K - 42:04 - 2010 Smile Center

1/2 Marathon: 1:29:13 - 2011 Utah Valley

Marathon - 3:23:43 - 2010 Ogden Marathon

50K - 4:38 - 2010 Across the Years split

50-mile - 8:07 - 2010 Across the Years split

100K - 10:49 - 2010 Across The Years split

12-hours 67.1 miles - 2010 Across The Years split

100-mile 19:40 - 2011 Across the Years split

24-hours 117.8 miles - 2011 Across the Years split

48-hours 187.033 miles - 2010 Across the Years

Long-Term Running Goals:

I would like to keep running ultras into my 60s. 

Personal:

Details at: http://www.crockettclan.org/ultras/ultracrockett.pdf Married with six kids and six grandchildren.  Started running at the age of 46 in 2004.  My first race since Junior High days was a 50K. I skipped the shorter road stuff and went straight to ultramarathons.  I started as a back-of-the packer, but have progressed to a top-10-percent ultra finisher.  Wish I would have started running at a much earlier age.  Have had several articles published in national running magazines.  Check out my running adventure blog at www.crockettclan.org/blog

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Total Distance
37.00
Mizuno Wave Elixer Miles: 36.00
Total Distance
0.00

Wow, I am still sore.  This is a big surprise.  Takes my mind off of the sore foot, which isn't very sore at all.   Looks like I'll be running again in a couple days.

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Total Distance
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Still pretty sore, but at least not walking funny today.  I was going to get up and swim before work, but didn't get to sleep until midnight, so I slept in.  Maybe tomorrow.

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Total Distance
4.00

I swam 1.5 miles this morning.   Could have gone further, but I just lost interest.  Too boring.  My speed is increasing as my arm strength gets better.   My 400m splits were 10:40, 9:38, 10:07, 9:53, for a 40:18 mile.   I was pleased to see to splits under 10 minutes.  My final splits were 10:54 and 11:33 as I lost motivation.   I'm ready to try running dirt roads.  My foot still has some pain, but the marathon I ran Saturday didn't set it back.  I have less pain this week than last.   I'll first try running some smooth dirt roads with hills that won't have much risk of rolling the ankle.

The leg soreness from the marathon is greatly improved.  Calfs a little sore and a hamstring, but nothing terrible.

I'm encouraged about my injured foot recovery.  I know I can run roads again (Gee, I ran a PR marathon last Saturday by over 10 minutes!), but when will I be able to race on trails again?  I still can't see the light at the end of that tunnel.   Squaw Peak 50 is in only 17 days.   Bighorn 100 is now 31 days away.  I'd hate to skip Squaw Peak since it would be my fifth finish.   I guess I better start looking for an ankle brace that will work for running 50 miles.

After work, ran slow miles with the dog.  The calfs were still tight, so I took it very easy.  After a couple miles, things felt better.  I looked up into the hills and the legs begged me to take them up.  So I ran up a road and ran on some roads in the foothills.  I decided to really do some testing, and ran down on a dirt road.  The uneven surface immediatly started to work the bad foot/ankle.  It was discouraging at first but then things became better.   The weakness in the ankle is pretty obvious.  Will I ever be able to run trails with great speed and strength again?

Well, the legs aren't quite ready to boost long fast miles, so I'll hit the pool again in the morning.  It is pretty interesting that a 3:24 marathon takes me as long to recover from as a 10 hour 50-miler.   I'll be back in the saddle to run smooth roads on Friday.

Mizuno Wave Elixer Miles: 4.00
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Total Distance
1.00

I swam two miles in the pool this morning.  For the first time since I took up swimming again a few weeks ago, I broke 40 minutes for a mile.  I know, not blazing fast, but an improvement being seen.  400m splits were: 9:59, 9:50, 10:09, 9:56 for 39:54.  I took it easy for the 2nd mile, 11:26, 11:31, 12:09, 12:43.

The morning was beautiful in the outdoor pool.  I could see a crescent moon with Venus close by rising above the notch of Provo Canyon far away to the east.  With each lap, the glow in the sky increased and the moon and planet rose higher in the sky.

The injured foot has increased pain this morning.   I don't know what the deal is.  This is discouraging.  The summer racing schedule is getting closer.

During the morning I walked several blocks over to another building.  I was very discouraged.  The pain in the foot is similar to what it was two weeks ago.  Yesterday there was hardly any pain.  What is going on?   I do recall waking up last night after I stretched the foot in my sleep and feeling a little painful pop.  Maybe I need to sleep with the boot on again.

After the tendon warmed up it felt quite a bit better, but still, on the way back I opted to take Trax instead of walking.   I'm having visions of pulling out of Squaw Peak 50, Big Horn 100, etc.   All those race fees could go wasted.   Maybe it is time to find another sport, like synchronized swimming.

Comments(16)
Total Distance
9.00

OK, after all the whining on this blog yesterday, by afternoon I had no pain in the foot.  Go figure.   One theory is that my dress shoes that I wear to work are bad for the tendon.  I'll go get some new ones.

This morning I forgot to set the alarm so didn't wake up until 4:45.  The foot was still pain-free, so I headed to the rec center to run the treadmill.  As I arrived, I thought to myself how stupid this was.  It was 51 degrees out and the morning was perfect.  Why not run outside?  So I turned around and drove home.  

I'm still not ready to run trails, but if I am going to run Squaw Peak in two weeks, I need to start doing more hill training.  So, what I did was run up a paved road called Grandview Blvd that goes for one mile and climbs 300 feet.   I ran up and down it three times.  I was tentative, because of the foot.  I felt more pain on the downhill but it was very mild.  My mile splits for the last two trips were: 10:52 (up), 10:22 (down), 11:15 (up), 10:25 (down).   The sore muscles from the marathon last Saturday are almost gone...just a little in the calfs and hamstring.

On the downside, the neuroma in my right foot is a problem.  It really flaired up during the marathon and still is a problem after five miles. Pavement flairs it up a lot more than trails.  A neuroma is a bunching of nerves in the ball of the foot that shoots bad pain up into your toes.  It can hurt terribly.  If it flairs up during ultras, usually after 7 miles is calms down, probably because the rest of the foot swells a little and protects it.   But right now it is about as bad as it has been.  Stupid pavement.   I wish I could get off it.

Tomorrow I'll go volunteer at the Sapper Joe 50K which is only a few miles from my home.  I was going to run this race, but instead I will volunteer.  This is the first race I will miss because of my injury.  I hope emotionally I won't be too bummed out.  I will make sure I wear jeans instead of my running gear to prevent myself from running with friends.

P.M.  Three more miles with the dog including up and down the Grandview mile (300 feet climb).  Splits 9:14 up, 7:20 down.   Felt pretty good to work the legs a little harder.

 

Mizuno Wave Elixer Miles: 9.00
Comments(5)
Race: Sapper Joe 50K (31 Miles) 06:00:00
Total Distance
23.00

I  ran in the Sapper Joe 50K held at Camp Williams, Utah in Bluffdale, about six miles from my home.  Well, actually I ran 23 miles on the course during the race. I never entered the race, but I’ll get to this.  This is a new race run entirely on a military base on dirt roads normally closed to the public.  But thanks to Lt. Colonel Milada Copeland, a talented ultrarunner, this new race became possible.

My childhood friend, Jim Kern drove down and spent the night at my home.  He would be running in his second 50K.  As we arrived at the base, we were immediately impressed with the number of “volunteers” involved, guardsmen doing parking and helping all the runners get ready.  They were all dressed in fatigues. They had their huge military vehicles warmed up and ready to go out on the course.   There are a whole series of hills and valleys within running distance of my home that I have never been able to explore.  This race would open up these roads and trails to be experienced by the public.

But, I didn’t enter the race.  My foot injury prevented it.  I hoped to help out with the race and at least go out on the course.  I told people that I wouldn’t even bring my running gear.  However, at the last minute, I threw it in the car.

Before the start, I jumped in Phil Lowry’s car.  He was going out to the first aid station to take pictures.  I was thrilled to see these new valleys, hills, and ridges that were within sight of my home and my training territory.  We watched the sun start rising over the ridges and set up a location to shoot pictures.   I decided to go down to the aid station and help the military personel get ready for the onslaught of runners.  Runners would be arriving for both the 30K and 50K.  It was fun to hear them call each other “sir” and “mam”.  Milada as ranking officer was clearly respected and in charge.

I was surprised how long it took for the first two runners to complete the 5.7 mile leg.  But I would learn how difficult that first leg was.  It included a steep descent down a ball-bearing-like hill.  As they were running along the foothills, we could see two deer running ahead of them, as if they were pacing them.  It was quite the sight.  Phil was nearby and shot some nice pictures.   Karl Jarvis and Christian Johnson were the first two to arrive.  It was great fun to see so many of my friends arrive. I kept explaining why I wasn’t running.  The foot was feeling pretty good, but I knew it was the right decision to skip this race.  The aid station got very busy and I did my best to help, especially for runners I knew.  I wanted to give them special treatment.   I was very impressed how fast Craig Lloyd (jun) arrived.  Looking at the runners who arrived before and after him, I think I would have had a tough time keeping up with him. Jim was among the final 50k runners to arrive.  It looked like he was doing well.

After everyone left, I was impressed to watch the military efficiency as the immediately torn down the aid station and cleared out the area.   I drove back to the start/finish with Phil and we watched the first 30K runner finish with an amazing time of 2:42.

I then could not resist.  I went to my car, put on my running gear and headed out to run the course backwards.  This would be great fun to greet every runner on the course.  This was the first time I had attempted any serious running on a trail in a month.  I soon ran into Craig and reversed direction to run 100 yards or so with him.  He had an impressive race for a rookie.  Not far after him was neighbor Will Nielson.  I also ran a bit with him.  It was fun to talk with him for a few minutes and hear about the course.   I continued this pattern over and over again for any runner who I knew well.

After the long climb, I arrived at aid station #4 in just over an hour.  The servicemen there were surprised to see me and thought I was crazy.   I helped out at the station until the front-running 50K runners arrived.  Karl Jarvis was in first, followed by Christian about a half mile behind.  Christian mentioned that he blundered in only running with one water bottle.  It was starting to get a little warm.  After Christian left, I continued my run, heading  toward aid station #3 about six miles away.  

When I arrived at a steep hill, I started seeing many of my running friends.  I had fun doing “hill repeats.”   I would run down the steep hill until I found a friend and then reverse direction to run with them back up the hill.  It was a tough climb.   I probably did that about five times.   I was glad to get the hill training in.  The views were amazing.  I saw views of my home valley that I had never seen before from these military base ridges.

How was the foot doing?  So-so.   I did feel some pain with every step but it wasn’t bad.  I learned that if I put more weight on the outside of the foot, the pain would decrease.   I also learned that I just couldn’t run at top speed.  When I tried, the pain would go up, so I took it generally easy.

After fooling around, socializing with everyone, I noticed my one water bottle was almost empty.   I needed to get down to business and try to reach aid station #3 before Jim came through.  If they tore down the aid station before I arrived, I would be in a bad position without fluid.   Well, I almost made it.  With less than a mile to go, I found Jim.   I had no choice but continue on.  As I ran hard down to the aid station, I could see that they had already packed everything up.  They were kind and let me fill up and grab some food.   I then asked if I could hitch a ride back to catch up with Jim.  Even if I ran very hard, I probably couldn’t catch him for over an hour.   So, a kind volunteer gave me a ride for a couple miles until we found Jim who was the last of the 50K runners.   I guess I would play the role of being the course sweep.  

Jim was having some serious ITB problems and just couldn’t push the speed.   I eventually ran ahead to the aid station and reported that there were just two runners behind me.  (I had passed another runner struggling).   I almost stepped on a snake croassing the road, but it didn't look like a rattler. I scarfed down a bunch of food, felt much better, and waited for the two to arrive.  They were both thinking of dropping even though they made the cutoff by three minutes.  I encouraged them both to continue and they did.

Well, I had had enough of the slow running, so I kicked it into gear and ran the last downhill 5.5 miles as fast as my foot would allow, descending a beautiful desert canyon back toward Camp Williams headquarters.   I passed another runner and finished that leg in only 50 minutes.   Cheers were heard as I arrived, but I sheepishly explained that I wasn’t in the race.   Milada asked, “Davy, what are you doing?”  She knew I was injured.  I explained that I ran 23 miles.  She wanted to give me a finisher medal but I refused.

For the next half hour or so, I enjoyed talking to all the guardsmen about running and the fine day.   A few of the “volunteers” wished that they didn’t have to be there, but most seemed to really get into the experience.   Jim finally arrived after a tough 9:25 finish and received his finisher award.   I was amazed to watch that within five minutes, with military organization, the finish area was taken down.   Everyone drove away before us.   It was a wonderful day and and great success for a first-time race.   I really hope that it will continue.

How is the foot?  I know, I shouldn’t have done this.  Don’t yell at me too bad.   Both feet were sore by the end of my run because I ran in road shoes and the course was rougher than expected.  The tendon is sore but I’m not limping, yet.  Tomorrow will tell me how bad and whether this will set back my recovery.  It still was a good test.  This will help me figure out how to approach running Squaw Peak 50 in two weeks.

 

Mizuno Wave Elixer Miles: 23.00
Comments(10)
Total Distance
37.00
Mizuno Wave Elixer Miles: 36.00
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