Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Hellgate 100k++ (December 14th, 2013 12:01am)


“You are in, are you sure you want to be?” These are the words that Dr. Horton wrote to me in an email after he received my application in the mail back in October.  Knowing at that point I was a week out from the MMTR and that I had logged a quite a bit of mileage that month, I knew that I would be physically prepared for Hellgate but kept his words in the back of my mind.  There was always that thought on if I could do it. 
Fast forward to December 13th at packet pickup at Camp Bethel.  I see DHO and he welcomes me to the race.  As he is shaking my hand, he tells me “I really want to see you at the finish line but… (there was a second or two pause after he said the word ‘but’) …. “you really have your work cut out for you!”  Again, I kept his words in the back of my mind since I’ve never attempted to run a 100k.  Again, I thought if I really had what it took to complete the race in the allotted time. 

As always, the chow and the pre-race briefing were great. I am always impressed hearing the stories that the seasoned veterans tell, the places they’ve traveled to, the belt buckles earned and the misery experienced.  I am so new to the Ultra community in comparison and just happy to consider myself average although my wife would clinically diagnose me with one or two other things besides “normal”.  During the course of Friday evening, I am pretty sure that everyone was concerned about the weather forecast that was predicted to hit us.  The question was not when but how bad was it going to be.  I was only a few hours into the race when we found out.

Little Mike D and Big Mike D 2 minutes before the start.
0001hrs: Ready-Set-Go.  I hitched a ride with Sniper, Darin Dunham, and his crew of one.  We got to the parking lot sometime around 10:00 or 10:30 and, despite the adrenaline and anticipation, we all tried to sleep the best we could until the convoy of runners arrived at approximately 11:15.  Charlie parked the 15 passenger van directly behind Darin’s vehicle and Horton was doing his pre-race check-in right there so Sniper simply opened the vehicle door, leaned halfway out, and hollowed out our numbers.  We all basically said that was the easiest check in we’ve ever had at a race.  11:30 came along and we all agreed that it was too cold outside to go and take a leak in the wood line (10 feet away).  At 11:45, we shoved our drop bags into Charlie’s van and walked over to the start point.  Sniper questioned the size of my bag and I told him that I had big shoes.  I linked up with “Big Mike” at the trail edge of the running pack, Sarah snapped a quick pic of the “2 Mikes” and Horton said a prayer.  PS-we all need singing lessons.  I ran drafting Big Mike for the first couple of miles until the creek crossing which at that point I think Helen said “Hi” to me right before I was knee deep (ps- I didn’t recognize her without her puffy furry boots on so I may not have acknowledged).  After the creek and the first few miles of climbing during the snowy hours, I was zoned out in my own little world listening to my iPod with everything from DMB to Disturbed.  Irony by the way, the first lyrics from the first random song that I heard at oh-dark-thirty in the morning was from Iron Maiden and it went like this: “Feel the sweat break on my brow, Is it me or is it the shadows that are dancing on the walls”.  I laughed as I was pushing up the hill thinking ‘how appropriate’ and wondered at what point of the course would I be hallucinating due to sleep deprivation.  At the beginning of the race, I had already been up for 19 hours.  When it was all said and done it would be 41-42 hours of being awake.

AS2-AS3 (0133hrs to 0258hrs) - I remember lot’s o’ climbs but nothing to physically or mentally earth shattering.  I felt good and consciously focused on conserving my energy, shortening my strides, and controlling my breathing.  For me, and I am sure the concern for most other runners, the challenge was to not overheat too quickly which would cause us to later freeze at the top of the ridgeline.  Around AS2, I think the temps dropped another 10 degrees.  In there somewhere is where I started seeing snowflakes the size of bib numbers.  I swear I choked on a flake or two because I was running with my mouth open.  My guess is that we got 3-4 inches in some parts of the mountain.  The ground was covered, the sky was filled and I was following tracks instead of orange streamers.  I kept thinking to myself of Thomas Cook’s race report from last years (and the phone call he gave me the few hours before the race started) where he said that the toughest part of the Hellgate course was the first 22 miles.  Having that little nugget imbedded, I was breaking down the race in my mind that I was almost 1/3 of the way done.  Then again, I did the math at AS1 and thought “cool…. I am 1/20 of the way there”.  I am still convinced that running is 70% mental 50% of the time.

 
AS4 (0457hrs) - I changed my wet gloves and one of the workers wiped the rain and sweat off the lenses of my Oakley's with a dry napkin that he had.  I think he felt sorry for me because I was trying to do it with a wet jacket and t-shirt.  I struggled putting my wet hands into a dry pair of gloves and complained to myself that I was burning too much time.  That was the highlight for that AS.  I recall thinking about the happiness I had on numerous occasions at this point when I was running the Promise Land 50k++.

0549hrs - I was thinking how great I was doing with not tripping or falling.

0550hrs - I tripped and fell on a downhill section.  Before I hit the ground I thought ‘this is going to hurt”.  The snow and mud was a good combination on impact.. zero rocks!  I thought that I had landed well but it wouldn’t be until later on in the morning where I found out that Brian Dibeler is an acrobat/contortionist when he’s not running Ultra’s. 

AS5 (0654hrs) - It was just getting to be daylight when I hit the aid station.  I was looking forward to the drop bag so I could change my sweaty t-shirt and drink a knock off 5-hour energy drink.  I saw Blake Edmonson (who was my Angel in disguise a few MMTR’s ago).  He was standing there smiling and had asked how I was doing and what I needed.  I don’t remembered what I mumbled but I think I told him that I didn’t know what I needed and I asked how Todd and Alexis were doing.  I recall Blake telling me that Todd was doing a fun run.  This was almost the 50k point of the race.  Again, I did the math and was a little over 7 hours (not bad for me and almost a 50k PR)

From AS5-AS6 - I did not eat too much prior and was looking forward to the breakfast that I heard would be there.  I remember Rosie asking me if I was a vegetarian but before I could comprehend the words, he stated that I was too big to be one. He handed me a cup and shoved bacon, sausages, and some pizza rolls in there and I went on my merry way up Little Cove Mountain.  Despite the climb that was ahead of me, I actually was looking forward to the walk because that gave me ample amount of time to eat and somewhat digest the cup o’ food. 

Little Cove Mountain ain’t that little.  3 miles up with a 800 vertical gain according to my watch data.  I found myself suddenly happy with my cup o’ food as I pressed forward as Blake walked about a ¼ mile with me.  I guess weakness from hunger is the price you pay for not maintaining a steady intake of calories.  I confess that I am not a big eater and find it difficult many times to force food into my body.  Getting that out of the way, I bumped into Brian Dibeler ½ way up Little Cove Mountain around mile 31 and we snap-linked into each other to most of the way to AS7.  After about 7 or 8 miles of steady running, I had stopped to take a pebble out of my sneaker and I never caught back to him.  I called him an ‘animal’ and he had told me later at the next aid station that the Advil had kicked in.  This 12-13 mile section was a great run for me because I had been ALONE for hours and hours and had not spoken a word to anyone except at the AS’s.  His motivation and great conversation kept me rolling along.  I did witness him tripping on a downhill single track section.  I was so impressed with how he literally had his feet in the air with his head, neck, and beard on the ground (looking backwards) and them rolling to the point when he was back on his feet running without missing a beat.  I gave him an “8.2” for style and grace.  Again, truly impressive!

AS7 (1057hrs) - Yet another knock-off 5 hour energy drink, t-shirt swap, and glove exchange.  This time was the real thick pair of skiing gloves that I pretty much kept on all the way to the finish line.  I did more math and came up with 2/3 of the way completed and just shy of 11 hours into the course.  Demoralizing to think that the elite runners were creeping up to the last aid station and finish line but I am never the one to care about where I rank in the crowd.  I am content with always finishing and nothing more.

About halfway through AS7 & AS8 I bumped into Grattan Garbee and Blanks Blankenship running together.  Blanks was sporting his shiny new Go-Pro camera which was a great idea for such a crappy weather day.  I chit-chatted with Grattan for a moment and he told me that he’d shoot Sherri a note since she was at home in NC sick and could not make the trip with me.  I was grateful.  More math – at the 50 mile point, I was right at 12 hours.  It was at this point where I thought that I knew that I was going to make it considering I only had 16 miles left and 6 hours to do them.  Grattan later got to see me at my all time low point from mile 50-52 when I was puking.  What a great friend he was to ensure that I didn’t quit (which never crossed my mind) and to ensure that I kept moving forward. I did tell him once however that I wanted to take a nap in between my vomit sessions (by the way, I recall seeing part of the hotdog that I ate at AS7).  He tolerated my whininess and pathetic whimpering for about 30 minutes all the way to AS8 where I actually sat down, relaxed and drank some ramen noodles.  After I quickly regained my strength and composure, Grattan pulled me out of the comfortable chair and I waved goodbye to him as I left the very cold and windy AS under the Parkway. 

AS8-AS9 - The “Forever Section”.  I got off the long and windy gravel decent and I caught up to Jack Anderson and Justin Peake which I pretty much drafted the entire 8 mile section.  Everyone can probably agree that the section of the course holds water really, really, really well.  I was back in my groove and feeling pretty good after the challenges of mile 50-52 (as I call my dark miles).  Grattan snuck up behind me and commented that I looked a whole lot better.  One of us asked how much further AS9 was and he said about 1.25 miles.  The funny thing was that I was 90% of the way done with the “Forever Section” before I realized that it was dragging on.  My Suunto by the way measured AS8-AS9 as 8.32 miles. 

"it's all downhill from here"
 
AS9 to Finish - I was right at 15 hours and I did the last section alone.  The next person that I saw was Grattan in his truck on the Parkway.  He told me to stop so he could take my picture.  It felt so great knowing that I was finally in the home stretch and that it was all downhill from there.  The trees at that elevation all had icicles on them from the freezing rain we had all day.  I was thinking how terrible the roads were going to be and was dreading the drive back to the Kirkley in Lynchburg that evening.  At about 1 mile left, I caught up to and passed a runner who looked in rough shape and was borderline hypothermic.  I stopped and talked to him for a second and gave him some encouragement and then focused on completing my goal. 

It had just gotten dark when I was a coming into Camp Bethel. About 100 feet from the finishers clock, Horton yelled out “what’s your number?”, I said “80!” and then he recognized that it was me.  He and Muffy congratulated me as we went inside.  DHO asked if I had gotten my sticker. I told him “Not yet”.  The rest is how the conversation ended:

DHO- Do you deserve one?
Me- You tell me.
DHO- Why yes you do!

Clark handed me my finisher’s bling and I headed to the shower in order to thaw out. I looked forward to catching up with all of my friends and hearing about their experiences from such a special race on such a special day.  Congrats to everyone who started the race!  It takes a special person just to get to the start line.   
 
Below is a snapshot of my times at each Aid Station.  My watch died right at AS 9 and does not cover the last 5 miles.






http://www.extremeultrarunning.com/2013_hellgate/results.html












 

The last 100 meters of the race is below:




Friday, November 11, 2011

Mountain Masochist 50++ Miler race report

MMTR
There was no anxiety level this time which was really odd.  Two months prior I ran my first 50 miler in just under 11 hours so I know that I had what it took to go the distance.  The only real concern of course was the mental challenges associated with the elevation changes and the 12-hour time limit/cut-off times at each aid stations. 
October wasn’t really a good month for running for me.  I only logged 103 miles and 32 of those were a 50k I did earlier in the month.  The longest run that I did in the weeks prior to the Masochist was a 16 miler.  I remember getting one of Clark’s emails stating “I hope you are all tapering”..I thought “heck, I haven’t even begun training yet!”  Nevertheless, once you are registered, you are committed.   
The only goal that I set for this race was to finish; that’s it!  This was Ultra # 7 for me and since they were all different in nature, it was hard to judge where I would be at over the course as far as time was concerned.  I asked so many friends advice about the race but when you ask 10 different Ultra runners the same question “so, how long is the MMTR”, you pretty much get 10 different answers.  Their answers all ranged between 51 and 54 miles.  The advice that Josh Yeoman gave me the day prior was “the race doesn’t really start until mile 29”.  I kept this in mind throughout the morning basically trying to convince myself that I was going to only run a marathon but I had to run 26 miles first to get to the start point. 
0600hrs on race morning- It seemed like if I wasn’t standing in line at the port-o-potty, I was jammed in the bus trying to maintain those last few precious minutes of warmth.  I was very thankful for the warm toilet seat…it’s the little things in life that makes our moral high!  At 0635hrs, I stretched for a few minutes.  At 0630hrs, Horton said the prayer and we were off.  The first 55 minutes of the race was either on the BRP or State Route 501 so I was not a fan of that BUT..I knew that once we hit aid station 1 at mile 5.7, we would all be on the Northward trek!  I did my best to not look at my watch to keep track of time and distance (for mental reasons) and also tried hard to not look at the white boards at each aid station that had distances and cut off times on them.  Creeping up at Dancing Creek at mile 11.2 there was a good size crowd which was motivating.  Why cowbells impact the psyche is beyond my knowledge.  Even better was Terry who shouted “Go Army” to me and seeing Muffy behind the table of food boosted my spirits.  The toughest part of the race for me was between aid stations 3 and 7 (miles 11.2 and 22.3).  I felt real alone during this time and besides the few aid stations over the period of 2-2.5 hours, I don’t recall passing anyone or getting passed.  I recalled thinking about tapping out for whatever reason but I can’t recall why.  Perhaps my mind was spinning with the realization that the race would never end and that I wasn’t even close to being halfway complete.  It wasn’t until I bumped into Blake Edmondson around mile 22 or 23 where my mind started getting back into the fight.  It was perfect timing too because I had just thought “man..20 miles down…I still have a 50k left”.  As we talked and walked up the hills Blake, being a veteran of the MMTR, sort of gave me the mental snapshot of what was yet to come (hills, flat sections, etc..) and told me that if we were at 5.5 hours at mile 26.9 (Buck Mountain) then we would pretty much be good to go for completion unless of course “we totally fell apart!”. 
I got to the halfway point right at 5 hours and 30 minutes.  Keeping Blake’s comment in the back of my mind, I tried not to get delayed.  I spent about 3 or 4 minutes at my drop bag; swapped shirts, tossed on the Sox cap and took a few seconds to enjoy the sun’s rays on the skin…I fell back from Blake but I bumped into Martha, who I continued to play leap frog with for the next 5 hours.  At mile 33.6 – The Loop (in), I got a cup of warm Ramon noodles which hit the spot!!  I bumped back into Blake and thanked him for his subliminal encouragement during the previous 10 miles.  At about 2 miles into the ‘Loop’, I was feeling really good and started passing people (which, for me, is unusual).  I don’t know if it was the Ramon or the fact of knowing that I was over the hump but I passed 7 people in that section.  At mile 38.6 – The Loop (out), was the same deal with the Ramon but this time I washed it down with a half a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon..not sure who provided that but it helped the motivation level. 
From miles 41-50+, Mike, Martha and I all ran together and they definitely helped me out through the tough sections.  We picked off another 4 or 5 runners prior to hitting aid station 15 and with only 4 miles of downhill to go, we were right at about 10:20 hrs into it.  I thought maybe it was possible to get a sub-11:00 and we pushed it pretty hard. Martha took off from Mike and I and after seeing the 1-mile marking on the ground, I was getting so excited knowing that I was actually going the finish my toughest race ever.  With every bend of the road I was anxiously anticipating seeing the end but couldn’t.  Once I began hearing the crowd and seeing civilization in the distance, I knew that it was only 2 or 3 more minutes of running.  My first visual was the clock and it read 10:57; and change…the next was Clark’s smiling face shaking my hand and Horton congratulating me.. It was a victory for completion and a PR for me to try to beat next year.  Next on the bucket list is the Hellgate and the Grindstone. 
Mike ~ Psalms 144:1

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Toxic Leadership

Each and everyday we are surrounded by those that are in positions to make decisions that effect our daily lives.

What are some observations that you have pertaining to bad leaders within your organization or ....what are some characteristics that good leaders have that you wish others would?

~Disclaimer:
“The views expressed in this Blog are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.”    

Monday, November 7, 2011

Intro of MAJ Donahue

I am a native of Massachusetts.  I attended DeVry Institute of Technology in Columbus, Ohio where I received an Associate’s Degree in Electronics.  I enlisted in the Army in 1995 as a 95B (Military Policeman) serving at the 447th Military Police Company, Columbus, Ohio; Law Enforcement Command, Fort Knox, KY; United Nations Command Security Battalion - Joint Security Area, Panmunjom, South Korea and both the United States Army Infantry Center (USAIC) and 988th Military Police Companies at Fort Benning, GA.  I attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Signal Corps in April 2000.  I attended the Signal Officer Basic Course at Fort Gordon, Georgia and in Oct 2000 was assigned to C Co, 82nd Signal Battalion, FT Bragg, North Carolina as a Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) Platoon Leader for 18 months.  I entered the U.S. Army Degree Completion Program in March 2002 and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Campbell University in July 2003.  In May 2004 upon completion of the Signal Captains Career Course I was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division as the Battalion Signal Officer for 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment and, in March of 2005, I deployed with Task Force Devil to Eastern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. 

In April 2006, I took command of C Co, 1BSTB (1BCT, 82nd Airborne Division) where, in June 2007, I led my company with Task Force Devil to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  During that time, I was responsible for a Combat Outpost conducting Full Spectrum Operations with two Route Security Platoons and one Quick Reaction Platoon.  In addition to managing the planning and integration of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets; attack aviation, demolitions, counter surveillance, and 120mm and 60mm mortar fire support, my mission was primarily focused on Counter Insurgency operations along 80 miles of Main Supply Route and Civil Military Operation amongst 8 Iraqi Tribes and within 14 local villages.  Upon successful completion of 24 months as Company Commander, I was assigned to the 10th Iraqi Army Division Military Transition Team (MiTT) for my last three months in Iraq serving as the G6 communication advisor.  After transitioning to Liberty University Army ROTC where I was the Assistant Professor of Military Science for 24 months, I was assigned as the 35th Tactical Theater Signal Brigade where I served as the Brigade Plans Officer for 8 months and then served as the Battalion Operation Officer for the 63rd Signal Battalion for 5 months. 

My military education includes the Military Police School, NBC Defense School, Instructor Training Course, Field Sanitation School, Combat Lifesaver Course, Airborne School, Primary Leader Development Course, Signal Officer Basic Course, Signal Captains Career Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Brigade and Battalion S6 Course, Jumpmaster Course, the Iraq Counter Insurgency Course and the US Army Cadet Command Faculty Development Course.  I am currently in the Intermediate Level Education course until March 2012.  My awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (w/oak leaf cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (w/oak leaf cluster), Army Commendation Medal (w/second oak leaf cluster), Army Achievement Medal (w/ second oak leaf cluster), Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal (w/ bronze star), Korean Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, German Armed Force Efficiency Badge (Gold award), German Parachutist Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, Combat Action Badge, and the Signal Regimental Bronze Order of Mercury. 

I have been on active duty in the Army for 16 years traveling all over the world and my goal is to serve 20-22 years then I will think about retiring.  My personal goals are completing my Doctorate Degree as an Educational Specialist (two classes remaining) and also in Educational Leadership. My military goals are to attend Ranger school, and be a Battalion Commander.  


ATW,
MAJ Michael J. Donahue
NIPR: michael.j.donahue@conus.army.mil
SIPR: michael.j.donahue@us.army.smil.mil
 http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=611841446


~Disclaimer:
“The views expressed in this Blog are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.”