My UltraLife

While waiting for the Long Beach Marathon to get started, a woman asked me for help setting up some local stations on her FM radio.  We got to talking.  She was there to promote the Tucson, Arizona Marathon.  She seemed a bit familiar.  I asked her name.  She said, “Pam,” and before she could finish I said, “Reed?”.  Yes, she was Pam Reed.  The Pam Reed who is an UltraMarathon legend.

I guess you would have to have followed the small world of Ultra Marathons to know about Pam Reed, but those of us who have an interest, you can’t go far without reading or hearing of Pam.

Pam Reed is truly a legend in the sport of Ultrarunning.

Pam Reed is an ultrarunner who resides in Tucson, Arizona. She is the race director for the Tucson Marathon.

In 2005, she became the first person to complete a 300-mile run without sleep, breaking Dean Karnazes’s then-record of 262 miles. She completed the run in slightly less than eighty hours.

In 2003, she set the women’s record for the USATF 24-hour track run, which she still holds.

She is the only woman to have won the Badwater Ultramarathon (in both 2002 and 2003). In 2002, her win set the women’s course record, which was broken in 2008 by Jamie Donaldson.

She is also a co-author of the book The Extra Mile: One Woman’s Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness.

I first heard of Pam Reed and Dean Karnaze during a 60 Minutes broadcast in March of 2005.  That news story inspired me to run and it’s what lead me to creating MyUltraLife and the desire to run a Double Marathon.

Meeting Pam Reed at the Long Beach Marathon was a real treat for me.  Imagine randomly meeting one of your sports idols in a crowd of over 18,000 people!

I consider it part of my reward, icing on the cake if you will, as completion of my “Year of Running.”

The Long Beach Marathon (Sunday Oct. 12, 2008) marked the grand finale to my Year of Running.  Last year’s Long Beach Marathon was the beginning of a year that included 6 official Marathon events, the MyUltraLife Double Marathon and miles and miles of training.

I checked my workout summary and the totals from my Garmin GPS watch.  During this year of running I ran a grand total of 1,673 miles!

That’s a lot of miles, but I can tell you…..it felt like a lot more than that!    Going through the weekly totals, I can see that I had lots of slow weeks.  It wasn’t until after the San Diego Marathon that I really started to increase my weekly mileage.

The Long Beach Marathon was a nice finish to a year of running.  Of course the MyUltraLife Double Marathon was the big achievement, but it was great to complete another marathon almost a month to the day after the double.

I just wish that I had run a bit more during the month between the double and the Long Beach Marathon!  I guess at my age, one’s physical fitness level can really fall off in a short amount of time.  I sure felt the penalty of a month of light workouts.  There is no way I could have completed 52 miles this week.

I was joined by most of the UltraLife Relay team.  They all had a great run with Poon setting a personal best time of 4:28.  Yeah team!

Everyone is asking what’s next?   The answer is “I have no idea,” but I know I want to keep it up.  I have seen how quickly I can move from peak shape back to flabbiness.  I’ll find an event that sounds like fun or a good challenge and sign up.  Spending money for an event is always a great motivator for me to prepare and participate in an event.

 

 

Since I posted the images of the run and the party many people have asked how to download these images for themselves.

In this Post I have included a slide show of the Run and Party photos as well as direct links to the Google Picasa Web Albums so you can view and download images.

 

“Run with Mike” Double Marathon Slide Show

Thanks for all of your great comments and feedback.

Here is the Link to the  "Run with Mike" Double Marathon Photos

 

Mike’s 50th Birthday Beach Party and Sumo Wrestling Tournament!

 

Here is the Link to the Mike’s 50th Birthday Beach Party

 

I’m glad I did this.  One wild hair of an idea lead to lots of work and fun, but I’m glad it’s over.   Almost 2 weeks later I am trying to get back at it and drag my butt out on the road to get running again.    Most people are asking what’s next?  

If I get enough praise (I live for it) I may just plan the 2nd annual “Run with Mike” Double Marathon in Sept. 2009!   Or maybe something more daring and extreme…..like going out and getting a job!

First we ran, then we PARTY’ d!

Sunday Sept. 14th we held a Beach Party to celebrate the completion of the Double Marathon, but also to celebrate my 50th Birthday.

I believe everyone loved the location, the weather was great, plenty of food and drink and we had Sumo Wrestling suits!

Thanks to all who came and participated through the weekend. 

This was truly the best Birthday I have ever had.

 

Thanks to all!

 

The Runners!

 

My friends and former co-workers at Lanier

Volley Ball

My Comedian Daughter !                                    The Water Slide !

  

I said a few words of Thanks          

My Brother said some nice things about me…I didn’t even have to bribe him.

It was a great time for Friends and Family

 

 

 

The Relay Team

 

 

And we had Sumo Wrestling!

 

 

FATALITY !

A Huge Thank YOU to everyone who helped me celebrate my first 50 years and everyone who helped to make the "MyUltraLife Double Marathon" a huge success.

 

I promise to keep Living an "UltraLife" and I wish you all an "UltraLife" too!

We started early in the morning, just after sunrise.  A small, hearty crew, ready to run. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had 6 individuals runners and a relay team (5 runners)with a goal to run the entire course of 52.4 miles.

Everyone started strong and in high spirits, blind to the challenges we would face on our journey.

A few last minute instructions and we were off.

The course was laid out with check points every 5 miles miles.  You could call them support stops or check points, but rest we did.  We talked, we drank, we laughed, stretched, sat down for a while, then onward we went.  The goal was just to finish. With  5 miles to run to reach the next check point it  was a key mental plus to help us achieve our goal.   We rested, refreshed….even sat down….

then run….we did.

The support crews were great.  Most of them had never done this before….probably a good thing, because they helped us so cheerfully that Charlie who has participated in more than 150 Marathon events told us that this was the most friendly group of support people he had ever seen.  Yeah Support Team!….thanks for your help.  We could not have done it without you!

But we had miles to go……the day was long.

 

One runner went past the turn around point….and since she lives in Newport simply ran home;

and another decided to stop because the pain of a pre-race injury wouldn’t let him continue.

The relay team hurried along from runner to runner while the other individual runners trudged along.                  

Finally we made it to the finish line.  We started at sunrise, we ended at sundown.

I can’t believe we actually did it!  After a year of training, hoping and planning; it finally happened.  A goal achieved.   The idea that everyone told me was "crazy" or "stupid" was complete.  The reality of the accomplishment  left me giddy with excitement.  An idea that initially was just a whimsy of a thought turned into a real "Athletic EVENT" that many shared.  WE DID IT….we all DID IT!

 

 

Thanks to all.  Thank you for your participation.  Thank you to the volunteers for their cheerful support.  Thank you to friends and family who traveled from afar.  Thanks to the relay team.  Thanks for all the great photos!  Thanks to everyone for helping me make this dream into a reality.

It was a fantastic day!

"MyUltraLife"……Run, Stay Strong, Live Long

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today the T-Shirts arrived and thanks to the kind actions of Relay Team Leader Thep, we have Medals too!

We’ve been busy making last minute preparations.  

Just in case you forget your sunscreen each checkpoint will have a can of spray on sunscreen.   With a predicted UV rating for race day of 9, sunscreen will be essential.

And just in case 52 miles of running and rubbing start to get you a bit chaffed, check points will have Vaseline.  I recommend using ample coatings of Body Glide when you get dressed for the race, but you never know where you’ll get a tender spot.

I’ll be checking the weather report later this week but so far we are looking towards bit of a cooling trend.   Coastal cities have been cool and overcast in the mornings with beach temps in the low to mid ’70’s.  Let’s hope for a thick marine layer that burns off late in the morning and then a nice afternoon ocean breeze to push us up Coyote Creek on the way back to Regional Park.

  

The MyUltraLife UltraMarathon (52.4 miles) will be the culmination of over a year of Training for Mike McCoy and will be a celebration for his 50th Birthday.

The Great News is that you can join in and "Run with Mike" or maybe run past Mike! 

 

When:  September 13, 2008  

Runners and Volunteers need to be at the park by 6:30 AM

We will have a waiver to sign and a short course overview meeting.

Start Time:  7:00 AM

Where: Cerritos Regional Park  - 195th and Bloomfield, Cerritos, Ca.

19700 Bloomfield AVe.

Cerritos, CA. 90703

Go East on 195th Street and enter the East Parking lot.

The start will be just North of the Tennis Courts on the East side of the park.

Check Points - The check points described below are dual purpose.  They are locations where relay runners can be changed.  They are also the points where support will be provided.  Check Points will have your desired beverage or carbo gel/blok and or food.  

Please notice check points are only every 5 miles, so you need to be able to carry adequate hydration and nutrition with you to last 5 miles.  

Course Description (Updated Sept. 6):

We will have only 5 check point locations.  4 check points you will run past twice and the 5th is the turn around point.   The consolidation of check points makes logistics easier.   This will result in 2 legs with a distance of approx. 7 miles instead of 5. 

The check points are:

Mile 5:       Oak Middle School (along river bed)

Mile 10:     Seal Beach Pier

Mile 15:    Bolsa Chica Beach, just north of the Life Guard Headquarters at the concession stand (spectators or support people will need to enter Bolas Chica parking lot)

Mile 20:     Huntington Beach at the intersection of Huntington and PCH (street parking should be available).

Mile 27:    This is the turn around point.   Turn around will be a quarter mile past Balboa pier at the D Street intersection with the bike trail.

Mile 34:    Huntington Beach (same as mile 20)

Mile 39:    Bolsa Chica Beach (same as mile 15)

Mile 44:    Seal Beach Pier (same as mile 10)

Mile 49:    Oak Middle School (same as mile 5)

Then wee, wee, wee….all the way home!

Course Description (Updated Sept. 6):  The course will start with a lap around the Regional Park and then proceed down the Coyote Creek flood canal approx. 9 miles to the end of the trail.   The 5 Mile Check Point point is just North of Katella Ave. at the Oak Middle School entrance to the bike path.

Run through Seal Beach - at the end of Coyote Creek, turn Left on to Marina, Right on First and Left on Ocean.  The 10 Mile Check Point is at the Seal Beach Pier.  Follow Ocean all the way to Pacific Coast Highway(PCH).   Runners will proceed South on PCH running towards Sunset beach.  This portion is approx. 1.5 miles and the only portion of the run which is actually on PCH.  There is a trail most of the way which is off the highway, but the shoulder is quite wide also so it is safe for runners and bikers as well.

Sunset Beach - Turn off PCH at the Water Tower (Anderson St.) then turn Left on to Pacific.  You’ll run along Pacific until you enter the bike/running trail at Bolsa Chica.  The 15 Mile Check Point is at the concession stand (restrooms and seating area) just North of the Life Guard Headquarters (Large Tower) at the East end of Bolsa Chica. 

Huntington Beach - You continue to run along the asphalt strand through Dog Beach, under Huntington Beach Pier and on towards the Santa Ana River where you will find the Fourth 5 mile check point.  The 20 Mile Check Point is at the intersection of Huntington and PCH across from the Huntington Beach Hyatt.

Newport Beach - At the Santa Ana River the trail takes you up to the wide sidewalk along PCH.  Continue for less than 1/2 mile, turn Right on Orange and a quick Left onto SeaShore and you are running on a nice quiet street behind houses, with bikes and other runners.  Proceed on Seashore till 36th street where you take a quick right and you’ll be on a bike/running trail (cement) that runs in front of New Port Beach homes right along the sand and shore. 

Balboa Pier Turn around and Check Point - Continue on this trail past the New Port Pier for about 1.5 miles to the turn a round point about a quarter of a mile past the Balboa Pier.

 

 

 

 

Check Points vary a bit on the way back:

We will run 7 miles back to Huntington beach and use the same check point as we did for mile 20 and continue to use the same check point locations on the run back which are:

- Huntington Beach (Huntington & PCH)

- Bolsa Chica (north of Life Guard HQ)

- Seal Beach Pier

- Oak Middle School

FINISH - When you return to Cerritos Regional Park, go down the ramp from the street into the park, take a RIGHT turn and run directly back to the starting point (no loop around the park) to the Finish Line.  

Participation:  Runners can join as Individuals or as a Relay Team.  Relay teams will consist of a 5 person team.  Each runner will run 2 segments of approximately 5 miles or a total of 10 miles.  If relay teams prefer to run 10 mile legs, that is fine as well.  Relay teams must provide their own mini van and driver to carry the relay team along the course.  Relay teams must provide their own support for the team (water, gatorade, medical, etc.) and must provide support to ANY Individual runner requiring assistance or support.

Course Map(Subject to Change):  This map shows run from Cerritos Regional Park to the Turn around point.  Total mileage is 52.4 miles.    Course mileage and turn around point will be re-checked using GPS to ensure accuracy.

Course Map on MapMyRun.com

With one week to go before race day I have spent a good portion of this week making all the final preparations.

1.) Buy Gu, hammer Gel and Cliff Bloks to help keep all the runners energized

2.) Pick up the Banner. 

3.) Check on the T-Shirts 

Hey if we have a banner and           T-Shirts, it’s like a real event!

4.) Rent a van to help transport spectators and family.

5.) Outline the course and paint directional arrows along the course so no one runs the wrong way!

Watch the road for the Ultralife logo and orange arrows pointing the way.  In many places you’ll only see the small orange arrow.   I didn’t want to over pollute the streets with spray paint.

Saturday, Sept. 6th myself and some of the people from the relay team will ride the course again so the relay team gets an idea of the course and to double check locations for the check points.

I’ve also lined up volunteers to help distribute water, Gatorade, gu and gels at each check point.  We will have at least 1 bike rider to help keep track of the runners and give guidance to the volunteers at check points, advise that we need a sag wagon (pick up a runner who dropped out), video tape the run and provide general support.

So the course is ready, T-shirts and banner are ready…I just hope the runners are ready!  It’s turning into a real event!

I agreed to go on one of those bus tours.  You know the ones where you get on a bus with 50 Chinese people and you tour around country in a bus that stops every 2 hours to let you out to pee or see some tourist site.

This bus tour went from Los Angeles all the way to the State of Wyoming to tour Yellow Stone National Park.

It took 3 days to get to the park.  The tour leaves the hotel at 7 AM and drops you at the next hotel at 8 PM (after dinner); a 13 hour day, 10 of which are spent on the bus.  Along the way we visited Zion Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Salt Lake City, Jackson Hole, Wy., The Grand Teton’s and finally, Yellow Stone National Park.

I got lots of reading done.  I read 4 books.

I was quite anxious.  Was this the best tactic 2 weeks before a 52 mile run?  Would my muscles atrophy?  Rest is good.  I hadn’t had much recovery time through the summer.  But was this a good idea?  I felt so cramped and dormant on the bus .  not to mention, we ate full Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner!

I’d been doing well lately on dropping a few pounds.  Sitting all day and eating 3 full meals was definitely back sliding.  I did skip a couple of dinners or only ate a small salad to try and compensate.

I also got in 3 days of running (4-6 miles each) out of the 7 day tour.  The most interesting run was at Yellowstone.  The elevation is 8,100 ft. above sea level.  Oxygen is a bit thin and you can really feel the impact.   I did 4.5 miles but slowly through a campground.  It was kind of cool to be running at that elevation.

All in all, the trip was enjoyable and relaxing.  We made a few new friends and got to see some interesting sights, and lots of wildlife.

I’ve been back a few days and have swam each day and run three times!  I’m feeling back to normal and what I can’t believe is that I lost 3 pounds!  Incredible!   The scales at the local gym registered 196 lbs.  That is the lowest weight in nearly 15 years!

I guess I should take more bus tours! 

I am falling behind in my posting.   The less work I actually have the less I seem to accomplish!

On Saturday August 23rd, the same day the Running Photos were taken I did a 9 mile hill run. 

You may recall several months back I posted the San Elijo Hill run video.  I walked most of that hill while I filmed the video!  I’ve run the hill a few times over the past few months, but I must admit I always walked part of it…..until this time.

On August 23, 2008 I ran all the way to the top of San Elijo Hill non-stop.  I surprised myself.  Half way up I was going strong and realized that I had not stopped to walk, so I decided then and there that no matter what I would not stop till I reached the top!  And I did it!

At the top of the hill they have this very nice placard and sign showing the start of a 10K loop, but after this point there are no other markings! 

How do you know where to loop?   

I just ran all the way along the ridge till I hit the radio tower, turned around and ran all the way back for a total of about 9 miles (more than 10k)?   

I was happy to have run all the way up the hill for the first time….non-stop, however the next day’s planned 20 mile run turned into a very slow 10 mile run.  Maybe I over did it?