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TransRockies Run: Summer Run Camp for Adults and at Least 10 Reasons You Should Consider it

August 22nd, 2016 by Erin Young

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All 500+ runners pumped up and ready to start the 120 mile journey from Buena Vista tomorrow.

I don’t even know how to start explaining the TransRockies Run. How do you sum up 120 miles over six days, with 20,000 feet of elevation gain? My objective here is for you, my reader friend, to believe that you can do such a thing. Because it’s true. And for you to understand why you would want do such a thing.

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Team OAM NOW athlete with the King… Max King. If you don’t know who he is, just pick up any Trail Runner magazine and you’ll find him 5 times.

TransRockies is a unique experience. Starting at Buena Vista, CO already at 7,965 ft elevation, the event kicks off the night prior to the start with a race briefing. Run by Canadians, the tone is set, and from here to the infamous “Stage 7”, everyone here, came to have fun. Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors athlete and TRR finisher, Tammy Shuler advises, “Talk to everyone and don’t take the event too seriously.” You’ll be disappointed if you do. For the next 6 days you are camping under the Colorado stars. Some nights have music, a campfire, s’mores, and even a beer mile for you elites, but every night has showers, dinner, and a slideshow of pictures of the day. There is a shady hangout, post run, where you rub elbows with the elite (Max King and Nikki Kimball are two of my favorites!), and meet people from around the world. This year, there were over 20 countries represented! The people you meet here are people who are good to the core. People who remind you that the world is kind and happy. People who share their chapstick and Body Glide. Read the rest of this entry »

The Biggest Test Yet

August 7th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Kaitlyn Patterson, Team OAM NOW cyclist

Over the past several years, I’ve tackled many athletic challenges I had previously thought beyond my ability. It has been a rewarding journey and it has been fun to learn the technicalities of new sports and become involved in these communities. However, no race or training program I’ve completed yet will compare to the challenge that is staring me in the face right now.

On August 1^st, I began medical school at University of Michigan. After the application process and deferring an additional year, this has been an event in the distance for so long now that it is a bit surreal that it is actually happening.

There has been a lot of information to take in and process this week but there are a couple themes I thought were especially relevant to share here.

Balance

My goal is to continue to train and make it to several mountain bike races through the fall. When I told people this leading up to the school year, I received a range of reactions from derision to support. However, after the first week of orientation, I was pleased with how much the faculty and leadership pushed the idea of balance. With startlingly high rates of burnout, job dissatisfaction and even suicide among physicians, leaders in the field are now acknowledging that the environment can be consuming and toxic. Often retaining a life outside of medicine can be the crucial component to a sustainable career.

I was happy and a bit surprised about this attitude, especially at a school like Michigan. The real test though will come in the next several weeks and months when “drinking from the fire hose” of information begins in earnest. My plan is to utilize an indoor trainer more and to try to be intentional and efficient with my training time. The tricky part is there will always be more information to learn and many competing priorities and I have to figure out where to draw the line. But this line doesn’t get easier to draw after school or after residency so it is something that will take deliberate practice starting now. This balancing act is not unique to me or medical students though. Everyone, especially people trying to balance any level of racing and training with work, family, and other obligations need to practice their own deliberate balancing act.

Imposter syndrome

One phenomenon I have been reminded of this week is imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is a term coined by two American psychologists as a feeling of “phoniness in people who believe that they are not intelligent, capable or creative despite evidence of high achievement.” Attending an elite medical school means I am surrounded by brilliance. It has been great to meet the people I will get to know very well over the next four years as we all take on this challenge together. However, learning about others makes it easy to fall into questioning if I deserve to be here, especially with a relatively non-traditional background.

This phenomenon can be rampant in endurance sports as well. Whether this is racing for the first time or signing up for a new discipline or race distance, it is easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you don’t belong or are not at the same caliber of the people around you. Confidence is a fickle friend that can be easily shaken. However, confidence is one aspect of racing that can be just as crucial to results as training or fueling. It takes exceptional mental discipline to build and protect this confidence and use it for good and not let it grow to arrogance.

Life has changed a lot in the last month and will continue to change and evolve until I can find a rhythm and routine. My hope is I can continue to do the things I enjoy while pursuing a great field but I also realize this will likely be my biggest test yet- mentally, emotionally, and physically. I hope to capture some of my thoughts either here or on my personal blog, but no guarantees, there are only 24 hours in a day.

Overcoming 1,001 Obstacles- An Update from Raquel Torres

July 21st, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Raquel Torres, OAM NOW triathlete

This past Sunday, July 17 I competed in my first Ironman 70.3 in Racine, Wisconsin. After this event, I decided to be more active in sharing my experiences in the hopes it will inspire others to keep fighting for their goals and dreams. I suffered a stress fracture in my right femur at a very critical period on my personal life. Honestly, I spent a long time (Summer 2015-2016) seriously considering retiring from my dream to be an athlete as a profession. I considered finding a regular job, as I did in 2015 almost abandoning my sports career, but my heart would not let me.
I was willing to sacrifice even more to follow my heart, even with lots of noise and my own close family pushing me to abandon my dream. Many people thought that doing this is impossible, perhaps simply expressing their own fears. I make this comment as it has been one of the biggest challenges in my life. I have fought against a thousand and one obstacles: mental, physical, family-related, economic, emotional and even social.

I competed in the ITU Elite level triathlon, classifying for the Central American Games in Veracruz, Mexico in 2014 and the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada in 2015 which was achieved with great sacrifices in pursuit of being an Olympian in Rio. I also competed in more than 20 races internationally and earn the necessary points to reach the world ranking, which is the way to qualify for the Olympics in triathlons. Despite the many obstacles, I believe that trying to qualify for the Rio Olympics was well worth it. By all means, it was my schooling, all this knowledge and experiences is invaluable, and with God all of this only the time will reflect.

In February/March 2016 I came to the U.S. for treatment and they discovered the stress fracture and informed me that the rehab period was going to be VERY slow. Stress fractures typically come from drastic changes in your training, nutrition or training terrain. In my case, it was probably the change from not training for 3 months and then going from 0 to 100 way too fast.

I started running in April 2016 after months off, slowly jogging one minute and increasing the time every 3 days so that after one month I was able to run for 15 minutes without stopping. I continued to increase slowly after that. I committed to catch opportunities, to create them, to read and to gain mental knowledge in the field to develop and grow emotionally. I created a mental plan and got to know myself again well.

Now, after so many people commenting that I should try the 70.3 distance, I decided to try a new thing, I planned a trajectory so that I could do my first 70.3 in Wisconsin.

The Racine IM 70.3, July 17, 2016
Retrospective review:
I arrived on July 15th to Wisconsin to know the area and to train on my new bike which I had only had for two days, but I was happy to try something new with this “machine.” I was focused and I decided to mentally gain as much from this experience as possible, to concentrate on the details and not on the whole environment.
The day before the race I was happy, I would again compete after almost one year, after I had thought never to be able to run again after the injury. On this occasion my daughter Chantal and her Dad, Eque were with me, both of whom have been of great support to me.

Raquel with her new bike in Racine

On race day my 4:30 AM alarm went off to prepare for the day. When we arrived at the transition area they mentioned the approaching storm and the possibility that the swim would be cancelled. I just took it in stride as nothing had happened. My attitude was that we have to give our best and focus on what I have control over. Then, they announced that the race would be postponed to 9:30 AM, so we walked to seek refuge at a nearby restaurant. I slept for a bit there and we ordered breakfast since I had only had my light breakfast which is what I usually take before racing, my shake and two slices of bread at 4:45 AM.

Thoughts, good actions and errors:
9:15 AM, we ordered American Breakfast- Over easy eggs, hash browns and French Toast.
The race started at 10:20 AM and I had not warmed up well, with a full stomach and a not so positive attitude, I was almost in shock as I never accepted the idea in my head and heart of this change in the race. Perhaps a way to manage change was to not accept it as real.
A 70.3 Ironman race consist of: 1,900 meters swimming on open water, 90 kilometers (56 miles) on the Bike and 21 kilometers (13.1 miles) running. In this case, they had us do only 30k on the bike using a time trial start, where each athlete leaves 30 seconds apart according to their ranking. I was second to last to start.
The contemplative feeling in my mind and soul was starting to turn off while I was in line to start, which is when I am normally focused with an explosive mind. In this case I was thinking about all the items outside of my control- the wind, cancelled swim, all that went wrong. I allowed these thoughts to dictate the other factors for which I did have control such as nutrition, strategy, respiration and maintaining focus.

Before I started, I had already heard that the route was very very bumpy with potholes caused by the long winter months. Using the aerobars on a street with bumps and with winds gusting from 25-30 MPH was very challenging. The first 10 miles I held a good pace and caught two other athletes who had left before me. I felt fast and strong and am very thankful to my Coach Mark Olson as it is nice to see and feel improvements even in the worst conditions. However, I was honestly riding very uncomfortably as I was afraid to fall. I was not able to take more than one Gel and I did not have water as I left it behind thinking I wouldn’t need it since they had shortened the race distance, my stomach hurt and I did not have the desire to push hard. But after the first 20 miles, I was thirsty and I had no water.

I arrived at T2 comfortably, but I was not happy with myself and when I started to run I said to myself, keep the pace as your coach told you. It has been almost a year since I had run this much only doing 18 k twice. I kept the pace comfortable but I was dying of thirst, I was dehydrated and when I tried to eat something or take fluids other than water I felt like I was going to vomit. After the first 10 k I felt like my body was wasting away, I had no energy. I tried twice to take Coke and Red Bull, which pushed me a bit but I had no desire for anything, so I just decided to mentally focus on completing the event. I finished 12th, but I discovered lot of space for improvement.

I think after all, I learned my weaknesses and how to manage situations, and to have a plan A, B and C. I realized the importance of quieting intrusive thoughts and channeling the important and positive. I learned to concentrate on what I have control over, make intelligent decisions even when things change, and not to allow the storm to stop me from rowing in the direction I want to go.

Why Would Anyone Want to Race 100 Miles on a Mountain Bike?

July 8th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Kaitlyn Patterson, Team OAM NOW cyclist

Sometimes it seems that my entire athletic career has consisted of me asking, “Why would anyone want to do ______?” and then proceeding to do it myself and ending up loving it.

When I was a kid I would go to local high school track meets and during the 3200 meter run would ask my mom, “Why would anyone want to run 8 laps? I’m going to be a pole vaulter!” (ha,right). Fast forward several years and I have the 3200m school record and in another few years a 25 lap race is my best event (collegiate 10,000m).

This whole process happened again when I started cycling, then mountain bike racing, and then taking on endurance events (making 35 minute look like small fries). Last year I went to support Alex racing his first 100 mile mountain bike race at Lumberjack 100, a National Ultra Endurance race near Manistee. I had fun watching but it seemed like an overwhelming amount of time to ride, let alone to race fast and focus. However, after a year of confidence boosting mountain bike races, dramatically improved bike handling skills, and Alex claiming it really wasn’t that bad (always dangerous, Alex has a warped version of hard), I decided to give it a shot.

Two weeks before Lumberjack I raced Mountain Bike Marathon Nationals (60 miles) in Columbia County, Georgia. This turned out to be a great pre-Lumberjack test. The course was much more technical and raced slower than LJ. It included hardly any climbing but with constant turning and log crossings there was absolutely no rest. The course was one big 60 mile loop which was definitely a bit of a mental challenge. On top of this, the mercury climbed to 97 degrees during the race. Stan’s No Tubes pro-rider Rose Grant dropped me early in the race which made for a tough and lonely slog with the masters men’s fields. Despite questioning why I was doing it many, many times during the pre-rides and the race, it was a great Lumberjack tune up for fueling strategies and heat management and it actually left me much more confident about racing 100 miles.

The convoluted course at MTB Marathon Nationals

I was excited for LJ because the course is much more my forte with lots of climbing (9000ft total) and really nothing technical. I’ve also raced and ridden at the Big M trails before so I had the benefit of familiarity. Looking at previous years’ results, I figured if I could ride cleanly under 8 hours, I should be able to be in the hunt to win and based on Alex’s times, I should be able to ride under 7:45, barring disaster.

The start was a nervous affair with a mass start of over 400 riders and a very short rollout before hitting the singletrack. I wasn’t ready for the speed of the start and started farther back in the field than I wanted after some sandy, sharp turns and early singletrack. The theme of the first 33 mile lap was patience. I had seen one female in the line of racers in front of me but gaps opened on the singletrack and I was unable to pass slower riders. I watched her group ride away and hoped that wasn’t the last I would see of them. I had to repeatedly to tell myself that it would be a long day and the race was not won in the first half.

Eventually the trail opened up and I joined a strong group of guys including some Traverse City riders I often race with. We were moving well and bringing back plenty of guys but still no sign of the mystery female rider. Averaging over 13mph, I was well over my goal pace and I was impressed she (and I) were riding so fast and I just hoped it was somewhat sustainable.

Finally, just minutes before the first feed zone, I spotted the red jersey I had been hoping for. My group caught her on a climb and she jumped on our train. I got a small gap on the next climb and sped into the feed zone first for a quick camelbak and bottle swap.

Heading onto lap 2, we reconverged and I tried to assess how I could win. We talked a bit and I found out her name was Chase Edwards and she lives in Arizona but grew up in Glen Arbor and I actually knew her family through cross country skiing. We rode the majority of the second lap together and although I was still feeling good, I didn’t want the battle to come down to the final miles of the race.

The last five miles of each lap include some killer climbs that hurt a bit more each lap before a fast descent into the feed zone. I made my break at the end of lap two and again came into the feed zone first, but knew it would be a challenge to shake her for good.

Riding alone with the temperature rising to the high 80s, the final 33 mile lap was rough but I tried to keep focused by chasing down lapped and blown up riders. I willed myself not to look at the distance or dropping average speed on my Garmin but periodically checked behind me with no sight of Chase. It was only during the final miles that I was confident that she wasn’t going to reel me back. I rolled through the finish to win my first 100 miler with Chase just 2 minutes behind.

I clocked 7:27 which was faster than my “best case scenario” time goal and faster than any female has ridden the LJ course before. It was also good enough for 25th place overall.

Alex and Dan Yankus also had great days in the men’s race with Alex taking second behind last year’s winner Brian Schworm and Dan taking fourth behind United Healthcare’s Brad White.

Ultra-distance mountain bike races are definitely unique beasts but they are actually pretty fun, albeit in a masochistic kind of way. It was fun to be able to ride with multiple different groups over the course of a single race with a pace relaxed enough to talk a bit. I also enjoyed the “comfortably hard” pace, patience, and planning the distance requires. Overall, it draws a group of tough, quirky people who are pretty enjoyable to spend a day in the woods with. Between the riders’ support crews and the racers themselves, it is a pretty cool sense of camaraderie out there. And there is definitely a special feeling of accomplishment to finishing a race that takes the better part of a day to complete and having your Garmin turn over 100 miles. So yet again, now I understand.

A race report from MTB Race News can be found here.

The Road to my First Half Ironman

June 20th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Kathy Braginton, Team OAM NOW Multisport Athlete

It is better to look back on life and say: “I can’t believe I did that,” than to look back and say: “I wish I did that.” Last October, I began to think about trying my first half Ironman. Knowing I couldn’t do it alone, I looked to recruit a few family members to join me. I asked my niece if would be interested and got an immediate, YES! My sister on the other hand, dragged her feet until the last day before the price increase. The next step was to find a coach. Athletic Mentors made that decision easy with the introduction of their newest coaching package, the Custom TRI Coaching Subscription. With my weekly training plan laid out for me, I was on way. Let the training begin!

West Michigan offers two half Ironman races in the Grand Rapids area, one in June and one in August. The Grand Rapids Triathlon held in June is known for its flat, fast course. It’s ideal for the new and experienced triathlete alike. With a beautiful swim in the lake-like Thornapple River with virtually no current, to a flat country-road bike course then on to the scenic, shaded run course with loads of local support. This race offers several free clinics leading up to the event, a pre-race swim and pre-ride at the race site the week before, along with an amazing expo. It’s the largest triathlon in Michigan and offers a Sprint, Olympic and Half Iron, all with separate transition areas to give you a small race feel. With a description like that, I decided Grand Rapids Tri was the race for me.

Finding your race day focus

After 5 months of focusing solely on training, how was I going to shift my focus from training to racing? A friend of mine once told me that I had R.A.C.E. written across my forehead. Apparently, that was all I could think about. For the first time in my racing career, I found that was not true. Those letters were now T.R.A.I.N. Being so focused on training, I suddenly realized the racing season was rapidly approaching and I needed to shift my focus once again to R.A.C.E.

Nothing happens without focus. To gain my race day focus, I searched for a local race to use as my warm-up race. I chose Double Time Triathlon, hosted by Spirit Racing. It is staged at the Nazarene Church Camp on Indian Lake, just east of Vicksburg. Double Time also marked a milestone for me. It was triathlon number 50! After 49 triathlons, you would think I could transition with my eyes closed. However, after a 9 month hiatus, it takes 1 triathlon to refresh your memory, verify all your equipment is in working order, and to confirm you can slip your feet in and out of your bikes shoes without crashing.

With my focus established (or so I thought), it was on to Grand Rapids. When I decided to transition from a race that takes less than an hour and a half to a race that would take approximately 6 hours, I started to rethink everything I thought I already knew. Should I transition this way or that way? How much should I eat? What should I eat? How fast should I bike? How should I hydrate? And most importantly, when am I going to go to the bathroom?

Then the race horn sounded. All the months of swirling emotions: excitement, anxiety, confidence, self-doubt, apprehension, they all drifted away. It was an amazing sense of freedom, as though a huge weight had been lifted off me, and I simply put my head down and swam. I swam 2 minutes under my goal time. My bike time was right at my goal. My total transition time was 3 minutes faster than estimated. Feeling amazing at the start of the run, I took off like I was on the run leg for a sprint distance race. I quickly settled myself down and got into a comfortable pace. I found I really liked the 2 loop run course as it made it easy to cheer on all the other competitors along the way.

As I crested the last hill and into the final stretch of the run, I scrolled my Garmin to display the total race time and distance. The distance read 69.5 miles. That is the moment it really hit me as to what I was about to accomplish….70.3 miles!

The Power of Focused Training

June 19th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Andrew Fathman, Team OAM NOW Multisport Athlete

I’m a very busy person. I always have been and I don’t see an end to my non-stop lifestyle and mentality. Typically this is a good thing because I’m able to efficiently get a lot of stuff done like school, training, and taking time to hang out with friends. This is also a great quality to have in the workplace. However, when you go from incorporating your training into your daily routine, to having to work 60+ hours a week and having to force your training in, it can be hard to stay on top of things. Ever since I started my summer jobs in early May, training has had to take a backseat. While it usually is the pinnacle of my day’s productivity, it is now scraping the bottom of the barrel for whatever minutes I can fit in. Since this is one of the most important race seasons of the year, I knew that I would have to compensate somehow. My epiphany was taking my efficiency to a whole new level.

I try to stay up-to-date on the latest training strategies and techniques, so in the past, I’ve usually just relied on my own brain to come up with a training schedule. However, being conditioned for the “slow and steady” approach to training through high school seasons and the seemingly endless River Bank training, I was not prepared for the high-effort, low-hour training summer requires.

After some research, I realized that my mind cannot come up with the appropriate training schedule week-to-week that would work every area of a race (speed, endurance, finishing, pacing, etc.) in all three disciplines, so I opted to go with a training plan to keep me in check. After some deliberation, I choose Garmin’s level II sprint tri schedule to lead me to great times. And the verdict? It works like a charm. I have never felt like my training is so pointed and specific that I can actually feel the specific section of the race that I’m working on get faster. This training plan takes full advantage of rest days, while also conditioning your mind and body to the rigors that the sport demands. Perhaps the biggest benefit is that the mental strain of finding ways to make myself hurt has been lifted.

Most of my workouts tend to be between the 35-60 minute range, with longer workouts on the weekend, so it fits perfectly into my lunch period. While before I would go out and fill 45 minutes with a run/bike/swim all willy-nilly, now I fill that same amount of time with productive, focused work. I’m now doing more productive work in the same or less amount of time, just by trusting that the training knows what it’s doing. And it does. You don’t need 10-12+ hours a week to get your training done, you just have to employ the luxury of efficiency to get you to where you need to go. I’ve been training fewer hours with more high quality workouts than I ever have before, and this past weekend, I posted my best Grand Rapids Tri time yet.

Andrew took second in the 19 and under category of the sprint distance at GR Tri

Andrew took second in the 19 and under category of the sprint distance at Grand Rapids Triathlon this year

Dirty Kanza 200- An Incredible Adventure and Accomplishment

June 9th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Amy Kimber, Team OAM NOW Cyclist

When my husband told me he wanted us to sign up for the Dirty Kanza 200, I said a lot of things like, “you are crazy, no way, why, not a chance, you can do it without me, I won’t be joining you.” Then one Saturday morning in January we set our alarms to wake up early, fired up our laptops, made some coffee, and impatiently waited for registration to open. The event was full in two hours, and we were both in.

The event is known for being an ultra-endurance off-road cycling adventure. It was created to be extremely challenging, but possible to complete. Every year the rate of finishers is about 50%. The Flint Hills of Kansas are known for their ruggedness and remoteness. With the exception of three checkpoints where racers can meet up with their support crew, you need to support yourself and carry everything you need. Besides the houses in the towns near the checkpoints I think I saw two houses on the entire course. This is remoteness and ruggedness to the extreme!

We did a short 10 mile pre-ride on Friday. The first mile is pavement and then the gravel begins.The course was bone dry, and the gravel was probably 5 inches deep in places. I was concerned about trying to hold a straight line with 1,100 of my closest friends. Overnight some large, somewhat unexpected rainstorms went through. They didn’t hit the entire course, but the first 5 miles now looked completely different. When I lined up Saturday morning for the 6 a.m. start, I was expecting some mud, but I had no idea what I was about to see…

The beginning of a long day and epic adventure

The rollout was slow, and when we made the first turn onto the gravel the road it was unrecognizable. There was a large “river” that didn’t exist the day before, and the dry fields had become large lakes. It took 15 minutes to go about a mile. Then all of the sudden I came to this long muddy stretch that resembled a bicycle war zone. Both sides of the road were lined with hundreds of people, all off of their bikes. At first I had no idea what was going on, until it started to happen to me, chain suck! Mud was getting caught in everyone’s derailleurs and if you didn’t stop pedaling, too much pressure on the chain would shear off the derailleur. I got off my bike and walked into one of the rain made lakes. I was able to clean off the drivetrain enough so that I could ride on.

The first section was full of challenging climbs, rocky descents, and mud! There were so many racers out there, you were never alone. This section made me so thankful for my Cannonball Tires! I bet I saw 100 people changing flat tires. I pulled into checkpoint one at mile 48. I got my drivetrain cleaned up, replenished with food and drink, and headed back on the road for section 2.

One of the may reasons Dirty Kanza is not for the faint of heart

The second section was as equally challenging as the first. At this point it was getting very hot. There is hardly a tree on the course, there were no clouds in the sky, and the temperature kept rising. This was when you started to see people laying in ditches under small bushes, searching for any sliver of shade they could find. The river crossings that I was dreading became a lifesaver, cold water! I put my head down and just kept pedaling. At this point I just wanted to make it to the next checkpoint to see my awesome support crew. Checkpoint 2 was at mile 102. Once I made it the stop was a little longer than I was planning for. The heat was so intense and my stomach was starting to turn. I knew it was more important to cool down and hydrate than to worry about a quick transition time. My overall goal was to finish, I did not care how long it took.

Section 3 was the longest leg of the day (60 miles). It was also the hottest, and there was a brutal headwind almost the entire time. I was carrying 112 ounces of water, and this would not be nearly enough. The carnage on this leg was worse than the one before. There were racers sitting in ditches, under small bushes, and in rivers. On course support is not allowed, and there are almost no cars on these roads, so every time a big van passed I knew it was on its way to pick up someone abandoning the race. I saw a lot of vans this leg. I ran out of water about 10 long miles from the checkpoint. This was about the time I started to question my sanity (not true, that started around mile 1). I started to wonder if I was going to make it. Everyone around me was out of water, everyone was suffering, and every mile my pace seemed to be slowing. Somehow, I finally made it! Checkpoint 3 was at mile 161. The crowds in the feed zones treat every racer like they are a rock star. The overwhelming support is so motivating. Again, I spent far too long with my support crew, but after what I had just went through it seemed necessary.

Amy en route to a coveted DK finish

All day long I was telling myself that all I had to do was “4” bike rides today. That didn’t seem as overwhelming as 206 miles. It was hard to get back on the bike, but now I only had 45 miles left. I mounted my headlight, and headed off for my 4th and final leg of the day.

Thankfully the sun was going down and the temperature was cooling off quickly. This part of the course is by far the least treacherous. The hills are rolling and the roads started to feel more like home. I am a very experienced nighttime gravel road rider so the dark was not a concern. I put my head down, turned over the pedals, and counted down the miles to Emporia. Crossing that finish line was the best feeling I have had in a long time. It was awesome that Eric and I got to finish together. I didn’t have a care in the world about what place I was in, or what my finish time was (16 hours and 52 minutes, rolling average of 15.1 mph), all that mattered was I made it! I was in the 51% that finished the 2016 Dirty Kanza.

Overall, I had an amazing experience. I am happy to report that I never had any nagging issues throughout the day. My biggest concerns were saddle issues, hot foot, heat, and cramps. Around mile 180 my saddle started to become uncomfortable, I thought that was to be expected. The cool river crossings kept my feet from feeling awful, and I just took longer breaks at the checkpoints to hydrate and recover from the heat. I had some twinges in my calves and quads, but never a full blown cramp. My upper body felt great, and my long standing back issue was a non-issue today.

The last few miles Eric and I talked about how this was a once in lifetime experience. We were glad that we did it, that we were going to be finishers, and that we never needed to do it again! On the car ride home we were already making plans to make next years’ experience even better! I could write an entire blog on the beauty of Kansas, but I will let the pictures talk for themselves.

5000 Days

May 12th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

By: Brian Reynolds

On August 10th, 2002, I was a 14 year old Otsego High School freshman toeing the start line at the Ready or Not 5k. The race took place at my old stamping grounds in Otsego, Michigan. The Ready or Not was my second 5k during my early running career. I remember being very nervous and excited at the same time. The race was long, hard, and mentally challenging. The race felt more like a half marathon than a 5k.

Brian’s running streak began in 2002 when he was a 14 year old freshman at Otsego high school

Looking back at the Ready or Not race it was the start of my running career and, most of all, the start of my running streak. Everyday since August 10th, 2002 I have not missed a day of running. You may be asking yourself “Why would you run everyday? Are you crazy?” but don’t worry I have not been diagnosed with any mental issues and there is a reason why I choose to run everyday.

When I ran cross country at Otsego I was coached by Steve Long. Coach Long’s training was based on the Paavo method which was a popular training program used at the high school level. One of the most important lessons I learned from the Paavo method was that to be successful you have to work at it EVERYDAY. Coach Long would encouraged his runners to run everyday because it would make us faster and would be a good motivational tool. Coach Long told us that a run would only count if it was at least one mile long and was completed without any breaks. Only a few of us took on this running challenge. I took on the challenge because I wanted to be a great runner. During that cross country season I did not miss a single day of running.

Running everyday without a doubt had made me a better runner so I decided to continue the streak after my cross country season. During high school it was pretty easy to get a run in during the cross country and track seasons. However, during the winter months when I swam competitively it was a little more challenging to get in a run. During the swim season, I would practice for 2 hour after school then go for a 3 mile run at night. There were some days when I ran in -20 ᷾͒deg F wind chill through 2 feet of snow. On a super cold days my face would be so covered up I could barely get enough air to breath through all the layers of clothing covering my month. However, I did not let poor weather conditions become an excuse not to run. If it was not for the running streak, I probably would have missed several days of running due to bad weather, not feeling good, or lack of motivation that day.

Over the years during high school, college, and post-college it has been amazing to see my progress throughout my running career. The one big life lesson I took out of this experience is that to achieve a lifetime goal or dream you have to take it one day at a time. Big dreams are not going to happen overnight. In fact, dreams can take years, decades, or may never happen. To accomplish big goals you have to set attainable short term goals. Within those short term goals you need to set daily goals. For me a daily goal maybe completing a run workout at my goal race pace. When I accomplished those daily goals I was able to accomplish my short term goals. If you continue to accomplish goal after goal after goal then you may eventually reach your big dream. For example, my big dream was to win a marathon. On day 1 of my running streak I was far from being in shape to win or even be able to finish a marathon. However, on day 3,149 I was able to win the 2011 Kalamazoo Marathon.

Brian took home the Kalamazoo Marathon title in 2011, running 2:34:39

To this day I am still running everyday. My running streak is over 5000 days which spans over 13 years. I have been very fortunate so far to keep this streak alive. There has only been one incident where I almost couldn’t run due to a very bad ankle sprain. Let’s just say I ran some of my slowest runs on that sprained ankle. Running has become so ingrained in me that I do not think twice when I go out for a run. Running is part of my life and identity. I do not see myself quitting anytime soon. So with that said I gotta go for a run, thanks for reading!

After A Year of Resilience Sheikh Claims Second at Strider’s Classic

May 11th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

— By Elaine Sheikh

Strider’s 10 Mile Classic is a race that I’ve wanted to do for a few years now, but have never been able to work into the schedule. This year, it was perfect timing – I’m currently training for the Grand Rapids Half Iron Triathlon and this would give me the opportunity to test my race legs over a longer distance. Before the race started, I chatted with some OAM Now teammates who were doing the 5K. The only other OAM Now athlete doing the 10 miler besides myself was club member Lindsey Lilly. I had never run with her before, so I didn’t know how fast she was!

$Elaine recovered from a pelvic fracture$

Elaine is back running healthy and strong after recovering from a pelvic stress fracture 15 months ago

I was nervous starting this race. Not only was it my first running race of the season, this would be my first running race since I fractured my pelvis 15 months ago. It still feel “tweaky” on a pretty regular basis and I had nightmares of refracturing it when I really put it to the test. Plus, I had completely forgotten how to pace myself for anything that wasn’t a triathlon or bike race! I deployed my usual tact of telling everyone I was out there for a training run. When people don’t think I’m going to race hard, I feel like it takes away a lot of pressure. So, whether or not I plan on racing hard, I will often tell people I just want to enjoy my day. Secretly, I wanted to run under 1:09.

Elaine and Lindsey finish the Striders 10 miler under 70 minutes

As we started, the fastest woman in the pack became obvious. I kept her in my sights the whole first half of the race. It was much hillier than I thought, and a loose gravel mile caused my second mile to be a bit slower than I had anticipated. But, I just kept watching her and didn’t let her pull away. Right before the halfway mark, a man yelled that I was only 20 yards back. This caused my competitor to pick up the pace. I responded, but mile 6 was all uphill and I had been running significantly faster than I had planned on. I was hurting and I started to lose focus as the hills hit me one after another. Just as my breathing was getting completely out of control. At the perfect time, teammate Dave Stebbins, who had been riding back and forth on the course cheering, rolled up. It was pretty obvious that I was flagging pretty hard at that point, but he encouraged me and talked me down so I could get control of my breathing again. Teammates are awesome!

In the end, I never caught the first place female finisher. She crossed the finish line a solid 30 seconds ahead of me. However, I crushed my goal and ran a 1:07:12. Lindsey was the third woman to cross the line at 1:08:27. Way to go Lindsey!

It was a fun day and a great race that I would recommend for anyone looking for a nice spring 5K or 10 miler. I couldn’t be more excited to start another multi-sport season with Team OAM Now!

The result of a year of resilience!

Shuler Takes on Heat and Wind for Boston PR!

April 26th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Tammy Shuler, Team OAM NOW multi-sport athlete

The morning of the race started out very hot considering the weather we have had leading up to race day. 70 at the start of my wave and no wind in Hopkinton. The closer we got to Boston it cooled off and a brisk head wind started about mile 8.

Tammy representing OAM NOW in Boston!

The crowds were amazing! Every year there are more spectators. The spectators give out ice and popsicles, that saved my race. The drinks at the aide stations were warm, and not refreshing. People were cramping and dropping out all along the course from the heat.

Tammy completes a challenging Boston Marathon and posts another qualifying time!

Boston is always a challenging race and this year did not disappoint. However, I finished my best Boston in the last 3, with a 3:53:18, 69th in my age group of 650. This was also a qualifying time in my 55-59 age group.

Next for me is the Mittens Challenge which consists of racing the Wisconsin Marathon on May 7 in Kenosha and then the Kalamazoo Marathon on Sunday, May 8th!