Endurance Spot

Post Keys 100, coming soon to a screennear you....

2011-05-21T12:42:00.000-04:00

Keys 100 is a comin'

2011-05-11T07:50:00.003-04:00

Three days away, The Keys 100 ultra marthon awaits. In three days there won't be eggs for breakfast, there won't be the casual relaxing cup of coffee. There will only be running and suffering. Yep, I said suffering. Since you don't get to Key West from Key Largo along US-1 seeing butterflies, unicorns and rainbows, what you will see though is pain, sweat and tears. ( I know, big cliche' but it is true) This is the fourth year of the race and the fourth time myself, Jen and Scott have had the pleasure of being a part of it. As always I give people warnings about the heat, however no one seems to take this race seriously. That is until you hear the sirens on the ambulance in the distance taking care of the runners who didn't give credit to the race. Ask anyone who has DNF'd this race,(myself included 08'..82 miles in) it sneaks up on you like an enraged elephant. What? How the hell can an elephant sneak up on you? It doesn't; but you tell yourself that it did, however every warning sign was there before the damn thing charged you. Seems that poking it with the stick was fun until you realized the danger...... That is the Keys 100. Everyone has their thoughts on the race, their idea of how hot it is, how hot it is not. "It can't be that hard, it's flat", or "what could be hard about running through paradise" Thirty Seven percent finish rate should speak loud and clear to those who are coming to town to battle the race and themselves. However that fact is normally overlooked when folks peer out a air conditioned car, or hotel window at the blissful paradise that is The OverSeas Highway. Let the games begin, bring it on, let's do this thing....etc... what ever ya call it, this elephant is ready to charge.

BADWATER 2010

2011-01-07T17:45:00.005-05:00

Ok, Badwater was in July. Six months ago. Still there is no race report. After two draftes of a version that would never do it justice.....it was decided that today there will not be a race report for Badwater. What happened? This race was just to personal, to raw and to hard to describe to do it any justice. Many good writers are able to put thought to paper, explain their feelings and get it all out in a legible form. This runner,not so much. Finish, yes. 41hr 27min. Forty One Hours and Twenty Seven Minutes. Still today it is hard to comprehend. So that's about it. Except for the thanks that are deserved:

Thank you, Jennifer, Scott, Sarah and Mike for keeping me nourished, moving and happy for such an incredibly long time.

Thank you. Drymax socks for flawless feet! Always the best socks, and they see action EVERY DAY. These feet were about as good as they have been in a hundred mile race, given the extreme conditions, and probably better!

Thank you Getting To Tri Foundation!!! As always, wearing the G2T logo gives us the chance to tell people what a great charity this is! Thanks Mike for always having a kind word no matter how crazy you think we are.

Thank you, Polar Bottles for keeping all of us fueled with consistently cold water and supplements though the most extreme conditions on earth. (125 Degrees) These Bottles Rock!

And that is the Badwater report.

Performance Anxiety

2010-06-28T16:52:00.003-04:00

Nerves. Nerves. Nerves. I am not so much nervous about Badwater itself, I applied, I was accepted and I have trained hard for this race. I am confident that I will go out there and give it my all, and unless something out of my control happens I fully intend to cross that finish line one way or the other. My nerves are on edge because I have begun my taper, I have started to really start thinkng about what I need for the race. This time, two weeks from now I will have been out at Badwater for 6 hours. Hopefully I will be closing in on Stove pipe Wells within a few hours of this time and jumping into an ice bath. From there I will proceed to climb out of Death Valley and into the mountains toward the Panamint mountains. Going into a race like this has been a life changing experience. I have never trained like this before, never have I devoted such time and effort and thought to one single race. As the days draw closer so do the overwhelming feelings of excitement and anxiety. I want to be there so bad I can taste it. I can feel the heat burning the thins of my ears, the suffocating feeling of 120 degrees is all but inches away. Never would I have thought that the desire to put myself through such a test would be so strong.

Tick, Tock.....

Badwater Bound

2010-06-16T15:54:00.003-04:00

Badwater. The hottest place on the planet. Last year it was 128 degrees. At that point I stopped looking at the thermometer. It starts there, -282 feet below sea level. For some it starts at 6a.m., for other such as myself it starts at 8a.m. and for the elite runners it starts out even hotter at 10a.m. Regardless of when you start, the race is going to be the hottest, hardest, nastiest, race you will probably ever do. It ends at the Mt. Whitney Portals at 8,360' elevation. There is 13,300' feet of vertical gain over the entire 135 miles. But if you happen to be reading this you already know all of that.

Today was another training day; everyday is a training day, kind of a novel idea for a guy that in the past just waltzed into a race and started going. It can't be this way any longer. If you neglect to train for Badwater you can DNF, you can not buckle, and worse than that you can die. So my running has been consistent, my runs have been different every time. My idea was to keep the schedule open to accommodate a run in the hottest part of the day. In fact some days I ran twice and hit the sauna all in one day. Some days were mixed 2-3hr runs with core in sauna, some days were hill repeats for 7hrs in 96 degree heat, on asphalt with a mix of core thrown in. Some days were cross training bicycle rides of 60+ miles. Some days were "rest" days with only sauna core work. So I am crazy, I choose to suffer, but I am not dumb. In every run that happens, I have my little secrets. I only use Polar Bottles, these keep my drinks/nutrition cold for a long time. I only run in Drymax socks, as a matter of fact I wear them everywhere, everyday, all day. Love em. I highly recommend bot of these products. Highly.

I am tired. My legs want some rest. Even during those training days I found myself helping my in-laws load and unload trucks of furniture, appliances, cabinets and just about everything heavy you can throw on a truck. Some of those days consisted of morning runs with later day trips up to buy fabric in North Carolina. Thing is with that is fabric doesn't take itself back to Georgia. Imagine loading hundreds of 50-60lb bolts of fabric from a warehouse into a truck and having to unload them when back home. Now imagine having to go run.

Badwater I want you. I have never wanted to do a race this badly. Then again, I never put the time and effort into training like I have this race. Less than 4 weeks to the big day. Bring it.

Lane

Marathon De Sable

2010-04-22T13:12:00.015-04:00

25th Anniversary MdS

The Marathon de Sables 2010 is a desert stage race consisting of 6 stages and 7 days to complete all the stages. Every day has a time cutoff and the longest day allows 1 day and 10 hours to complete. The overall distance of the 2010 race was 250 kilometers, which to us in America is 155.342 miles. Each stage is different and the first stage starts with a 29km race. This is followed by a 35.5km, a 40km, a 82,2km, a 42.2km and a final 21.1km race through the largest sand dunes in all of Morocco. Conditions for the race are some of the most extreme on earth, the race is often billed as “The Toughest Footrace on Earth” and most who enter the race will agree. Before I start the race report, or my rendition of what happened out there I will note a short list of facts. Some are my personal race facts, other are interesting little tid bits.

Self supported with the exception of water: all food, clothing, compulsory kit and flare are carried by the runner.

Gu’s consumed: 57
Recoverite consumed: 1,710 calories
Total calories consumed: 15,903
Litres of water consumed: 60 aka 15.85 gallons
Scorpions spotted: 2 / Scorpions not spotted: 1 (More on that below)
Scaps: 24
Salt tablets: 38 (est)
Pack weight race start: 18lbs
My weight @ start: 192lbs
My weight today: 182lbs
High temperature: 47 Celsius, or 116.6 Fahrenheit (Day three) 40km stage
Toe nail fatality: 4
Men in Speedos: Waaaay too many
Gear: Drymax socks (5 pair), Polar Water bottles (2), Nathan HPL063 Pack (1) Mizuno Wave Ascend w/over 1,000 miles on them. Getting 2 Tri Sport Shirt (1), Big Peach Brooks Shirt (1) GetFit Atlanta Wind Breaker (1)

A special thanks to these sponsors who enabled Jennifer and I to do as well as we did in such harsh conditions. Thank you Drymax Socks,Polar Bottles, Getting 2 Tri Foundation, Big Peach Running Co, and Get-Fit Atlanta. Also a HUGE Thanks to Jon Ross who posted our updates daily; thanks Jon for your time!

Favorite dehydrated meal: Turkey Tetrazzini

The trip began on Weds, March 31st as we headed to Morocco from our beloved Atlanta Georgia. Our flight touched down Thursday afternoon in Quarzazate, Morocco, and after an interesting wait in the passport customs line we were in a taxi headed to our hotel to meet up with all the other Americans, Aussies, Kiwis and a few Brits. The race representative for MdS is Dreamchasers Events and the entire contingency is led by Jay Batchen. Our hotel was beautiful and the food was amazing, we enjoyed a huge buffet and delicious breakfast before we all loaded into the buses and headed south to the Sahara. This little bit of luxury was feeling a bit like our last real meal at this point. Our bus ride was rather long and we made multiple stops as everyone on the bus was guzzling the water provided as if it were their last drink. I was as well seeing that the humidity was hovering around 9 percent. Coming from sultry Georgia and being raised in Florida this is quite a difference. After cruising though many a quaint little town we made the last turn and headed down a long straight road into the mountains we had been staring at for some time now. As we approached the end we could see our bivouacs and all the tents surrounding the camp. The sight was amazing, just a huge barren flat surrounded by mountains and sand dunes on either side. Truly spectacular, and every day would look similar in some fashion. As we arrived and were shuffling from the buses onto the military transport trucks we were able to experience what would become known as European hospitality. Military trucks were used to get us the 1 mile to camp because the buses would never make it across the flats and dunes. The trucks were very tall and it was an effort to get into them if you were a shorter female, so my thought was to jump in first and help some of the ladies into the back of the trucks. Obviously chivalry is dead in Europe, or never existed in the first place because when I jumped in and began reaching for Jennifer’s hand and pulling her up; the French and Italian men were pulling her off the truck as I was trying to pull her on. It seems that they felt they needed more help loading than a lady. Either way that set the expectations for the rest of the race and the French more than earned their reputation!

Aside from some little hiccups in the beginning we were off to a great start and meeting some of our tent mates for the first time. Of course there was my lovely wife Jennifer Vogel( 1st place American woman, and 7th overall woman!!) , Jay Batchen 7 time MdS racer. Toby Luxford from England and a 5 time MdS racer. Katherine Hay-Heddle 2 Time racer, Tia Boddington the amazing editor from Ultra Running magazine, John Callos from California and experienced Ironman and Ultraman, and motivational speaker. Last but most certainly not least we had Michael Wardian who placed third this year in MdS and currently hold US record for the 100k and 50k! What a great tent, everyone hit it off and was able to enjoy one another’s company and make the best of tough times. As for the last meal at the hotel I was wrong, they catered the first two nights before the race and the food was simply wonderful. So amazing they managed to get that kind of production out into the middle of the desert, but then again they have been doing it for 25 years now.

Day one, 29km started off with much nervous anticipation, how fast do you go out, do you start at the very back and see exactly what happens? How are these gaiters going to hold up in the desert? How hard do I push if it’s “just” 29km? All of these questions raced through my head as I can imagine they did in everyone else’s thoughts. My plan was to have a Gu every thirty minutes and a Scap every hour, all the while moderating my water as to not run out to far away from the first water stop. We were allotted 1.5 litres to start and on average one had to make it between 10-14 kilometers before the next water station. My race plan was a great plan with the exception of one Scap per hour was not nearly enough. My plan adapted after the first two hours and I continued on now with two Scaps an hour. Although we trained heavily in dunes by the beach and ran in heavy sand in the orange groves of central Florida quite a bit, nothing can prepare you for the Sahara desert quite like the Sahara desert. Somehow every running step in the arid, dry sand felt like you were standing still and making no forward progress. Every step in the dunes was a sinking sensation in more ways than one, for one I realized this was going to be way harder than any training run I had done to prepare for this race and two you really do sink in the sand. For every two steps run the equivalent is more like one step; relentless forward motion has a new definition. At the end of the first day we all gathered in the tent and recalled the days experience and congratulated one another on a fine finish and marveled over the fact that Katherine on the first day became ill and was made to take six IV bags from the medical staff. She still finished the stage and was in remarkably good spirits having endured such anguish over such a long period. However later that night and into the wee morning hours Katherine was bit, or stung by something in her sleeping bag. As a true trooper she ignored what at the time she thought was just an irritation from the day before and trudged through until the pain and swelling could not be ignored. Katherine was out of the race and treated for a bite or sting of some kind that would later be identified as a scorpion sting. She flew back to the hospitals in England where the doctors identified the venom, and that she also got blood poisoning from it as well. Katherine is fine today and has recovered, but it is a sobering fact as to what can actually happen out there. I should also note that Katherines race number was 666. Seems to have been a contributing factor in her bad luck.

Day two 35.5km was one of the hardest days we had to face, long desolate flats, baseball sized rocks strewn everywhere and one unbelievably large dune and mountain to climb. The climbs were plentiful and there were more than I can count. The effort to climb and continue up these steep mountains was incredible, and for that I blame the fact that I have no really nice pictures. After pushing to the point that my chest was going to explode I chose not to take the time to get my camera out of its protective bag, I only wanted to get down from the insane climb I just experienced. Once again nothing in my training could prepare me for the steep, loose rock and sand that was on the sides of these mountains as we trekked up them. In an effort All that and this was not the hardest climb we would face that day. Later on the real deal came into view, a huge monster dune that had made itself by blowing up the side of the mountain we now had to scale. Shin deep sand, basketball sized rocks blocking any reasonable path and then the monster sheer rock climb. If anyone remembers the climb up the waterfall in Mt. Mist, multiply that by 20 in length and add in the boulders, the shifting rocks under foot and the fact that you had to reach into holes and cracks in the rocks to get grip; and there may or may not be a snake, scorpion or spider unhappy with your placement of digits. To make the climb ever more interesting, to the left there was a drop that if you fell; it could kill you and if it didn’t, it would certainly leave you disabled.

Day three 40km was the hottest day from what I could tell, hard to get an accurate estimate but more than one volunteer and medical staff stated 47 Celsius, or 116.6 Fahrenheit. Day three was a pleasant relief from the day before in regards to the climbing, but the temps were getting very hot and by the end of the day most racers will or had run out of water. The smaller climbs and the dry river bed crossings had had more of an effect on the runners than most had imagined. By the time most of the racers piled back into camp beaten and dehydrated some had started to request and petition for more water. I myself was in agreement and would have loved to have more water that night to replenish my dehydrated body while I rested and regained strength. This was not to be….In my opinion what happened next was a purposeful slap in the face to those requesting more water. Rather than give the racers water in the evening when they could consume it and put it to use, the race organization chose to boast that they were fulfilling our requests and gave us and extra 1.5 litres of water in the morning. What this means is that now instead of the 1.5 we normally carry in bottles, we now have an extra 1.5 litres that cannot be carried, nor consumed safely in the 30 minutes before race start. This was a complete and total waste of 1,500 litres of water. Racers were forced to pour the water out and crush the bottles to fit into trash bags, otherwise if they were left behind full, with ones race number written on the bottle, a penalty would be issued. It was careless, irresponsible, but out of our control. Anyway, enough about that.

Day four 82.2km was the longest 50 mile I have ever run. Period. Time total was 14hr25min, and it felt every bit as long. When race description states “deceptively flat uphill section” it really means it. My race plan was to be moderate and to base my pace on a comfortable 12hr cruise. There was to be no major climb and the big dunes were at the end, or nearish to the end. The race started for us at the normal time (9a.m.) and the race started for the 50 top men and 5 top women at noon. This means our great hope Mike Wardian starts in the heat of the day. My race was getting off to a slow, comfy pace and as the heat increased, so did the level of pain. Three days of hard pushing, then a 50 mile stage in the deep Sahara was taking a toll. My feet were hurting with the rocks pushing into the soles, the salt was crusted on my face and 200 calories an hour was just not enough. Mike Wardian passed Jay and me at a 51k looking strong and fast, which is how Mike always looks. Making our way to CP4 took more of a toll on me than I thought and I decided to slow it down and watched Jay trot off into the dunes with no effort. As I was plodding through the dunes, taking two steps forward and sliding one step back I began talking to myself. I wasn’t really having a conversation, but an argument. Why was I not running? Why wasn’t I pushing? Why was I so slow? Damn dude, get a hold of yourself, maybe you need to eat something other than Gu? So I crested a dune and sat my butt down in the sand and rummaged through my bag looking for something that tasted good. As I sat and watched the top fifty guys moving past I finished my bag of dried fruits and nuts and slowly got up and pushed forward. Finally I arrived at CP5 and was faced with the thought that I had 20k to go, through deep sand and hills the entire way until about 7k from the finish. Once again I found myself feeling down, mad at myself, tired and wondering just what happened out there today. I tried to reason that it's 45 Celsius; the dunes were way harder than I thought, everyone is just that much stronger, and maybe I just suck. Right about that time a few Brits and a few French caught up and I had somehow found the motivation to power walk with them. I started to feel good, my walk got stronger and I was soon on their heels and then I couldn’t stay behind them. I was walking faster, and faster, and then I was running. The pain in the feet went away, the legs felt sore but good and I was going…I was really moving. I saw the light from the finish line from what seemed like a close distance, so I ran hard, I was really moving at what seemed like a crazy pace. My heart was pounding, my pack was making a bunch of noise, my breathing was labored and I was gaining ground on all those who passed me in the dumps. I ran what was, from what I could guess the last 5k in roughly twenty minutes. I was pouring sweat, it was getting close to midnight and I wanted to be in and go to sleep. Finally I made it in at 11:40p.m.; legs throbbing, stomach aching, busted feet and a smile.

Day five, 0km Rest.

Day six, 42.2km or what is known as a marathon. Marathon De Sables is a race of firsts and the marathon stage was no exception. The heat was suppressing, the dunes were demoralizing, and the rocks were unforgiving. This was the hardest and slowest marathon I have ever run; now I am not a fan of marathons in the first place and the start of this one was not heading in my favor. After a restless night sleep coughing, feeling sick and fighting what felt like a cold I got up just like every other day and kept going. My face was swollen, my throat sore, my breathing very labored, but my mind said to continue no matter what. I was proud of Jen who in the fifty mile day crossed the line as the first American woman and the first woman that left from the 9a.m. start. Jen had moved into 7th position that day and would keep that rank for the rest of the race clicking minutes off the competitors leads every day thereafter. My thoughts this day were with her and all those who suffered in the 50 mile day only getting limited sleep and rest before starting this grueling marathon. My race plan that day was to just finish and get it over with, no amazing feats would come from this day, only a solemn push for an end to the “Marathon of Sands” After a modest hustle through the last dunes while Tom Petty cranked out of my IPod, I got a little ill. I could see the finish, it was so close, but still I doubled over and coughed and vomited a bit. Again I was wondering if this was the hardest thing I have ever done. My throat was so sore and hoarse I could barely speak, but I could smile and revel in the fact that there was only one more day. The Marathon was over; I grabbed my cup of Sultan mint tea, my 4.5litres of water and went to lie down in my bivouac.

Day Seven, 21.1km or a half marathon through the largest sand dunes in Morocco. Imagine music blaring in French, people unshaven, smelly, dirty, and dancing in celebration that this was the last day of what took years of their lives to accomplish. The feeling in the crowd was incredible, the rush from all 800 or so excited runners would push people that couldn’t walk the day before to run at a pace they didn’t hit the entire week before. The first 18km were moderately flat with rolling hills, smaller rocks and shorter dry lake beds. Just before the final check point we crossed through an old mining town and were marveling in the fact that the dirt there was purple; deep dark eggplant like I had never seen before. Along this same route were old abandoned mining camps that looked to be many centuries old, and from there the CP was in sight, now only 4km to go and time to turn on the jets. It seemed like everyone had reserves of energy and were getting ready to use it in this last 4km stretch. Up and down the dunes we went, power hiking up and running down, every dunes crest let us see the finish and every dune descent had us wondering if it would ever end. The crowds of people were becoming thick at this point, spectators, families, vacationers, and local children running next to us, all the volunteers cheering for the racers. Hundreds of people lined the dunes and stretched for 100 yards into the finish where each race was greeted by the race director and issued an MdS medal on a ribbon. Just like that it was over. Onto the buses for a 7hr bus ride back to Quarzazate, and into our hotel for the remaining 2 days until we made our way home.

Marathon de Sables is a life changing experience and one that most racers will say they won’t forget. This race is something special, the race itself, the friends you make, and the hardships endured all become special. The dunes, the rocks, the people and the intensity will never be forgotten; those who have done the race before said it would forever change you, and they were correct. There are quite a few races, or experiences that will never be forgotten, but there are few to which all others will be compared to.

Riding Waves of Sand to MdS Finish

2010-04-11T16:44:00.061-04:00

After crossing the finish line yesterday after the 21.2 kilometer (13.1 mile) final stage of the 25th Marathon de Sables, Jennifer and Lane are enjoying some well deserved down time in Morocco before heading back to the ATL later this week. While many of the MdS competitors arrived at the start of Stage 1 with one goal - To finish one of the toughest footraces on earth - Lane continued to move up in the overall standings with each stage, and flew through Stage 6 to the finish, and the completion of a six-day, 151 mile desert quest. Among 1013 runners, Jennifer finished as the 7th Overall Woman. Cheers to both of you. Lots of superlatives come to mind right now, but the best that I can come up with at the moment is Wow...

You may click on the following links for additional Stage 6 and MdS supplemental material:

Stage Photos

TV5 Monde Piece w/ MdS Footage

Stunning scenery and brutal conditions. The fact that Jen and Lane continued to get stronger as they went longer in all of that sand and all of that heat is truly amazing.

Way to go Team Vogel. Thanks for letting us join you for a virtual glimpse of a part of the world that many of us will never see with our own eyes.

Each of us was there with you every step of the way.

YOU ROCK.

Stay tuned for race photos and additional race info as they become available.

All The Best,

Jon Ross

Kickin' It In

2010-04-09T22:34:00.016-04:00

On the eve of the final leg of the 2010 Marathon de Sables, please take a moment to read a note from Jennifer Vogel that was received a few hours ago:

Today brought body-beating rocks, deep sand, high winds, and of course, heat. I came to the Sahara to find who I was, not a Daughter, Sister, Friend, Wife. When faced with adversity, who exactly am I? For the past 6 days, the Sahara (Who is one BAMF) has beaten my body and torn at my soul, and today was the day I would find the answer. I'm the kind of person that will get up one more time, then I'm knocked down. I'm a fighter and I'm damn proud to find that out. Lane is a beast out here and I am amazed by his strength every day. Tomorrow is the final stage. 13.1 miles through the biggest sand dunes in Morocco. If the Sahara wants to take us down, we are going down swinging. Thanks for all the emails and the prayers. Thanks to my family and friends, to Get Fit Atlanta for all of the support, to Big Peach, To Mike at G2t for letting us run in honor of some amazing people, to Jon Ross for keeping everyone up to date on us, and to 1st Choice Health Care for letting me leave my job for 2 weeks.

Will email soon, Jen

Please keep an eye out for updates on Stage 6 as they become available.

Stage 5 Complete, Final Stage Tomorrow

2010-04-09T09:26:00.022-04:00

Stage 5 of the Marathon de Sables began this morning. This 42.2 kilometer leg is the equivalent of a full 26.2 mile marathon, and the remaining competitors have already covered a cumulative distance of 186.5 kilometers (115.9 miles) over the first four stages. Jennifer and Lane have both crossed the finish line within the past couple of hours, and will be preparing themselves for tomorrow's final leg, Stage 6.

You may click here for the preliminary Stage 5 results.

You can also check out some Stage 4, Day 2 videos from yesterday by clicking here.

Stay tuned for a Stage 5 recap with details as they become available.

A Brief Reprieve, Then Stage 5...

2010-04-08T18:50:00.025-04:00

Received the following note from Jen this afternoon:

We are all enjoying a well deserved off day, although as of right now a few of our tent mates are still out on the course and one had to drop Tuesday from a scorpion bite* (In the sleeping bag next to mine!!). Yesterday was a nasty 50miler, with 20km of dunes in the last 30k. I found out in the morning that I was 11th place going in to the 50miler with 3 girls right on my heels. My plan was to take advantage of moving well the first 50km in the heat of the day, then walk the dunes to the best of my ability. It seemed to work. I was the 1st female of the early group to cross the finish. Not sure where my standing is now but I'm hoping for top 10. Other than a few blisters and being a little dehydrated, I feel fine. Lane also moved it pretty well with a sub 15hr finish. We have 2 more rounds w the Sahara, here's to hoping we survive! Jen

PS - Thanks everyone for the emails. It's the best part of the day to get them all and to know that people back home are rooting for us.

* As a side note, from what I could gather on the Dreamchasers Outdoor Adventure Club FB page, the competitor was flown out of Morocco, and is currently in a hospital in London. To be clear, the runner was NOT Jen or Lane, and they'll be rockin' it out in Stage 5 tomorrow.

Here is what was posted at the Dreamchasers page:

Ok friends..we have a runner in need of our prayers and send her some emails! Katherine Hay-Heddle was bitten by a spider at the Marathon des Sables and is in a hospital in London....please pray for her and send her some notes...I am sure she would love to hear from you. Katherine is such a gift... We love you Katherine Katherine.Hay-Heddle@wardhadaway.com

Let's all keep her in our thoughts as we continue to pull for Team Vogel.

To learn more about Day 2 of Stage 4, which is today, the race organizers have provided some narratives which you can read by clicking here.

You may also plug the following GPS coordinates into Google Maps or Google Earth, and retrace the Stage 4 route:

Bivouac 4 : N30 37.937 W4 44.666
PC 1 : N30 37.178 W4 36.690
PC 2 : N30 42.752 W4 33.919
PC 3 : N30 48.463 W4 31.448
PC 4 : N30 44.625 W4 26.402
PC 5 : N30 43.544 W4 20.737
PC 6 : N30 45.371 W4 15.279
Bivouac 5 : N30 49.891 W4 12.977

And, as always, you can send an e-mail to Jennifer or Lane by clicking here.

Please stay tuned for updates as they become available.

Some Spring in Their Step

2010-04-08T09:39:00.057-04:00

A quick note from Jennifer Vogel, from a tent that she's sharing with Lane somewhere in the Sahara, following Stage 3:

We are hanging in there. Today was round 3 with the Sahara- 24 miles of flat hot salt flats [Note: See photo to left] with a few dunes for fun. Tons of camels. Super hard not to stop and try to pet the babies. Time to recover and prepare for 55 tomorrow. The emails rock, please keep them coming.

The following is a recap of Stage 4, and it appears as though they were well prepared indeed...

While the race organizers describe yesterday's leg of the Marathon de Sables as an 'Exceptionally beautiful long stage', it is considered by many to be the toughest of the six stages, and rightfully so. With that, both Jennifer and Lane not only finished the 82.2 kilometer (51.1 mile) Stage 4, they also moved up significantly in the overall standings. As they left the relative comfort of the camp at Bivouac 4 Wednesday morning and pushed off into the desert towards the first checkpoint, Jen was in 183rd place overall out of the 961 remaining runners (1013 began Stage 1), and picked up 107 spots, which puts her in 76th overall going into Stage 5 which begins Friday morning. Lane moved up 144 spots, putting him 153rd overall amongst a field of some of the top ultrarunners in the world, on one of the world's most extreme and toughest courses.

The following is an excerpt from the MdS narrative of one of the more stunning portions of Stage 4:

...They also know from reading their road-book that it’s the price to pay to access the beautiful valley between Jebel Zireg and Jebel El Mziouda. After climbing up to a pass, they marvel at the extraordinary landscape: golden sand at the foot of the mountains, rocky undulations, fields of locust tree and camel grass, large stretches of black shiny stones.
Coming out of the valley, they come across CP 2, at km 26.1, and behind it, the dried up lake of the El Mader wadi. They cross it and then go up towards the El Maharch oasis, its inn and most of all its palm trees, offering shade to those who want to rest and recover. Further, CP 3 at km 38.7 opens towards the East and the Rhéris wadi crossing and CP 4 at km 51.

After painting that amazing picture in my mind, here is what I read next about the group of runners who started Stage 4 at 09:15 local time that morning (This was the entire field including all of the remaining competitors, except for the top 50 who had started three hours later at 12:15):

The first woman in this group to have reached the 51 km check point was Jennifer Vogel (696 – USA), at 4.22.

That's 31+ miles in just over 4 hours. In that heat. In the Sahara. After having already run a cumulative 104.5 kilometers (65 miles) over the previous three days. Both she and Lane clearly appear to be getting stronger, while many of the other competitors continue to fall off of the pace. Way to go, guys. Incredible. Seriously.

You may click here for their splits at each checkpoint, and their respective finishing times for Stage 4, and here for some Stage 4 videos.

Stay tuned for updates as they become available, and please take a moment to send each of them an e-mail to let them know that we are following their every step during this amazing adventure.

Out of the Frying Pan, and Right Back In

2010-04-07T08:20:00.033-04:00

Of the 1013 competitors who toed the line at the start of Stage 1 of the 2010 Marathon de Sables on Sunday, 938 remained as the runners began the 40 kilometer (24.9 mile) Stage 3 leg just before 08:30 local time yesterday morning. The race organizers have said that this stage 'Calls for great mental strength', but from what I can tell as I sit in front of my computer in my air conditioned home office in a cozy suburb on this side of the Atlantic, it's safe to say that every step along the MdS course can be described in this manner. When Jennifer and Lane return, I am sure that they'll be able to back me up on that one.

The following is a breakdown of the cumulative elapsed time at each checkpoint along Stage 3:

Jennifer Vogel - Competitor # 696:

CP 1: 1:36:45, CP2: 3:19:17, CP3: 4:56:57

Bivouac 4: Total Stage 3 Time 5:40:26

Lane Vogel - Competitor # 697:

CP 1: 1:37:36, CP2: 3:18:13, CP3: 5:15:37

Bivouac 4: Total Stage 3 Time 6:14:52

You may click here for some video footage of Stage 3, and you can also retrace the Stage 3 route by plugging these GPS coordinates into Google Maps or Google Earth:

Bivouac 3 (Start of Stage 3): N30 51.162 W4 34.239
PC 1 : N30 48.893 W4 41.599
PC 2 : N30 45.488 W4 47.307
PC 3 : N30 39.864 W4 46.689
Bivouac 4 (End of Stage 3, Overnight Camp): N30 37.937 W4 44.666

The longest single leg of the MdS, Stage 4, began this morning, and the runners will cover 82.2 kilometers (51.1 miles).

Stay tuned for updates as they become available...

All the Best,

Jon Ross

MdS Stage 2 Complete

2010-04-06T08:46:00.020-04:00

Both Jennifer and Lane finished the 35.5 kilometer Stage 2 yesterday at the Marathon de Sables. Here is a recap from Jen:

Today brought extreme heat, rocks, sand, ridges, dunes and the most insane climb I could imagine [Note: See photo to the left - She wasn't kidding...]. Running along the ridge in the first half, I thought to myself that this is crazy. One wrong step and a broken arm would be the least of my problems. After not pacing my water and running out 1km to the refill station - That doesn't sound bad but trust me it is BAD - I had to resort to a walk & run for the middle segment to try and regain myself for what was promised to be a nasty climb. The last 5km of the race brought it!! The best I can say about the rock scramble straight up the side of the mountain is that 6 months ago I would have had a panic attack and would have most likely stopped at the bottom and quit. The fact that I put on my 'big girl pants' and did it, leaves me speechless and so proud....and I beat Lane today...

Bloodied, battered, bruised but not beaten,

Jennifer

You can also check out some great video footage of Stage 2 by clicking here.

Stage 3 is underway, and is 40k. Updates and today's results will follow in a subsequent posting to the Endurance Spot blog.

Just a reminder. If you saw Jennifer's note yesterday, it was clear how much the e-mails that they are receiving from all of you mean to both she and Lane. It's really easy to send them an e-mail as you only need to click here. Jen's race # is 696, and Lane is 697.All the Best, Jon Ross

Hello From Tent 129

2010-04-05T16:57:00.015-04:00

Received the following note today from Jennifer Vogel, which was sent following the completion of Stage 1 of the Marathon de Sables:

First stage - 18 miles - down. It's awesome out here. Morocco is beautiful. The heat, desert, the mountains, absolutely breath taking!! Lane beasted the dry river beds, dunes, and salt flats that we encountered today. He is going to be so strong at Badwater. Me?? I'm just trying to figure out how it all works. But being out in such a big expanse of nothing really makes you realize how little you really are! I cant wait to see what the surprises (and extreme heat) the week brings. This is by far the toughest thing we've tried so far. The emails are amazing. PLEASE PLEASE everyone keep them coming. We are in tent 129.

Stay tuned for updates on today's 35.5 kilometer Stage 2.

Ready. Set. Sand!

2010-04-04T17:53:00.032-04:00

After Saturday's gear checks and pack weigh-ins, Stage 1 of the 25th Marathon de Sables began just after 5AM EST this morning. Following a spirited send off by the Race Director, Patrick Bauer, 1013 runners left the comfort of their first camp, Bivouac 1, and headed south for the 29 kilometer (18 mile) leg. Temperatures were relatively mild at 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), with 25-30 mph winds. You can click here to check out some video clips of this morning's start, and of portions along the course during stage 1.

The drawing at the top of the post has been provided as an example of supplemental reference material that will appear in various posts to provide background information on various components of the Marathon de Sables. The image depicts a typical layout for a bivouac encampment that will welcome the competitors after each day's point-to-point leg, and this is where they will eat, sleep, and prepare themselves and their gear for the next day's stage. As a point of general interest, here's a typical morning schedule at the bivouac:

06.00 to 07.00 am- Staff will dismantle the camp (tents), please do not hinder this process or cause delays- Breakfast : self sufficiency
06.30 to 07.30 am- Distribution of mineral water (compulsory check point), water quotas will be distributed to you at beginning of CP1
Between 08.30 and 09.00 am : start stage (except 1st stage and 82,2 km stage, see Art.10) Every day watch for the organisation paper board

This is also where the tents are located from which the competitors will be able to receive notes from each of you. Should you wish to send either Jennifer (Competitor # 696) or Lane (Competitor # 697) a message, you may do so by clicking here. While the runners do not have the technological capabilities to reply to individual electronic messages while they are in the camp, it would undoubtedly mean a great deal to hear from friends and family with words of encouragement along the way. Please note that this portion of the MdS site is currently available in French only, and that Expéditeur is your name, Adresse de réponse is your email address, Sujet is the subject, and your message goes in Contenu. Please note that contact is only via this webform, and that messages sent by email or posted on forums will not reach the competitors.

According to information provided by the MdS race organizers, Jen arrived at the end of Stage 1 in 4 hours, three minutes, while Lane finished in 3 hours, 51 minutes. I hope to receive more detailed information from Team Vogel soon, and will update the Endurance Spot Blog accordingly. In the meantime, the following description of the Stage 1 route has been provided as another bit of supplemental info, as this provides breakdown of a portion of the course in a narrative format:

Km 0 : Go South (bearing 197°) until Km 2.2. Not very hilly
Km 2,2 : Mech Irdane jebel pass. Turn left in the valley, going S/E (bearing 135°)
Km 3,9 : Cross the stony pass then go E/SE (bearing 116°) until you reach the next pass
Km 5,1 : Sandy pass
Km 5,5 : Exit pass. Go South (bearing 177°) until you reach the group of palm trees
Km 7,3 : Group of palm trees. Return to the foot of the jebel
Km 7,8 : Small ascent up the jebel
Km 8,5 : Rheris Bridge. Turn right at the exit then go South (172°) until CP1
Km 9,1 : Undulating terrain, crevasses on the bed of the Rheris wadi
Km 9,7 : Exit wadi. Follow the markings attentively to avoid the deep faults on the banks of the wadi
Km 11,3 : Crevasses
Km 12,8 : Enter small dunes
Km 13,4 : CP1. Go S/SW (bearing 198°) to exit the dune fields
Km 15,1 : Area of relief on left-hand side. Same direction (bearing 196°) through mounds of sand and grass for camels
Km 16,7 : Way through small rocky cluster. Cross the valley going South (bearing 192°)
Km 18 : Hilly relief. Follow path to reach the plateau
Km 19,4 : Top of plateau. Descend towards the sandy pass bearing South (174°)
Km 22,2 : CP2 before the dunes. Cross the dune field bearing 194°
Km 24,3 : End of Aitoulhetan erg dunes
Km 26 : Sandy path, slightly undulating relief. Go South (176°)
Km 29 : Arrive at B2 after the wadi bed.

You can also check out satellite views of the Marathon des Sables course and retrace the route of the first stage thanks to GPS points: all you have to do is copy and paste on such sites as Google Maps or Google Earth:

Bivouac 1 : N31 15.005 W4 22.393

Check point 1 : N31 08.695 W4 20.499

Check point 2 : N31 04.119 W4 21.053

Bivouac 2 : N31 00.677 W4 21.309

Stay tuned for further updates as they become available.

All the Best,

Jon Ross

Wheels Up + Off to the Desert

2010-04-01T11:13:00.013-04:00

They're off.

Jennifer and Lane left Atlanta yesterday afternoon en route to Paris, and then on to Morocco for this weekend's start of the six-day, 150+ mile Marathon de Sables stage race. Contrary to what you may have assumed, they actually flew across the Atlantic, rather than taking a little 'warm up' swim to stretch before the race.

Before even getting off of the ground, Team Vogel had already dealt with their first setback, and now find themselves with a 2,000 calorie deficit. You see, Lane's peanut butter stash didn't quite make it onto the plane. It appears as though the airline security folks may be profiling studly ultra-endurance athletes (Who actually ARE nuts), and Lane clearly meets that criteria, as does Jen. Given the difficulty of a race like MdS, and the harsh and unforgiving conditions that Team Vogel will encounter along the way, it's safe to say that this will be the first of many challenges that they will face and overcome, and that this minor inconvenience will quickly fade from their memory as they crest their first 200 foot high sand dune. After all, if this race were easy, they would not have signed on in the first place, right?

Stay tuned...

A few housekeeping items. Subsequent posts will provide info on sending e-mails to Team Vogel USA. While the number of e-mails that they can receive is not limited, given the race logistics and the fact that they will be hunkered down in the desert in their tent each night after that day's point-to-point leg, each runner is limited to sending out only one e-mail per day. While this was covered in a previous post, as a reminder, you can track Jennifer & Lane's progress on the Marathon de Sables website (Linked above), and their race #s are 696 for Jen, and 697 for Lane.

Also, should you have any questions or are having any technical issues with the blog or the Team Vogel site, my e-mail address is jon@bigpeachrunningco.com, and I am also on Facebook.

Again, please stay tuned for ongoing updates, and please feel free to pass along a link to this Endurance Spot blog so that others who might be interested may follow along.

All the Best,

Jon Ross

Marathon De Sables Specifics

2010-03-31T09:08:00.006-04:00

Ok, we are packed and doing all the final stuff before we leave. The following info will help get us emails, track us and see the general info as it happens.

Tracking is through the website below.

Jennifer is #696
Lane is #697

Marathon De Sables website: http://www.darbaroud.com/index_uk.php

Somewhere on this site will be the specifications on how to email us. Currently we are not sure how it works, but we each can receive emails. However we can only send one per day. Mine will be going to my mother, that's just how its gonna be. Our friend Jon Ross will be posting events as they happen on the blog, Jennifer will be sending those reports to him as often as we can.

We hope this plan of ours works and if it is interesting enough hopefully folks will check it out. We will be thinking about all our friends, and our families while we are out there. So if you should choose to email us it will most certainly up lift our spirits!

Ciao (had to throw that in there)

Marathon De Sables Preparation

2010-03-24T18:14:00.004-04:00

Right now, at this very second I've got nothing. I mean I have a pack, shoes , clothes, running ability, heat training, flights, hotels, venom kit, great sunglasses, sleeping bag, emergency foil cover, gaiters, and resolve. But what I do not have is any idea on what kind of food to bring to the MDS race, I am normally a big fan of Hammer Gels, Hammer Perpetuem, and Succeed S-Caps. The question is do I just rely on what I always have used for a race that I have never experienced? Do I take a chance and go with a different water bottle set up? What the heck to do? Seems to me everyone had an opinion, and everyone has gear they like. I am no different, and sometimes i am pretty vocal about the gear I use, abuse, and rely on. What type of post run meal do I want? Do I get the organic with fewer calories per oz, or do I get the regular package that has fructose, benzolate, and all that other crap in it because it has more calories per oz. If I had more hair I may have pulled some of it out. With all these decisions to make and limited time, I guess tomorrow will have to be the day I bite the bullet and make a final commitment. I have a feeling Hammer will be making an appearance at this most amazing race. I haven't been let down yet.

Polar Bottles

2010-03-23T11:53:00.003-04:00

Have you ever come across something so cool and useful you just want to tell everyone about it? I have been using these water bottles for years and have praised them repeatedly ever since finding them. Polar Bottles makes the absolute best water bottle on the Planet! Just check out what make these things tick:

Combining the thermal properties of an insulated vacuum bottle with the lightweight, flexible features of a plastic bottle, the Polar Bottle is the ideal choice for active people. Simply fill with liquid and ice and hit the trail. For even longer cooling power, fill your Polar Bottle and store it in the freezer before use. Either way, it will keep liquids cold twice as long as conventional water bottles.

For a more in depth look at these super cool bottles (pun intended) click on the FEATURES.

Another big reason I love these bottles is that they are BPA & Phthalate-Free Plastic
Constructed of low density polyethylene (LDPE): a durable, lightweight and FDA food grade approved material. Polar Bottles do not contain BPA or Phthalates. I also use the bottles in the morning to carry my cold frozen berry smoothies I make as well. In addition to that I will at times use them for my coffee in the morning on the way to a cycling class.

Either way you look at these bottles they are amazing, for really hot runs I double fist the 24oz bottles with water and ice, or ice and drink mix. When cycling these bottles are great as well, when everyone else has hot water on the ride I still enjoy cold water with ice inside!

Thank you Polar Bottles for the great product, and the advantage over others using standard bottles.

ING Marathon/Half Marathon

2010-03-21T16:22:00.002-04:00

Today was an exceptionally good day. Morning rolled around at about 3a.m. when I was not able to continue sleeping anymore..so I laid there thinking about the day to come amongst all the other thoughts racing through my mind. I was excited to be running the half with two friends Jason Gunter from Ft. Meyers FL, and the famous Mike Lenhart Founder of Getting 2 Tri charitable foundation. Jason Gunter is a amputee athlete with a below the knee amputation. Jason is a great athlete, an amazingly nice guy and really good runner. We all met up about 10 minutes before start at the G2T tent and made our way down to the start. We were in corral B, which was about 50 yards from the actual start. We were really excited to be there, and even though he has a Bronchial infection Mike was right there next to us (at a distance) running. The race went about as smoothly as I could imagine a race going. Our pace was great as we made are way in an out of nearly every Atlanta neighborhood, and what seemed to be every type community in between. The three of us ran the half marathon today enjoying the shorter distance and getting a chance to ease up talk a bit on the run. Pace did however increase a bit when the rain started, or when Jason wanted to make up time. We enjoyed mostly dry weather and cool temps as did everyone else it seemed. Today was a day for PR's from what I can tell. Aside from us running we had a bunch of friends running today as well. My friend Jon Obst had an impressive day today despite some small Gastro issues, he finished I think 7th or 8th place with a solid 2:45 marathon! Amazing time considering he had been slightly injured and was off of recovering. Other friends did equally as well, Christian Griffith ran a solid 3:40 marathon the WEEK before he is heading up to the infamous Barkley Marathons!! Nuts Dude, Nuts. Also the savior of the day Nils Pederson, who graciously gave me a ride with "no sure way of knowing where we were going till we found it blindly on accident" to get my car at mile 10, somewhere my lovely wife parked the car hours earlier. Thanks again Nils, great race post stress fracture! The day ended well, Jen and her runner Kevin finished, with Kevin running his 99th marathon today, with an amputated foot mind you! And to top that off the G2T camp went off without a hitch, well except for Marshall Hamilton...yeah Marshall you know what I'm talking about ;) But all in all today was a great ending to an amazing week. Now its taper time.

I have been lazy

2010-03-10T20:53:00.002-05:00

I know I have been a lazy slob in the area of keeping up with this blog/journal. I will try and commit to writing a little something at least every week. We have big plans this year- Marathon De Sables, Keys100 (yet again), BADWATER!!, also anything good in between and at least one Ironman. Gotta get on the ball and generate some thoughts here!

Tetons day two

2009-09-03T19:19:00.004-04:00

All is right in the world.... or at least here in the Grand Tetons at Grand Targhee resort. Today was a good day, we awoke after limited sleep due to an intense amount of light from the full moon and of course had coffee and such and headed out. We went straight up to the top of Freds (top o' the mountain) and sat around for a good bit at just over 10,000 feet and man were the views to die for. I can compare the ridge we were on to one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen. I say they look like the dolomites up there, but I haven't been and could be wrong. Either way we had to finally come back down and blitzed the run through the steeps we had just power hiked up. We got to the bottom, got a bite, headed in t get clean and tried to figure out a way to bum a ride into town. As we headed back over to the lift chair base we met up with Joe Johnson and George Velasquez and managed to get a ride with their buddy Steve Holman who we also helped bring gear and race packets back to the lodge from Jay and Lisa's home. I am thinking in my head that its not really a good deed when you get more out of it than those who you helped...right? We have had the oppurtunity to enjoy the company of some very special, and amazing folks so far since being here and just getting to help them is more of an honor than a chore. So again I say as I enjoy this Snake River Pale Ale, All is right in the world......

Grand Targhee, Tetons landing, hike.

2009-09-02T17:20:00.005-04:00

Tetons arrival, 9-02-09. Landed, took the $150 dollar car ride to the resort which is more like a ghost town and started out walking/hiking up the mountain.We now just need to figure out how to get some food by going back into town, and we have no vehicle. I may be trying to bum a car from my buddy Tony P. Most important is we need coffee for the morning. More pics, video to come. to post

Team Vogel

2009-08-31T12:46:00.003-04:00

After going so long now with out a web site for both Jennifer and myself, I finally gave in and built one just yesterday. This should help give us more broadcast out there in the "real world". This is a great platform to get the word out for great charities, sponsors and in general info for what we do in life. Check it out :

http://www.teamvogelusa.com/

Grand Tetons 50 and 100 mile races

2009-08-31T12:13:00.005-04:00

In two days we will be headed to the beautiful, pristine Teton mountains to race the Grand Tetons Trail Race. This race is put on by the great folks at Dream Chasers Events. In addition to being a great race, and spectacular scenery, we will get to see some great people as well. We are meeting up with our friend Sarah Thomsen, yep the mind behind Seriously Truly will be joining us for some fun runs in the magical Tetons. We will also be meeting up with Tony Portera, Bryon Powell, and my lovely wifes coach and true inspiration to us all Lisa Smith-Batchen. Lisa's husband Jay will also be there RD'ing and running! Along with all these folks, another inspirational lady will be there as well Sister MaryBeth Lloyd, aka: The Running Nun! Sister MaryBeth will be running again to raise awareness for Aids Orphans.

I will be running the 50 mile race and looking for a good time. A good time you say? Does that mean fast, or out to have fun? Well let me explain, I am not that fast but I do like to have a good time. I will be racing with a purpose, but will not let that get in the way of a good time. :)

My goal? Again, I am not a fast runner but I have actually been training. I have been accompanying Jen on all her long runs and most of the intermediate runs as well. Cycling, cross training and such should help. ( I have never actually trained this way before) With that said I am just hoping to break 9 hours. We will see what happens at the end of the day!

Jen will be running the 100 mile in search of a personal goal that I will keep to myself. She has been training hard as always, and I think she has a very good chance of doing what she and Lisa have set out to get her to do.

We both are so excited to get there and see everyone!

Badwater, T Minus 7 Days

2009-07-06T12:42:00.002-04:00

I am officially Not Running the race, however am seriously stoked to be pacing friend Tony Portera through a wicked hot and grueling race. Hopefully next year I can get in and give er' a go. Jen and I are leaving for Vegas Saturday and meeting up with Tony and Wayne. Brian and Jeff are coming in from California and David is flying in late the morning of the race. As Tony stated we should have the most experienced crew support this race has ever seen. Brian K, winner Keys 100, Jen Vogel (my lovely wife) Keys 100 women's winner and 2nd place. David James winner Umstead 100, Ancient Oaks, 2nd place Coastal Challenge. Wayne Bates 100 mile vet, Jeff who I am not acquainted with but am sure is a hella good runner and yours truly. I can agree with Tony in his choice of willing and excited race crew. This will be an experience of a life time, and will hopefully foster great relationships for future endeavours. 135 miles through the middle of Death Valley straight up to the start of Whitney Portal, the highest mountain in the lower 48.

Actual Training

2009-05-27T15:23:00.002-04:00

To think I have made it this far without an actual training plan, and or schedule. I have had my eyes opened for sure. Jen's performance in the Keys 100 will forever be burned into my memory. For one, I could not be more proud of such an accomplishment and two..I was there helping Jen for most of the training. Whether it was riding my Mtn bike next to her for 6 hours, or going with her for a track workout, I was there watching how much effort she was putting in. I now can appreciate all the hard work and sacrifice she made and so do applaud her. I however am not that disciplined and would like to also blame the fact that I am also busy. Hell, I started this blog and it's work keeping up with it, let alone all of the other "real" things I have to do. So time management is important, it is essential and I am going to need to get better at it or figure out a way to earn a living running and doing triathlons. So I guess I am needing better time management......

I actually have decided to start a more active training program and will be loosely following a rendition of what Jen did for the Keys 100 and Ironman. I will be needing to focus more on the running aspect of the two sports seeing that I have signed on for 1 24hr race, 1 Ironman distance, and 2 100 mile endurance runs. The Ironman and the 100's are back to back to back. Now my efforts are not just my sheer love of the sports, but my desire to also raise awareness for Getting 2 Tri foundation. G2t as we like to call it, creates grass-roots communities at the local level where individuals with a disability can integrate with running, swimming or cycling clubs, or triathlon clubs and certain civic organizations in support of our mission. They also offer sport camps that help physically challenged athletes with their given passion. Check out the site and donate if you can!

Here is a direct link:http://www.active.com/donate/getting2tri/teamvogel

Also if anyone would like to make a donation based on how many miles I can run at Hinson Lake 24hr we would be happy to accept a challenge! Now with all those expectations i had better get training right? Right! So my training began once I came home from the Keys 100 where I logged over thirty miles w/Jen in the heat. Good start right? After we arrived home I got in a few nice runs, nothing more than about two hours along with a few nice rides, some spinning, some track, and a couple workouts in the gym. Bring in sauna stretching, abs, jumping jacks and push-ups and we have a training schedule! Now, I just need to work everything else around this and we are good. Either way we now have a goal and the only way we can reach it is through hard training. I can't afford to go this deep without preparation, lets face it...Umstead 100 w/no training was a painful lesson. I learned my lesson, but still feel the repercussions.

Keys 100

2009-05-25T15:22:00.003-04:00

The Keys 100 is a point to point starting at mile 101 in Key Largo Florida making it's way straight down US-1 all the way to Key West ending at mile marker 1. As everyone knows Florida is hot, Florida is humid and Florida has it's share of lousy drivers. All of these things are factors in the Keys 100, you just have to be able to keep the first two under control or the third factor will have you looking like road kill. In my humble opinion I would like to compare the Keys to Badwater. Many of the athletes running are training for Badwater and use this race as a warm up of sorts. For one you have the road, you have the heat, you have the cars and it is also a self supported race where you need crew. Training will only get you so far in a race like this, you must have a competent crew to get you through, let alone give you a win.

This was the second year for the race and the only major change was the fact that the race has tripled in size! Last year 19 starters, this year 65! (100 mile race) Bob Becker RD had also made some nice changes that kept the runners from having to switch sides of the road, this helped with not only safety but also length of time dodging traffic. As always, no aid or support on the 7 mile bridge makes for a long windy stretch, but no one seemed to mind to much. Well, maybe Brian Krogmann did, the races eventual winner told me "The 7 mile bridge can go to hell". Brian won this race in a blistering 16hr31mn, taking almost 7 hours off last years record time. Unreal, and surely a record that will no doubt stand for some time.

Now, getting down to our personal race report:

Jennifer trained like a machine for this race, she did everything her coach Lisa Smith told her to do. She ate the right foods, she ran all the runs, did all the cross training and all the speed work. Believe me, the mornings come early when you have to get up at 2am to go do speed work for six hours in 20 degree temperatures. Jen trained, I crewed, repeat day in and day out for nearly 6 months. All that hard work paid off in a women's victory and a second place overall finish for Jen. The race was an epic run from point a to point b, never before had I thought to compare a 100 mile foot race to a game of chess, but this is what it became. Early at the start of the race our plan was to have Jen start in the very back and take off slow maintaining her energy for the push at mile 70 or so. My plan after a briefing from Lisa Smith was to keep Jens competition within striking range once we got to mile 70. What would unfold was to be an incredible race strategy I will have to use in the future.

Jen began to get comfortable after mile ten where she picked up her first pacer Jon Obst, they ran for a good bit together and started to close the gap on some of the other runners who went out to fast. Most of the runners took off like a shot due to a lower 80 degree temp and low humidity at the start. This of course would not last. All the time they were running we were scouting the general condition of the runners ahead and making adjustments to Jens pace and our race plan. By the time mile 30 came around Jen was making her way into the top ten runners and moving along beautifully. Driving ahead and seeing how the others were doing was the most important aspect of the entire race, we could really get a feel for the competitions strong points and weaknesses. Once we had that down it was just a game of chess, at times we would shadow the runners ahead seemingly forcing them into a pace they could not maintain, thus pushing past them one at a time. By the time the 7 mile bridge appeared Jen had moved in to 4th place.

Jen and Scott D'Angelo ran the bridge together, Scott carrying three water bottles and the foods Jen would need to consume every half an hour. The bridge went well and we again were scouting up ahead the conditions of the runners as we were just now beginning to hunt. The bridge would come at the hottest part for the day and the asphalt that had just been freshly laid on the other side had been absorbing the sun the entire morning and afternoon. As Jen came off the bridge our crew star extraordinaire Sarah Thomsen had Jens nutrition down pat and we exchanged pacers and I once again ran with Jen for some time. It was now reaching 94 degrees and the black asphalt was scorching. After completing another section of running with Jen Jon jumped back in for what we were going to label the final push. Our plan had always included Jen making a hard push after mile 70, and funny enough it worked out exactly that way. Coming up the the next check in at mile 75 we started to trail the women's leader at this point and remained in her shadow until we could not hold back anymore. I gave the command for for an increase in pace and Jen and Jon responded with a forward run dropping nearly 1.5 minutes per mile to put some major distance between her and the competition.

It was just now starting to get dark and we needed to go more than ever now. Jens pace had stayed strong the entire day and our race plan/chess game was working beautifully. She was now in 3rd overall and 1st place woman, now we wanted to see how far we could go. Really, there was no way to even imagine getting close to Brian, but there was one guy ahead and i had been seeing his pace drop and he was starting to walk much more than before. At mile 88 it was time to take 2nd overall and Jen pushed past the last runner before the finish. The finish line was coming up fast and the lights of Key West were starting to glow just as I was, and had been all day watching my wife do something so amazing. Jen, Jon and I were running the last 10 miles in together and Scott and Sarah were going up ahead to meet us and run the last 1/2 mile in as a group. As the finish neared and we ran the longest mile in the history of man I was able to get Jen to run 9 minute miles to the end where we met our crew and all finished the race together. Yeah, she did 9 minute miles for the last "mile", which actually was 1.7 when we measured. He..he....

Jennifer finished in 19hr10mn, almost 4hours faster than last years winning time. She did the training , had the devotion and the drive to make this happen and I couldn't be more proud of her. She is truly amazing.

Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run.

2009-04-20T20:14:00.004-04:00

Umstead. 100 Miles, check. Finished, check. Injured, check.

That is about the way I feel about it at this point. Umstead is a spectacular race with the absolute best race directors and volunteers you could ever wish for. Umstead is a moderate course with rolling hills that go from slight to a few that would be considered moderate/ steep. Either way it is a phenomenal race and a great race to get your feet wet. Last year I ran Umstead and DNF'd at mile 75. I entered again with the full intent of finishing no matter what. What I did not expect was to be on a wait list and not know if, or when I would get in. I got in though and was regretfully under trained, and in fact as some would say not trained at all. I would have to agree with my wife on that one. Either way, the following is a brief synopsis of how it all went down.

Friday, April 3rd.

Jen and I both have to work until noon and will head out after that. As we start the long journey to North Carolina we both can feel the irritation in our legs from such a long car ride. We were also slowed in our travels by a number of different obstacles either on the interstate or on the detours we inevitably had to take. One way or another we were going to get to Raleigh, and we were going to try and relax when we got there. As luck would have it our new freind Anthony Portera from New York was able to pick up my race bag at the pre- race meeting. We arrived in Raleigh and checked in to our hotel, had dinner and set the coffee for the morning. Off to bed to try and get some sleep.

Saturday, April 4th. Race Day.

Coffee, check. Chicken Sandwich, check. Clothes, gear, everything I need, check.
So now we are off and driving to the race start, as we pull into park we see a freind of our Ryan Jones from Pennsylvania. He will eventualy be top 5 in this race. Amazing dude I must say. I set my gear and get ready to toe the back of the line. No need in being up front, and no need to go out fast. Afterall, I did not train and had been instructed by my wife to take it very easy and go slow. Fire works and gun go off and we all shuffle into the dark waiting for the crowd to thin out and the sun to come up. Everything is going well and I am staying back and not moving to quick, wanting to keep my energy level high cause Im gonna need it in the end. Half way through the first lap I catch up to Tony Portera and beging to run with him for a bit. His coach, Lisa-Smith has him running slow the first lap. I stick with Tony for a few miles and then pull forward because the pace is starting to hurt a bit. I move out and keep going all the while feeling stronger adn stronger as I go. Everything is great all the way through mile 50 where I hit at about 9:30. Heck even through mile 62.5 I feel great except a small bit of pain in my right knee.

Miles 75-100.

At mile 75 I was fortunate to pick up Charlie as a pacer. Charlie has done over 100 marathons and is a coach for Galloway in VA beach. Charlie kept me going through the night and had great stories to tell the entire time. This is however when the pain sets in big time. The right knee is killing me and the blisters are hurting so bad I can barley walk. But walk I did and stumble i did. Either way, I was going to get to the finish. Walk, running or crawling...it was just going to happen I said. Miles 87.5 to 100 were by far way, way harder than 85-100 in Pinhoti. I had actually never hurt that bad before that i just could barely walk. The end was near, and that is all I wanted, just to finish and be done with the race. Thank God for the volunteers, the others out there and my pacer Charlie, I needed all of you for sure. Finishing in 26:14 I was happy to finish but my inner self still wanted to break 24hrs. Well, maybe next race.

Finish Video

Long Time no Write

2009-04-20T20:07:00.004-04:00

I guess a lot can happen in a few months, in the month of February for example I went to Florida to do a 12hr bike race, Jen, , Jon, Andrew and Bryce all competed in Ironhorse in some distance each. Scott D'Angelo and I crewed, as well as Bryce crewing w/Jon after running the 100k.March was also a busy month as well, Jen, myself and Scott D'Angelo all went to Mississippi to do the MS50. This would be Scott's first leap into the 50 category, he just recently done his first 50k, Pemberton. So I am going to try and do a re cap of all those races in the next few days and make an effort to journal all these happenings. Also, since it is most fresh in my memory I will update my Umstead 100 post!

Ironhorse 100k, 100mile

2009-02-18T20:31:00.002-05:00

Two days to go. Jen and Bryce are running the 100k. Jon and Andrew are running the 100 mile. The 100 has a strict 24hr limit and it will be a tough one. The course will be about as good as they come but things always happen on a long run. I am looking forward to this race, to hang with friends and to wathc my wife kick some serious assssss! More later....

Sebring 12/24hr Bike Race

2009-02-18T19:55:00.002-05:00

Intro: A 12 or 24 hr cycling race in Sebring Florida Starting on the infamous Sebring Race track. 3 loops before sun up and an 89 mile out and back totaling 102 miles, then as many miles that can be had on an 11 mile loops up to 5:30 p.m. Then its the track from there......

What a great idea I thought as Jen told me about this race. I have been in need of a race like this and what better way than to involve my parents as well. Sebring happens to be very close to where I grew up, and in fact we love to go watch the races there. Boy, could I tell some stories!! Either way, I was in for my first ultra-cyclying event, which would pan out exactly like I had imagined. Well, mostly except for the wind.

Race morning began with my usual coffee and breakfast, I then drove to the race start at 4:59a.m. and arrived with enough time to get checked in, tour the "facilities" and line up at the start. The race began promptly at 6:30a.m. in the wee hours before daylight, but everyone else had lights, I did not. We started off quick, 22+ mph in the beginning on the track and it would just get faster from there. We all headed out onto the main roads just as the sun arose and this was a fast bunch of people. I got into the second group of riders as the first (likely cat1 or cat2) took off at nearly 30mph. We settled into 23-26mph with multiple people taking the turn on the pull, all the RAAM qualifiers were on there own, but some of these guys were doing 30 by themselves!

The ride was going well, very well up to mile 80 for me. I was on a 4:20 or so century ride pace and then I slipped back, lost the group and could not catch them. I tried, floundered and was then on my own! This was not a bad thing I guess, this paired me up with the elements, the struggle and the pain. Mile 80- 102 were very windy, very hot, and very long but I decided then I would ride this race by myself from here on out.

The head wind would begin around 10a.m. and would not cease the entire ride. 25mph winds at either your face, or your sides and for two brief 2 miles sections at your back. This was to be my struggle for the rest of the day! 8 loops on the 11 mile course and a finish with two on the track as cool down. My Astrale 8 says I logged 203.17 miles, the results show 200.6, I believe my computer, it is always right so.........

This was a doozie, a new challenge and a great experience that I will forever remember, and probably do again next year. So...Cheers to all that raced and to those who will race next year.

Disney Marathon 09'

2009-01-14T17:45:00.002-05:00

My goal in January is to run a Marathon + every weekend. So far so good. Fat Ass 50k was January 4th, my slowest time yet, but a good run either way. Like I say, good friends always trump a sub par run. As for the Disney Marathon I will have to say ditto. The run started off well enough and I was on my way to a 3:35 marathon with the pace I had been keeping. Disney is not a terribly tough course except for the whole concrete and asphalt thing, the toughest part was the camber of the road. This became evident at about mile 18 when the wheels fell off. Now this phenomenon seems to have been the case for everyone, my wife, Scott D'Angelo, Rico Dorsey, Andrew Tate, Angela Harris all our friends that were there experienced the same thing. PAIN after mile 16. All of those for mentioned are experienced runners and this was a new experience. So I have to say that the concensus for Disney is that I will not bother again. I ran it in 04' did not care for it then and in 09' the rule is not the exception. (Made that one up)

Looking forward to the 30 miler on the AT, Mountain Mist and the 26hr run with my buddy Jon Obst for his 26th b-day. Should make for a great month.

Fat Ass 50k

2009-01-04T18:33:00.002-05:00

A sore disappointment. I have had bad days, I have had good days, but Yesterday was a really, really bad day. From the moment I started running I could not breathe, I could not keep pace and began to experience pain in my stomach area. This would last the entire run. Hamstrings and IT bands would be making an appearance as well. This just made the day! Now I could not keep heart rate, I could not physically run a good pace either. Oh well, I guess that is why they call it a "fun run". Fortunately for me all of our friends from GUTS were there and they were at least the "fun" part. Aside from the run, getting to see everyone for the first time this year was great. As always a well stocked aid station and an ice cold keg make every event just a little more special. Jen was there helping and did a little run herself for a bit. It also seems every time we go to an event we meet more people and acquire more friends. In the end the day it was not a total loss, good company always trumps a bad run.

Yoga

2009-01-04T18:27:00.003-05:00

HTFU you say? Lane is doing yoga? Yup, gave it a shot the other day and it seemed to help with my over used IT bands and my hamstrings. I never once thought I would be caught in a yoga class. Jennifer has tried to get me to go before and I refused. The thing is that I never thought it would do anything for me. Well, I was wrong. That s*#t works man. Either way I have to say I am pretty decent at it from the get go, I did not fall, I did not stumble and I did not stare at girls butts. Jen likes to do yoga in the very front, or maybe just the very front with me ;) Some of the poses were a bit strange but after doing them I could see where they were going and what body parts they were focusing on. I must say that I will probably continue on this yoga road and see where it takes me.

It has begun

2008-12-17T15:54:00.003-05:00

What? What has begun you say? Jennifer has started training again. She is a woman on a mission. A woman with a goal, and a woman I live with. Training with Jen is in its self an experience, or maybe it is not. See I do not train like Jen, Jen sticks firmly to her coaches plans and will not stray. Not at all. As I write this short take on what is going on Jen is out there running in the rain again. I joined her yesterday for a little 8 miler in the rain, but today skipped the run. We have a date tonight anyway, I will see her then. But as for her training she is an animal, she has a goal and will do whatever it takes to succeed. So again, she is off and running. Tomorrow will be another 8 miler and I will join her for that. Unfortunately I do not follow her training paces. I say that because I am sure I would get better if I did. Either way I kind of stick to my run as she pulls ahead for her repeats, time and time again she leaves me in the dust. I catch her on occasion, but I think that is only when she is resting.

I myself had the worst 8 mile run I can remember yesterday. I goofed on a few different levels. I met Arnaldo for lunch at "Caribbean Fiesta" and indulged in a jerk chicken sandwich and a few chicken wings. Whoaaaaaaaa, that is not the proper fuel my body said as I began to run last night. My body was revolting, the lunch, the heavy weight lifting the past three weeks were just not making the run yesterday and easier. I got through it though, one painful step at a time. In addition to that "feeling like a meat head" while running thing, my feet are still wrecked from Pinhoti and Ironman. More likely Pinhoti I believe, the jagged, leaf covered rocks did a number on the bottoms of my feet. The last remnants of broken blood vessels still remain on the bottoms! I guess this weeks runs will determine how well my dogs hold up for the month of January.

So yes, it has begun.... whether I want to participate or not. I will try for the most part to accompany Jen on her runs and enjoy anytime I get to spend with her even if she is a hundred yards ahead and pulling away. This is why we do what we do, why we sign up for these crazy races and why all our friends do as well. It comes down to enjoying the company of others with like interests and goals. So for every person tapering, or taking a bit of time off...your time will come, it to will soon begin.

Snow Skiing

2008-12-13T14:53:00.006-05:00

Man do I miss skiing! Just thinking about that today, realizing it has been now over a year since I have last been skiing. I am just looking at the fact that skiing would have been my first "endurance sport". My family had always done their skiing in one simple way. Be the first out on the mountain, eat quick and keep skiing until they kick you off the mountain! Now as my parents are getting older, being first and last is not so much as important as it used to be. I can appreciate that seeing as this is a great way to spend some time with them. Unfortunately the economy has been in the crapper for the last 2 or so years and my ability to go on a vacation without my lovely wife Jennifer has disappeared. Jen does not care for skiing all that much, however I have managed to get her to go a few times. I really think she loved Telluride!

I love skiing anywhere. I was fortunate enough to have grown up skiing every year in Steamboat Springs, CO and miss it so. ( I hear the Marathon is a great one to!)I have skied Colorado, Montana, Canada, Nevada, and California. I will admit in a desperate moment I even skied in North Carolina. So, skiing is in my blood and until today never thought of it as an endurance sport. Most people would disagree I suppose, but I ski different than most. Balls to the walls, full throttle and as long as I can. I remember in British Columbia there is a ski run that is 7 miles long, I would do that as much and as quick as I possibly could. My goal was to get down faster each time, and to not wreck myself doing so. This I guess is endurance, I would like to think so. Jen would comment on why I had to be first on the lift, first on the run and why do we always have to stay till they close the lifts? I guess I was just doing what I was taught, get as much out of the day as you can while there is still daylight!

The part about wrecking myself is something that is always a possibility. I have had my share of yard sales and thought I had broken limbs, but alas no crash was so sever that I had to go to the hospital. Crashes have occurred in such fury that I actually landed off a jump so hard I thought I had lost my arm. A pinched nerve actually caused my arm to press against my body in a fashion where I lost all feeling for 20 minutes. Watches have been lost, skis have left me on the run while they have journeyed down by themselves. Trees have attacked my knees, and bananas in pockets have been exploded and smooshed. Oh man do I love to ski! But man oh man do I love to run trail. The same experiences can be said for hard trail running. Tree limbs threaten to poke your eyes, rocks smash themselves against you in furious running and falling will smoosh what ever is in you water bottle holder. Roots will grab your feet just like the bumps (moguls) will take you out of your boots if you hit them to hard. Trail running and skiing are very similar in my eyes. My concept of most things is a bit skewed though. Come to think of it, skiing all day and signing up for night skiing that same day sounds like a good idea, to me.

Endurance sports can be viewed in many ways, some more extreme than others. Skiing in my opinion has just become another endurance sport today. Maybe not as extreme as running up the mountain like in the Speed Goat 50K, but if you make it hard, skiing can be a helluva challenge.

Enchiladas

2008-12-13T10:25:00.002-05:00

Today started off great. Jennifer left at 6a.m. to go do a 22 mile run with our friend Jon. Jon is fast, I mean very fast and Jen is trying to get faster. Makes sense that she run with someone other than me right? I agree. I did miss getting to go out with them this morning but I did my own run by myself instead. I left the house with no water, and one gu. It was a very cold morning, the sign by the high school said 28 degrees when I went by on my way out. I looped out and started heading down the road thinking of where I was going and what I would eat for breakfast when I returned. My run took me down hwy 141 and to the turn around where I would head back. I decided to scoot into Medlock Bridge neighbor hood because there is a decent little "tail" that follows a creek in the middle of the neighborhood. I ran that twice until on the last loop I found a soccer ball. Yup, I carried the thing the entire way back. I even kicked it a few times while running. So getting back to my thoughts, what to eat? I was going over what we had at home. Eggs? Bread? Pizza? Oh snap! I remembered we have Trader Joes cheese enchiladas! So at this point my run was going to be shorter than I had anticipated. The enchiladas were calling me home like a horse racing to the stable! Except I had a soccer ball in hand and am really not that fast. I had planned on doing 20 miles today and cut it short at 12. All I can do is blame those enchiladas. Enchiladas for breakfast you say? What a treat, they were delicious. In fact I am sorry that I only had one package, cause' I would have had two! As for the soccer ball, I can pretty much say that Gator and Porter are happy I cut my run short because they are enjoying the soccer ball out in the yard as I speak. :)

Balls. balls, balls and balls

2008-12-11T21:19:00.004-05:00

Balls. The word "Ball" in my house brings up great anxiety, fever and shaking. Oh yeah, this is a good one. The word "Ball" if not said by spelling the entire word out letter by letter will lead to the inevitable crying, howling and barking. Yup, we are talking about Gator Vogel. Gator is our 2 year old American Bulldog. Shes nuts, maybe a little crazy and definitely psycho. She has a passion for chasing and chewing balls that is not unlike a serial killer. She is just frankly plain nuts when it comes to a ball. My point? Well here we go. Sunday December 7th, we go to play ball with the dogs a park next to the Chattahoochee River. Both Gator and Porter are loaded up, anxious and ready to go. We have done this many, many a time. We go to the wide open field by te river and throw the ball so both our pups can get some much needed exercise and burn off some steam. Gator goes at 120% and Porter goes at 65%, that is why they are great together. kind of like yin and yang. Elvis and Costello....ha..ha j/k Anyway, the dogs are doing the exercise and Jen and I are the ones getting ready to have heart failure. See even though it was just 42 degrees, Gator nearly gave herself heat stroke. Yeah...unreal I think now, but at the time our only "daughter" can't walk and is getting googly eyed. A very scary scenario, and we were petrified. We managed to get her cooled down and back to normal but still rushed her to the vet. She was fine, no problems, and ok. Whew....

Oh yes my point. This is a running/endurance blog right?

My point is that what would one do if their passion, their sport was taken away? What would you do if you can't run, ride, exercise for that matter? Would you go crazy, would you become sedentary and obese? Think about how lucky we are as humans, and runners and athletes that we can do what we do. Gator is on lock down until we feel she can run/chase balls again. Why is this relevant? It happens to be a greater cause issue, maybe I have found something that is not touched on all that much. What about the folks out there that are unable to run, that can't ride a bike. What are there options for exercise and fulfillment in being healthy? Both my wife and I are blessed with the ability to experience life with sports and exercise, there are many out there that can not. Today, I feel I should find a cause that focuses on such a thing and make an effort to do something more constructive with this life. Maybe I can be apart of something greater than one person.

FAT ASS 50K

2008-12-11T15:33:00.004-05:00

What a way to start off the month of January. Since having moved to Georgia in 04' and becoming more in tune with my running self I look forward to the tradition of "The Atlanta Fat Ass 50k". This year is to be no exception, every year the goal is to be faster than the year before. The goal sounds do-able right? Sure it does if one were to set down some ground rules for training with the goal to be getting faster. This means training in a fashion that produces results based on past runner experiences. Maybe read a book, ask some questions, check out a blog or two. Or this could be just pulling a rabbit out of your hat. I for one enjoy the rabbit scenario, the idea that one can increase their ability based solely on their will is a interesting concept. Granted it is unconditional at best, foolish for certain, and ill advised to say the least. Though for some reason my preference is to dig into that hat and find a rabbit.

Fat Ass starts at 8a.m. on what is usually a very cold morning the first week of the new year. The run takes place on the roads and trails around Kennesaw Mt in and around Atl. (Can't give the specifics) the trail is relatively moderate with some nice climbs, some granite rocks and one nice little creek crossing. The GUTS people are the best anywhere, and the aid station is rockin'. I will have to note the main reason for the return to this race by far is all the friends we have made in our little running group. 500+ members now!

So my goal:
Sub 5hr
Last try had me at 5:14, and this time God willing, we will get under the mark. Now there are some really fast buggers out there like Mike Cosentino, Marty Coleman and Jon Obst to name a few, but they are not of my concern.(Friend Sally Brooking is injured, other wise she'd wipe the course with me to) The race in my head will be against yours truly and the clock. Ultimately the goal is just to have a few minutes at the end to have a Sweetwater on draught and share some good times with friends.

Cheers to Fat Ass 50k!

Keys 100

2008-12-11T12:55:00.003-05:00

The Keys 100 Ultramarathon, "A miserable run through paradise" or so it is called by Jared. Miserable is relative considering time passes, pain goes away and blisters heal. All things considered, this was a very good race. So good in fact that in my humble opinion I have to say the folks putting this race together and the participants enjoying the race are by far some of the greatest people I have had the pleasure meeting and becoming friends with. So then why am I not doing the race in 09'? Simple, my lovely wife Jennifer Vogel is much better in heat, on asphalt than I could ever desire to be. She is the champion road runner in our family and I will not dispute those facts. I will however be at the Keys 100 with whip in hand, laying down some serious support for my favorite gal. In addition to myself we will have some very, very capable crew this year. Running extraordinaire Jon Obst (2:48 Marry, with no speed work training). Also Scott "Sexy Time" D'Angelo Mr.Ironman @ 11:12,who gave medical aid in Keys 100 08' (thanks for the duct tape). Our last contestant will be the ever versatile James Belyeu water bottle filler pro. Why am i so excited about a race that I am not doing? Jen, she is the reason. Jennifer and I met a wonderful lady out on the course in 08' and she has been inspiring Jennifer and I ever since. Lisa-Smith Batchen please stand up and take a bow! Lisa-Smith is now Jennifers coach, she coached Jennifer to a PR in Ironman this year, a smoking 11:16 on a road bike, and a seconds wetsuit! That is a 3hr19min improvement over last years Great Floridian! So one can see my optimism in looking toward Jens return to the Keys 100.

This next race will be dubbed "A miserably fast run through paradise" I will just be trying to keep up with Jen which I have to say is something I am pretty used to.

12.11.08, More Rain

2008-12-11T11:38:00.000-05:00

Today is yet another day of rain. Today is the reason we have no Christmas lights. Lights short out, then we have half a strand lit, and half a strand dark. No Christmas lights this year for us. Call me a Grinch if you will. Anyway this rain thing sure gets old quick, but it has its advantages in some ways. For instance lifting weights at the gym, when it rains I choose not to run, and am able to go to the gym and do a little weight lifting, and sauna training. Could I run in the rain? Sure but why? Georgia rain is not like Florida rain which is what I grew up with. You know warm rain, not the shivering cold ice rain they have here in Georgia. Either way, the gym is good. I have spent the last few months cannibalizing my muscle and look forward to the idea of gaining back some muscle. Vain? Sure but what the heck, feeling good is both physical and mental right? Yes sirree bob, it sure is. Also I said to myself I would ease off for the month of December and get back strong in January. So far so good, just doing a little running here and there and sometimes keeping Jen company on her track workouts. Although I do less than 2/3 what shes doing I still get to be there. What can I say, training to a list is just not me. Yet. One day I am sure that I will have the opportunity to get better by training with some real kind of focus!

So is there anything planned for December? I really do not think so, just a little running in the orange groves when we go home. Some running down at Ocean Reef next week. Races, no not a single race. I am pretty sure this is a first in a long while. No race numbers to attach, no sleepless night pre-race. Man, this is cool. I think I will enjoy December.

January comes quick, lets see......

January 4th Fat Ass 50k @ Kennesaw
January 11th Disney Marathon
January 24th Mountain Mist 50k

Maybe to keep with the consistency I should make up a run that second week. I am sure I can get my buddy Jon Obst to join me in some craziness. Oh Jon.........Maybe we can figure out something good to fill in that weekend. A marry+ every week in January sound like a good goal.

So it has been said.

How much wood would a wood chuck.....

2008-12-10T17:45:00.000-05:00

My question is simple if you are to look at it in another fashion. How far will a runner run if a runner believes they can run? My thought is pretty damn far. Lets say the average Joe starts running to meet a doctors need, to shed some weight, to get their heart under control. Should this person consider running further than what the doctor prescribes for exercise? By all means no. However lets take the average runner, or triathlete and look at their experiences. In my humble opinion I feel that the human body, once conditioned can do unbelievable things, you just have to ask it to. In other words, you need to believe in yourself. To do amazing things is in our nature, or in human nature I should say. To accomplish what others thought impossible is occurring on a daily basis. Who ever thought a person could run further than 26.2 miles? Who thought that 100 sounded like a good idea? Hell, who thought 350 miles sounded smart? But it is all possible. There are some people in this world that inspire others to do things they never thought they could, and my hat is off to them. I only wish that one day, I have the ability to inspire people to make their wishes, and furthest dreamt thoughts a reality. So until then, I will keep chucking wood and hoping that one day I will make a difference in peoples lives.

Goals to be reached:

2008-12-10T17:38:00.002-05:00

In no specific order

Hollingsworth 100
Double Century under 12 (TBD)
Ultraman
Marathon des Sables 2010 (we are in!!!)
Swim round' Key West
Furnace 508
AT GA-NC out and back (my own idea 80 out and back, 160 total)
Badwater
Misc Hundreds, smaller the better
Western States if I got in
Run across PEI
Grindtsone

more to come......

Marathon des Sables

2008-12-10T16:54:00.000-05:00

This will be the toughest challenge yet. I have over a year to fill in this section. We are so incredibly stoked to find out we are in! Running with friends Lisa-Smith Batchen,Bob Becker, and Jared Knapp. The excitement is mounting and we are over a year away. Both Jen and I can't contain ourselves. So more to come for sure.

Marathon des Sables 2010

Ironman Florida, Pinhoti 100 Mile Run One Week Results

2008-12-10T15:18:00.001-05:00

Everyone has failed at something in life. Everyone has beat themselves up for that failure no matter what the circumstances were or still may be. November 1st-8th could not, and would not be a failure for me. This one begins back in April, 2008.

Umstead, North Carolina April 4th 2008 is the date of the race that would set me on the Ironman/Pinhoti adventure. Umstead is billed as "Just a Walk in the Park". Which essentially it is. Maybe I underestimated the hurt rain and cold can do to a man. Everything was fine for the first 50 miles, I felt great, however Jen did not and dropped at 50. I had a great surge in energy as I will come to find out happens to me at 50 miles. Anyway, I took of like a bolt at mile 50 and ran the next 12.5 fast enough that Jen was not there to see me as I came in. 62.5 down, only three more laps to go! Not so fast there buddy boy! I slipped in the mud and removed the big toenail from the connection and now all the pain was compounding. The chaffing was like raw burger meat and the toe was throbbing. I only made it to 75 miles, failure numero uno. Failure numero dos was the Keys 100 Ultra May, 2008. Made it to 82 miles, dropped but at least I now know my self at 4a.m. at 20 hours. Another day will be the Keys report.

Panama City Beach here we come!! Jen and I headed down to meet our friends Scott D'Angelo and Sarah Thomsen for a little race called Ironman Florida. Super Sexy Time for all is what I say! Anyway what a great weekend, great race great friends and the beginning of an excellent challenge. My goal was to do Ironman on Saturday the 1st in Florida, go home Monday back to work and on to Heflin Alabama that Friday for the Inaugural Pinhoti 100 Mile Endurance Run.

So getting back to Ironman, this was a great, fast course and had done my homework previously by riding the route twice. The run couldn't be that bad and the swim was going to be cool to. I tried my wetsuit on for the first time Friday morning in an early morning swim in the gulf, my 4th swim total for Ironman period. Did I mention I hate to train for the swim? Anyway, I was ready, and now it was just having to wait.

Race Day:

We walked down to the hotel Scott and Sarah were staying in and had some more coffee and plundered their bathrooms a bit before heading down to the 45 degree sand and air. AC/DC was playing loud and the crowd of over 2200 was getting seriously pumped! Now its just an hour or so of getting smacked, elbowed, kicked and scratched to get out of the water. Out of the water in 1:11, good time but little did I know my ever deserving wife was just one minute behind me! Onto the bike in a running jump and moving out pretty good, I was making good time. Just not as good as some of the "Ironman Peletons" I saw cruising past at cheat speeds. Seriously guys, you suck, may all you other races produce dnf's from drafting! Anyway at about mile 60 I got sick. Gatorade and I don't normally mix well and we got together out on the course. Baaaaaad mistake. My speed dropped to about 13 or so for as long as I can remember and orange still stains the road, but the next station was the turnaround. They also had bathrooms, also where I had to spend some time. This is where Jen also saw me on the bike!!! At that point I knew I needed to kick it but was still feeling sick and without any strength. A few miles passed and I was reborn! Paced kicked up drastically and I was back, from mile 80 on I was never passed again and passed about 100 people in the last 15 miles, what a rush. As for Jen, her training really paid off, she came in just 4 minutes after I did! time 5:44

The run begins, and ends. The runs was great, there were some issues at the beginning with breathing but fortunately negative splits were on the menu for the entire day and it just got better as it went on. Our run was through some neighborhoods and a parks, with just a little bit of main drag to throw in some great spectators. Slow marathon, time 4:25, but a finish in 11:32.

Not a bad time knowing I had to leave a bit on the table so i could do Pinhoti the next week.

PINHOTI 100 MILE ENDURANCE RUN

Heflin to Sylacauga Alabama, the Talledega National forest, south end to north end. Rocks, roots, 16,000' +climbs, decent,mud, and leaves covering the "Pinhoti Trail".

More to come........

Lakeland to Babson Park Florida

2008-12-10T14:07:00.000-05:00

Point to point, self supported asphalt and hwy run from Lakeland to Babson Park.

Has anyone done something they never thought they could? Sure everyone has at some point right? This was the day for me. The crazy idea was to run our first "Ultra Marathon" while in Florida with my parents. Jen and I would run, my parents would meet us at the house later that afternoon. I would take 50 bucks, a cellphone and we both would carry water bottles. Distance: estimated 39 miles.

We awake early at 4a.m., have our coffee, and our cereal. Our cereal just so happens to have a endorsement by Dean Karnazes himself. I think its his food company, or he's partners or something. So we officially leave at 6a.m. sharp and head out onto the sidewalks, the grass embankments and the newly paved bike trail in Bartow. The first portion of the run is ok, lots of traffic headed to work on this Friday morning. We make it to the first aid station, also known as a Cumberland Gas station. this is where all the construction workers seem to like to hang out before work, and home to the filthiest bathroom the whole run. We buy water, some candy and get moving. The run along the new bike path leading into Bartow Fl is great. We rarely saw anyone and had a great easy surface to run on. Keep on trucking!

Moving through Bartow was interesting enough, this is the "Main" town for good ole' Polk County Fl-you know; the meth capitol of Florida! We traverse through our aid stations/Racetracks and keep on moving down Hwy98 until we merge into Hwy 60. If you are from Florida, you will know this as the most dangerous road in the state. Lucky for us we were only going a few miles past Lake Wales, that is where it really gets bad. Either way at this point the traffic was getting bigger, and faster. Semis moving at 70 mph, and lots of road kill. Lots of dust and dirt covered the side of the road as we ran toward the oncoming traffic. For some reason paranoia is in my blood, early on Hwy60 taking notice as we ran was an unmarked Sheriff on the other side of the road- he kept going. Whew! Hwy60 is a long, long road with more raccoons, opossums, and other creature that were not recognizable. I still swear we saw a FL Panther on the side of the road hit by a vehicle. Those same vehicles had never seen anyone actually running down the hwy before and they were very confused as to just what the hell we were doing. They only had to deal with it just this once though.

60 just keeps going, and the gas stations/aid stations suck. As we make it into Lake Wales and pass the IHOP I estimate that we have just passed mile 31! Our first 50k! We keep pushing and make our turn onto Hwy27, man it feels good to be on 27! I used to drive this route every weekend back in high school, and could just feel myself getting closer and closer! Hwy27's gas stations all have fried chicken! Every aid station we stop at has Chesters chicken fried up and sitting below heat lamps. MMmmm tasty! No, really we did not go there, just stuck to the crackers, candy, water and sports drinks. Onward we move past the semis, the tractors and the lowriders.

As we round the corner onto alt17 to get to the Lake House we are approached by that same unmarked Sheriff I saw earlier. He rolls down his window and asks if we are the same people he saw earlier in Bartow. We say yes, and he says "holly shit", yall' are crazy! How far ya goin" We respond with about 40 miles, he just shakes his head and leaves wishing us good luck. This is by far the best part of the run, we can see the lake from ontop the hill and every rolling hill is bringing us closer to home. Our last aid station is "Mini Mac's" in Babson Park. I spend my last 5 dollars out of the original 50 on water, sports drinks and candy and press on up the last hill of the run. As we near the turn onto Cody Villa road something makes us keep going, we continue on to the next road and decide to run this one in on the dirt roads through the orange groves.

Home sweet home, we made it. 9hrs 30 minutes, and now 42 miles later we have done it! Our first ultra, our first unsupported ultra run and our pride intact. What a great day, this would be the beginning of seeing just how far we can go.

My First Triathlon

2008-12-10T13:25:00.000-05:00

Cohutta Mountains, Somewhere:
http://pe.southern.edu/triathlon/

Arnaldo San Martin, deserves the credit for this one. Arnie and I decide that we are going to do a triathlon. So after buying my first bike since my Fuji Sagres we get back into riding. A shiny new 2004 Trek 1200. Introductory bike at best, but still a hella bike! We ride in Buckhead, we ride in Stone Mountain and we ride the Vinings. We ride, we ride, we run, we however do no swimming. How hard could it be I said? Well for me it was hard, for Arnie, not so hard-he never went through with signing up. Dork.

So race day arrives, Jen and I head up I75 to someplace we could never find again and proceed get setup. Got my tri shorts on, my cap, and my goggles. The one thing that has been neglected is my ability to swim. Kid you not,the thought of dying was coming to mind. Seriously. after making it 100 yards out, there was gasping, overheating, and beginning to float on my back to stay up. The swim was a killer at only a half mile, the water murky and cold, my dignity on shore with Jen who did not think grown men actually did the doggy paddle.

I love bikes, road bikes, mountain bikes, tri-bikes, cruisers you name it. Love -em. This was the best part, 18 miles total, out and back. The only time that seems to make it to memory is the 57 minutes it took me in the hills. The bike was uneventful to say the least, just a few hillbillies hanging around and a few dogs chasing ya, but all the while and average ride.

4 miles, that's it really. Just 4 miles. Oh crap that was the hardest 4 miles ever! Looking back now wondering why the hell puking at 4 miles seemed ok. My gosh, what a wiener. Anyway 4 miles total, out and back was a pretty easy concept except the fact draining all ones energy in the swim was prone to show itself now at this time. Some kind of start for a guy who calls himself an endurance athlete now. Guess starting somewhere was a requirement! Who knew it would lead to the life lived today.

Today we start the Blog 12.10.08

2008-12-10T13:07:00.001-05:00

Just a little forward info:

My name is Lane Vogel and I am an endurance athlete. I never thought to call myself an athlete before, but that is what I have become. Sometime ago when I was a child I played baseball, a little football, thought I was a Tour De France rider and played around in the pool. That was a long time ago. Sometime after high school I became slightly overweight and decided to get healthy by not eating and drinking so much. Mission accomplished, I got down to 215 and then met my wife Jennifer in 2000. The rest my friends is history. Jennifer was active, I was not so it was a long process for me to become a little more open to exercise. Jennifer and I married in 2002 and I was very thin at this point-down to 175 mostly from working to much and not eating properly-not from exercise. Sometime in 2003 we began training for a marathon (Jen) and a 1/2 marry (Me). We did our first one, The Disney Marathon January 11th 2004. I was wiped, I was hurt and both of us eased back on the running for a bit. Later that same year we headed to lake Tahoe to do yet another race, same deal 1/2 for me full for Jen. This time we really cut back afterwards. So it seems crazy to me know that my first real marathon was only in 2006,
The Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN. That was less than 3 years ago! That was the beginning and the end for me, it is now just trying to see what the next challenge will be. Somewhere in there I also did my first Triathlon, this was in the N.GA mountains and it to nearly killed me. But like I have said, whats next?

Whats next is always up in the air. Whats next depends on what I can "get in to", what fills up and what does not. Also, do the powers that be find me worthy? Whats next is also whats different that is a challenge, that may not have been done by many others. For some reason being a little different matters to me, don't ask why it just does.