40 MILES TO 85 MILES ON 85TH BIRTHDAY

Shirley wrote that Mike and Deslie stopped by and Mike is going to run a little with Chuck and Dick.

at 10:38 pm. Tuesday. Philip is making Chuck a Latte to take out on the course..and he is taking the dogs to his back yard to go to the bathroom. Mike  went about 2 1/2 miles with Chuck and Dick. Philip started the RV  to charge the batteries. And he is going to bed for a couple of hours, while Kim is running the 12:00 am loop with Chuck. I just looked at my watch and it is 11:43 pm. Chuck came in for food and dry clothes at 12:20 am Wednesday morning. It is cold and windy with showers . 

Chuck ate Chicken soup, Egg pancake sandwiches, coffee and mustard. The mustard was for cramps? I put a compression sock on my left leg. Kim is going to run the 50 to 60 mile loop with me.Chuck was out on the course at 1:00 am. He left with Kim. They were going to run on Wilcox and Serpintine for 2 loops and then go to Woodcock and do 2 loops there and go to Jamestown and to the aid stop.
Twyla ran from the aid station and caught up with them  at about a half mile on Wilcox. She was excited to join us and run with me. She had done 10 miles on my 80 mile run on my 80th birthday. She was talking loud and Kim had to remind her that people were asleep. It was 1:00 am.
Chuck, Kim and Twyla completed the 5th loop and arrived at the aid station at 3:47 am. They missed one loop on the route. 1.6 miles, so the total distance ran was 58.5 miles.
Chuck's left leg was giving him some pain so I put Salanpas, a deep pain relieving gel on his leg and he took 2 Aleve.
He ate hot oatmeal, hot cocoa Mustard and put on dry clothes. Dick came into the RV and suggested that Chuck do one 5 mile loop instead of running the hill on Sequim/Dungeness Rd. and Farm Taylor Rd.

It looks like Joy and Maggie are wondering what is Chuck doing or more like can I have some food?

I just learned that Melissa was coming and going to be with Chuck for the rest of the run. Chuck was out the door at 4:30 am. The weather was still cold and windy with showers off and on during the night. 

His companions were now Phil, Twyla. They ran the 5 mile loop on Wilcox and Serpentine. This was the first time for the 5 mile loop. they ran the 5 miles in 2 hours. They left at 4:30 am and arrived back for aid at 6:30 am. His back was really hurting him. Chuck had completed 64 miles now. His physical endurance was OK but the problem now was the pain in his left leg and back.

 

                                      

Melissa massaged his back and applied more pain relieving gel on the sore area. She joined Twyla and Rosaura on the next  loop. This will be mile  65.7 when finished.

I do not have a picture of this loop. The picture below is of Kim, Twyla and Chuck.

doing the 9th loop 69.7 miles. The loops are now down to 1.8 to 2.2 miles per loop.

This is a picture of Chuck and Shirley in the RV at about 6:00pm Wednesday evening. I would come in from my 2 mile loops and just say to Shirley, "I don't know". And set down on the seat and begin to collect myself as best as I could for another loop. I really cannot give an accurate account of the last 4 hours of the run. I can remember Ruth driving by and stopped and walked to me and said she was praying for me. Jack and Jan drove by once also and Jack got out of his car and came and put his arm around me and said, "you can make it" we are praying for you. Our neighbor stopped and gave me 20 dollars for the Sequim Food Bank.  Also to Steve, Mike and Gary for running with me. And ANDRA, the director of the Sequim Food Bank.  The Spartan lady who gave me her two bracelets too encourage. To the youth and Pastor Lewis who came out in the afternoon of the second day. And one youth member said they thought I was going to die! 

Oh, and also I remember when Kim, Melissa and Twyla were walking with me that Kim gave me a drink of "Smart Water". I took a drink and immediately became smarter and started to say a lot of equations for math. Smart water works! 

This picture was taken during one of Chuck's aid stops. His back and leg were painful at this part of the adventure. He would come in and fall down on the bench and stare and say, "I don't know" And then after a few minutes he would begin to change his clothes and eat to get ready for the next leg.

This is a picture of Kim and Chuck and Gary which was taken earlier in the day. Kim if you know on what  loop this is let us know.

                                            

 This is Dick taking a turn hold me up straight. I could walk better and faster  when I was held up.

 Chuck's back and left side was hurting so much that he could not stand up straight. Larry Twyla' husband took his left arm and just supported him and he could walk again at a good pace. 20 to 25 minutes per mile. WOW, what a great discovery Larry! When Chuck came to the aid station with 5 miles to go Dick told him that we were going to do the last five miles in one setting and be done with the run or else I would have to quit. I was now walking at a 37 minute per mile pace!!!!!!!! 

This is Chuck's account now. I was now at mile 80 miles. I told Dick that I was not quitting!. OK, he replied,  No more stopping every 2 miles. Let's go. That is just what I need. So I got up off of the bed in the RV and stepped outside and said OK. Several more friends had joined the support group during the evening. Karlena and her little girl, Larry, Twyla, Kim, Dick, Philip, Rosaura and Melissa. Dick and Larry took turns supporting me so I could stand up straight. They did not have to pull me along but once I could stand up we made the last 5 miles, 80 to 85 in 1 hour and 35 minutes, for a total of 85. 4 miles.

HOORAY, WE MADE IT!!!!!

THIS IS CELEBRATION TIME. 

LARRY, DICK, KIM, SHIRLEY, CHUCK ROSAURA, TWYLA, MELISSA. PHILIP WAS TAKING THE PICTURE

                                          KIM AND PHILIP WITH SHIRLEY AND CHUCK

                                                      AND FAITHFUL DICK.

 THANK YOU ALL FOR YOU HELP IN ENCOURAGING ME TO RUN AND TO RUN WITH ME TO ACCOMPLISH MY 85 MILE RUN ON MY 85TH BIRTHDAY.
GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU.

Hang in there everyone who is following this blog. I will finish my 85 mile adventure on the next writing. God's word reads be patient!
Chuck

CONTINUEING THE STORY OF 85 MILES ON MY 85TH BIRTHDAY ADVENTURE

I should have written this earlier, (Yes Kim) because I am having trouble remembering what took place during the run in November, especially for the last ten hours.

                                   This is shirley peeking out of the door during on of my aid stops.

OUR COLLABORATION:

Some of this might be redundant but it will help to fill in some of the gaps in my account of the story.
I am including the notes that Shirley wrote during the ADVENTURE.

 Chuck left at 9:00 am with Dick on his first 10 mile leg. the weather prediction for the day was, wind and rain at 90%  with a storm coming in the late evening. Kim is taking pictures of the start of the run. 

While I was on the first leg of the run, Dick came back to the aid station at 10 :58 and said that chuck had about an hour to go. His friend Steve came and said he would run with Chuck for about an hour and then he would have to go to work at noon.

My food on my first stop was, Egg sand., refilled water , changed clothes, crackers and peanut butter  and broth. 11 MINUTES ON THIS STOP

Kim was ready to go and came to the motorhome and she left with Chuck at about 11:51 am.

Many people are driving by and looking but not stopping. The are wondering what is going on.

The Director of the Sequim Food Bank,  Andra and a volunteer came to cheer on.

The two women are at the right of the picture. The one on the left is director. This is the start of my 3rd leg of the run. Philip is now going out with me. It is 2:51 pm. The wind is starting to blow stronger and it is raining sporadically. Not enough moisture to get us wet. Gary Huff continued to go with us on the 3rd leg. 30 to 40 miles, third loop.

  Shirley wrote, Kim fixed Chuck's watch on her charger and I sent a full camelback with water and fixed him some cheese pieces, dates, fig bars, He ate 2 ravioli, a cup cake and hot chocolate while at the stop. Chuck forgot his dates, fig bars. Dick is riding his bike to deliver them to Chuck and Philip. the wind is blowing harder now.

                           

 Home, cold,  ready for coffee and an egg sandwich. Chuck was still running 7 minutes and walking 3 minutes on this last leg. Kevin, our friend came and was going to go with Dick and I on this leg. 40 to 50 miles, leg 4. Chuck was in at 5:38 at the aid station. Dick fixed water bottles for hand carrying and extra bottles on the bike. The aid break was a little longer as Chuck took his time eating and changing his top layer of clothes. Kim loaned him her wind breaker. The wind would be gusting up to 35 mph during the night. Chuck was ready to go at 9:27 pm. In for aid about 27 minutes. Boy those break times add up for total time! His meal was a bowl of chicken and rice soup, egg pancake sandwich, coffee. The temperature is 42. Wind starting to blow stronger. I used a hand held charger to keep my garmin watch charged to keep a record of the distance. But after this loop on the run I gave up on carrying and charging the watch.

Dick is talking to Kim about his next leg which would be mile 40 when completed. Mike Church would run with us for several miles. At about mile 4 on this loop Philip stopped in his car and asked if I needed anything? I thought and said bring me a latte. That really lifted me up for a while. It was wonderful, wonderful!!!!!!

Shirley wrote that Philip was taking a latte to Chuck. Philip came back and started up the RV and he is going to bed for a couple of hours. Kim will run the next shift at about 12:00 midnight. Philip will run again with Chuck at about 3:00 am. It is windy and rainy. Then Dick and Rosaura will run the 6:00 am loop, Wednesday for 10 miles
Chuck came in at 12:20 for aid. He was in the RV for 40 minutes. Food was Chicken Soup, Egg Pancake Sandwich, Mustard for cramps and several cups of hot coffee. His back was starting to hurt.
I put Salonpas on his back and left leg. He left with Kim at 1:00 am. They had been out for about 1/2 mile when they were joined by Twyla. She is a fellow runner who had run with Chuck for about 10 miles on his 80 mile Birthday Run. Twyla can get very loud talking when she is excited. And she was excited to start her long, long adventure to the end with me. Kim told her to use her quite voice because it was 1:00 am and she was waking up the people in their houses as we passed by. I thought it was great. My back was starting to really hurt at about mile 6 on this loop.  Philip brought me a pair of walking sticks thinking this might help. It did a little. The pain just kept on getting stronger and stronger.

Philip just came in and told me that he could see Kim's and Twyla's lights so they would be here in a couple of minutes.

I arrived at the RV at 4:08 am.  We found out two things on this run. ONE, we missed one loop for 1.6 miles, bummer, and TWO, Melissa would be coming over on the Ferry at 5:30 am. Hooray. that makes up for the lost loop. She is also a live wire, Meaning she is loud and full of life. He came to the RV at 3:40 am. Chuck's left leg and ankle are swollen. I put on more Salonpas and took 2 Aleves.

We are now at mile 58.4 

Continued

I ran 6.31 miles today. I started at the Jamestown, Skallam buildings on highway 101. 3 miles of the run was uphill. I started at the parking lot by the restrooms and ran on the North Olympic discovery trail to the road that goes to John Wayne Marina. It seemed like it was up hill on the way back too. I am training to run the Tulip Run 5 mile race in Mt. Vernon. The race is on Saturday, April 7. Hopefully very little rain.

MY SECOND LEG OF MY 85 MILE RUN. NOVEMBER 14-15, 2018

This is my continuing essay on my 85 mile run. I should have finished my running story months ago. Oh well, I can blame it on old age!!!!  This was my aid stop on my adventure. I was just a step or two from the side of the road. And it was easy to get my aid. Shirley was a great in getting my egg sandwiches, hot drinks and other foods that I would need to keep me from bonking out. I had figured that I would need about 10,000 calories for the 85 mile run. So far I was doing great with the calories I was eating.

I finished my first ten mile leg with Steve and Dick at 11:30 am. I went inside of the RV where Shirley had soup and spinach ravioli ready for me and hot chocolate. I was in the aid station about 10 minutes. I put on a dry long sleeved shirt. refilled my camel back with Nuun and was out the door ready to run with Kimberly my next support person.

Kim and I with Dick in the background.

Kim is setting her watch to time our 10 mile leg. We  are running in a clock wise direction on this leg. The weather was still mild with the temperature at about 45 to 50 degrees. 

This is what the day looked like when we went out on our run. A cloudy, breezy typical November day in Sequim. But thank God, no rain yet.

We walked and ran together on this leg with no incidents. The Sequim Food Bank had some of its staff cheering Kim and I when we passed them at six miles on this leg on this leg. We finished this leg in about 3 hours and 30 minutes. It was still light when we finished and I went into the
RV for my food and drink.I was not having any difficulties so far. No mind playing games or physical pains.
Before Kim and I finished our run together a runner came out and introduced himself. His last name was Cooper. I forget his first name. He said that he had run in the Irrigation Festival 5K with me in May. He must have run about 8 miles with us. It was good to have his company.

      

It was getting dark when we finished this leg. I was ready to replenish my energy. I was in the aid station about 10 minutes.
And now it was Philip's turn to run and walk with me on the 30 to 40 mile leg.

..The wind was starting to blow by now and it was getting colder. We had gone about 2 miles into this leg when I asked Philip if he would carry the camel back. I should not have carried it on my previous legs on the run. I was about at mile 23 when I began to struggle to keep on my running goal. My mind began its whispering that I could not keep on going and that I should stop. My mind began to urge me to stop. I began to feel terrible. I had gone only 33 miles and I was ready to quit. I  struggled with these thought that kept on nagging me as I struggled to keep a walking pace. I drank water and had a few snacks and kept on going. I wadded through all of the negative thoughts that my mind was throwing at me, struggling with every step. But I kept up my walking and at the end of the run I WAS THROUGH THE MUCK AND MIRE OF NEGATIVE THINKING. I was back at the aid station feeling 100 percent better. I was ready and eager to continue on with my adventure..

Next leg 40 to 50 miles. It was starting to rain and the wind was gusting to about 35 miles per hour.

I was Dick's turn to start the next leg with me. It was about 8:pm now. Raining and windy. I borrowed a light rain jacket from Kimberly and began this leg. We had gone about 4 miles when a friend, Mike Church came and ran with me for the next 6 miles. I was just finishing the 5 miles of this leg when Philip drove by in his car and asked if I needed anything. What a life safer. I said yes, bring me a latte. Boy did that ever taste good. We made it to the end of this leg and rest and food in the RV. Oh, I forgot to mention that Steve came back after his work and ran with me for a couple more hours.

CONTINUED 

A cold winter week has past.

Nothing of very much interest has gone on this past week. I have gone to Anytime Fitness 3 times in the past week.
Oh, and I made a computer table. It was made according to my plan. Boy am I glad I did not have to pay for the labor for this project. I would be making monthly payments on the labor for several months!!!!!
                                                                           

This is the finished product. I made numerous mistakes so I will use this one as a model. It turned out fairly good.

It stands just high enough so that I can type while I am sitting on the sofa. I have a couple more designs in mind and will start on them when it gets warmer.

These are pictures were taken when it stopped snowing last Wednesday at 5:30 P.M.

 The snow was beautiful while I was inside my warm home with Shirley and the 2 dogs.
But it was cold outside.

So  I went outside only when I had too. The lowest temperature last week at our house was 21 degrees F.

I will start running to Anytime Fitness on Monday February 26 and do my exercise and then run back home. The total will be 7.3 miles. 3 times  a week depending on the weather. I am getting to be a fair weather runner?
The Track and Field season will soon be here.
If anyone would like to see the Swans, drive to the Smuck Rd. and watch on either side of the road.
Until next time
FINIS

February 11 to February 18

I went to Anytime Fitness on Monday. I had been going to A/F 3 times a week since January 3. Dick showed me the all of the exercise machines that I needed to do to strengthen my upper body for pole vault and sprinting.
I was doing about 13 different stations with varying weights. On Monday I tweaked my pectoral muscles. So I have been recuperating for the past week. I had received and invitation from my friend Dave Lee who is the track coach for Multnomah Bible School if I could come and help at a track meet in Centralia, WA. I said yes and when I arrived at the track I found out that it was an outdoor meet. Oh, no, no rain gear. So I found the nearest Wal-Mart and bought a plastic poncho for $5.00.
It lasted for about 3 hours, just long enough to keep me half dry for the day. It rained and rained and blew and blew all the time during the track meet. I helped at the pole vaulting and the high jumping events.
It was a cold and wet day for the officials and the participants. The wind gusts were 25 to 30 miles and hour. All you runners out there can appreciate running on the windy side of the track and running into the wind but great down the home stretch.
The meet was an open meet which means that anyone can pay the fee and participant in their event. But who in their right mind would want to do that?
Hooray for once I am in my right mind because I was an official and could not participate.
For once I am safe.    

February 18, 2108

I will write in my blog every Sunday evening. So those who want to read about my great, wonderful, magnificent, daring, challenging
journeys. Yes, Rita and Kim I will write in my blog every week!
         
Continued information concerning the 85 mile run on Nov. 14-15, 2017.  I finished in 35 hours and 35 minutes.

                                                 

At 8:30 am I was ready to go. I stopped at Philip's to say that I was raring to go! I went out to the RV and began to gather up the necessary things I would need for the journey.
I had driven the RV across the road from the driveway. This was so that I could just step off of the road and step into the RV for my aid that I would need for the 85 mile run.

You can see how close to the road I parked the RV. That handsome man is my son Philip who was going to run my 3rd leg. 20 to 30 miles with me. No wasted energy to get the aid I needed.

Shirley was my aid person plus anyone else who would help her. Bless her heart, she got just about 1.5 hours of sleep during the 35.5 hours of my journey. She prepared hot drinks and soup plus fried egg sandwiches.

During my time on the course I ate fig bars and dates. Plus drinking NUUN which is a drink potion that restores the electrolytes that are depleted during the run.

This is some of the food that I collected for the aid I would need for the run. I also had perishable foods in the fridge.

As I said that I was eager to start. I had my camelback filled with water and the snacks that I would eat on the first 10 miles of the 85 mile goal. My helpers were more interested in taking pictures than getting me started.

I was getting my gloves on and was starting. My daughter Kim was still taking pictures when it was 9:00 am and I was READY. 

So I just started out by myself. But Dick soon caught up with me and the 85 miles effort was started.

We had gone about 5 miles when my friend Steve came out on the course and said he would run with me for a while. Dick said that he was going back to the start and ride a bike out and meet us as we finished the first 10 miles.

We did not get a picture of Steve so I took one out of the Sequim Gazette, Mike the editor of the paper came out at about 11:00 am and took this picture for the paper. This part of the run went by in  3 hours and 40 minutes. A good pace to keep up for a 30 hour adventure.

Kim, my daughter was to run with me on the second  leg to 20 miles. Dick rode on to the stop and told Kim to get ready because we were coming in to get aid.

This is the course for the 85 miles that I ran. The total miles from start to finish is 10 miles. Each smaller loop was done twice.

I started the second 10 mile circle in the  clock wise rotation. The weather was still holding about the same temperature for this portion of the run. 

I stopped at the aid station just long enough to eat an egg sandwich and fill my camel back with water. Kim, my daughter then joined me to run the next 10 to 20 miles with me. 

                                                                                        
                                                                                

sorry that I am sending new posts but I am having trouble saving my posts. I lost about 10 hours of typing on my last post.

1. 61 mile week and my 3rd ,30 mile training run🍩❤️☕️ 
2. Up at 5:00 am. Ugh, but I just did my shuffle, walk until ths 30 miles were accomplished. The temperature was 43 when I started and it warmed up to 54 degrees.

Ll

Our 2 poms waited patiently for me to come home. My time was 8 hours and 50 minutes. I stopped for aid two times at home. My survival pack for my run is a camel back that carries my water plus four pockets for my phone, and food. I carry 4 or 5 fig bars and 4 dates. They are calories dense and easy to digest. I burned close to 3000 calories for the 30 miles Monday! 

Tuesday was to be a 15 mile run but I walked instead only 2 miles. It is hard to mentally to run very far the day following the 30 miles. At least for me. Wed is my day to rest. Wednesday I ran 15 miles in 3 hours and 52 minutes. It was raining for a couple of miles during this run. And the the Friday was a ten mile run. These runs are to get me used to running back to back distances for mental toughness. My run Saturday was an easy 4 miles. Relief, relief.

It looks like it will clear for my 30 miles tomorrow. I will try to send some pictures in my next blog.

Finis