Jamie Does It Again!!!

The picture says it all!!! Congrats to Jamie Donaldson on defending her Badwater 135 championship w/ another amazing time: 27:20!!! That's the second fastest all-time next to her course record from last year. I understand it was super hot this year (120+ degrees!!), so that makes her effort even more amazing. Way to go, Jamie!!! You're the queen of the desert!!!

There's a Badwater on the Rise!

Less than a week from today, 88 insane (yet legally-competent) runners will step out into the 120-degree heat of Death Valley to run the annual 135 mile Badwater Ultramarathon. I always enjoy following this race online (in an air-conditioned room), and if you don't know what happens out there in those conditions, check out Running on the Sun and The Distance of Truth - they're fun for the whole family (provided your family is also insane).This year I have a bunch of friends running, so I'm super-excited for the webcast. First and foremost is my friend and returning ladies' champ - and course record-holder! - Jamie Donaldson (shown on the right in last year's race), and if there wasn't already enough reason to be excited about her race, this year she's making the Spirit of the race proud by running the extra 11 miles up to the peak of Mt. Whintey (the highest in the contiguous U.S.) after she crosses the finish line! The race was originally run this way as a 146 mile race from the lowest point in the U.S. (-280 ft. in Badwater, CA) to the highest on Whitney's peak at 14,496'. Permit and access issues have forced the race to end half-way up Whitney in recent years, but Jamie's ultra-running heart is proving to be pure with her extra effort and planning to attain her own personal permit and continue on to the top with her crew. I love it!!!

Also running this year are my friends Adrian Belitu (running in support of Imerman Angels!) and Anthony Portera who is looking to add another gold star to his fantastic 2009 season with his first two sub-24 hour 100s already in the bank! Good luck to everyone out there - stay cool!!

I know Jamie's and Anthony's feet will be perfectly cared for on this scorching terrain by Drymax Socks...I just hope all of the other competitors are as lucky! If you watch either of the movies I mentioned above, you realize how feet can be destroyed in no time at all out there on the 200-degree pavement. Drymax can save runners time by eliminating all the endless foot-care needed during the race, and to go one step further, by eliminating debilitating blisters, these socks can literally mean the difference between dropping or finishing the race. Why anyone would ignore the evidence of these amazing socks at this point is beyond me...maybe they just like running in complete agony, who knows?!

As for me, I'm quietly racking up the miles and increasing my speed in rehab. I'm up to 52 miles this week, and everything is feeling great. "Nice and Easy" is the theme for the next few weeks still. I'll be looking to max-out around 75 miles for the last couple of weeks before the Viaduct 100 on August 8. No need to try and do too much and risk injury before this "100 mile training run"!

Under the Knife

Just a quick note this week: This morning I had successful surgery to remove a benign tumor in my neck. It's true that this one was non-cancerous, but when I first noticed it growing at the exact same site of my cancerous tumor a couple months back, it wasn't exactly a happy feeling. It's been 5 years since my last chemo treatment, and I've certainly enjoyed life to the fullest since then. The thought of having to go back to battle again was less-than appealing, as you can imagine - Thankfully the tests I had this spring showed the tumor to be nothing more than a nerve growth that the docs could remove rather easily. Phew! This morning was the big day, and here's a G-Rated photo of the results...just another hole in my head, no big deal!
As for running, I've crept up to 40 miles this week with no shin pain. I've definitely noticed myself turning the corner in terms of tightness in the shin (less and less each few days). Seeing that I pretty much tore a tendon off my tibia, I'm not complaining about a little tightness, and I'm happy to take it slow while getting back to full steam (only adding 10 miles per week through August).

One last note: Congrats to everyone who finished Western States this past weekend. All the talk heading into the race was about the top elites running this year, but as the Drop list grew and grew during the race (to nearly 50%!!), it was obvious to me that even the runner who finished DFL deserved as much cheering as the Top 10. Well done, everyone!!! Way to make me proud of my fellow fighters!!

...and for those of you who recall me talking about Leigh Schmitt running the Bull Run 50 back in April, I mentioned I saw him running uphill with his hands on his hips. Thanks to a well-positioned photographer on the WS100 course just before the Michigan Bluff Aid Station, I now have this picture to prove what I saw!
The question is, does this really help? I definitely need to try it out on my next long climb. Even though he loses his arm-swing momentum, I'm guessing this helps keep his back straight and hips in optimum alignment. Since I'm the king of slouching while going uphill, I think this could help me out quite a bit.....if only I could borrow his speed and talent just as easily!