Spokes

“I’m not having any fun out here” I cried tearfully with my head hung low and covered up with a towel. As Julie and my crew stood over me, I was emotionally spent from racing toward the front of the Leadville pack for the past 10 hours. “I’ve been alone on the trail all day. I haven’t looked around at the scenery. I’m working my ass off out here and it all hurts. I’m miserable,” I whimpered through my tears. “We get it Tim. You’re doing amazing. This is the first time you have raced a 100-miler at this pace. It’s a different game, but the good news is that now you have pacers to cheer you up and get you back home,” Julie consoled me with a hand on my shoulder. This was Winfield. The dusty ghost town nestled in a valley surrounded by mountain peaks that also marked the ½ way point of the iconic Leadville 100 Trail Run. I had ran up and over the 12,600 foot summit of Hope Pass and I would have to do it all over again if I wanted to see the finish line. ---------------------- ...

Checking in. The day before the big event in Carson City. Best race bibs ever! Laying in bed the night before the race I could feel my left hamstring pulsating with a throbbing pain. Like a dull toothache, the hamstring injury I sustained in May would not let go. It made no difference to stress about it however, as I was resolved to toe the line and see how the race unfolded. My running mentor and friend Jason Romero told me to just focus on each aid station and have the goal of completing the race while adjusting to pain one step at a time. 102 Miles and 20K feet of climbing in less than 35 hours. That was the goal. Elevation Profile of Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Earlier that evening, I had run through the race plan with Julie and Laura, covering each segment of the race and things I would need along the way. While 100 miles of planning can be daunting, I knew once I passed along the plan to Julie, all I would have to do is focus on running. I had a light dinner consisting of a...