Good News & In Need of a Support Crew

I received some good news on Friday afternoon form my doctor telling me that I could take off my dang walking boot, suck it up, push through the pain, and run! Thankfully all injuries in my ankle are not too serious, or at least I will not further damage anything if I continue to run. So, I decided to lace up that night and run through the pain. Most importantly I wanted to see how painful it would be and how far I could go on it until I hit a breaking point, so I decided to run to my friend’s house in Davenport J, literally. I loaded up my camelback, grabbed my phone, food, and credit card (not knowing if I might need something else along the way). The first several miles were considerably painful, but mostly due to the lack of stretching and flexing of my foot, ankle, and calf throughout the week. On my travels through Durant and towards Walcott the pain began to subside and I was able to run with relative ease. I finally ran past Walcott, but only to lose two of my red flashers along the way. I thought about turning back for safety reasons, but thankfully I packed another head light and put it on. I am pretty sure I looked something like an alien ship hovering close to the ground, but I knew people could see me! The rain began to fall, as my spirits began to fall around mile 18~ thinking I might be pushing a little too hard at this point. Knowing that I probably would not do too much further damage I just slowed my pace and continued on. Finally seeing the glow of the stop lights ahead I gained strength in my head, heart, and legs. At this point I only had a mile and half to go! I finally made it to my destination around 1 a.m. only to be cold, in a moderate amount of pain, and smiling ~ gotta love running!

On another note, I am in desperate need of some sort of support crew for the 100 miler that I am still going to attempt at the end of the month in California (5/27-5/30- we will fly out that Friday night). I really only need 1 person, but more are welcome and I will assist with any monetary expenses that will occur (as much as I can). Your duties as a support crew would include following my hourly schedule and ensuring that I get the proper nutritional supplements along with keeping me hydrated. You would also have to enjoy the California sun and some cold drinks with me when it is completed. If you are at all interested or think you might be able to help me out, please email me at Gabriel.boorn@hotmail.com or call me at 563-210-0872. Thank you!!

"Man imposes his own limitations, don't set any"

-Anthony Bailey

Accidents, Delays, Injuries, Mountains, & Sunshine!

What a hell of a weekend! Everything started off great until I was in my rental car 13 or so miles away from my hotel on Friday night. Some dumb-a**'s got into an accident on the freeway and it took me another hour to get to my hotel. All was good and I was in bed by 1 am, just in time to wake up at 4 am and head to race start! It was a beautiful crisp morning at the base of the mountains as everyone was prepared to begin the journey for the day. We began with an uphill climb at a mediocre grade throughout the first ten miles or so. The sun was out by now and shining bright, providing an amazing view of the valleys and mountain tops as we continued our ascent. From miles 15-20 we were on a single track trail with 2,500' or so climb to the top. Finally we reached near the peak and traversed around the ridge to what I thought was our downhill descent, but only to find another mountain to run the ridge to. The sight was so beautiful and breathtaking that I all but forgot about the calf, quad, and hamstring destructing climb (around 5,000 of elevation gain at this point). As we finally began our descent and passed through an aid station (which amazed me on how they got there) I took a misguided step and pulled the same thing in my right ankle and knee as I did in Arkansas. Pain was sent searing up and down my leg and nearly dropped me to the ground. I was already too far from the last aid station to turn around, and I thought that I might be able to out "run" the pain as we continued on. I meagerly ran towards the next aid station around mile 30 in which I was hoping to get some ice. The last 2 miles before the aid station were dropping at a rate so fast that I actually ran backwards for awhile to try to ease the pain (then considered it to be a little too dangerous, so I turned around). I made it to station 6 and about 30 miles and received the necessary support. As I began to lace up and head out again, I was informed that it was not going to be an option- they were kindly informing me that I would not be able to continue to run based on the condition I was in (in hindsight a good idea). So, I had to end the race early with my tail tucked between my legs as I was swallowed up by another true ultra-runners course. (I will wrap this story up quickly) Post-race festivities proceeded and a couple drinks were consumed and then it was off to the airport in the morning. My flight in the am was delayed, then flew to another airport and had mechanical issues so delayed again, and finally made it to DFW in which my connection home was cancelled! Got stuck in Texas for the night, caught 2 different flights to get to Moline, finally home and to the physical therapist by 4 Monday afternoon! No work, hey not a bad thing, unless you have no more personal days and don’t get paid! Left the therapist in a walking boot and set up an MRI for right ankle. Not the best weekend for this wanna-be ultra-runner, but trying to focus on the chance that nothing major is wrong and I can continue on my path to 200 miles, but beginning to look bleak. I have pictures and videos to upload this week & I will keep you informed on my condition as I clip off each successive doctor’s appointment.

“After all, pain is inevitable. Suffering, however, is optional. Instead of seeking comfort, runners approach the very edge of chaos. As the ravages of potentially debilitating pain take hold, the runner fights to overcome and command the very force that threatens to bring him to his knees. ‘The obsession with running is really and obsession with the potential for more and more life,’ the great runner-philosopher George Sheehan once wrote.”

– Excerpt from RUN! by Dean Karnazes