House Of The Sun - Timelapse Over Maui

Borrowed from a fellow blogger. Filmed in Maui, this is a work of art.

TATUR's LipBuster Challenge Sunday June 16

June 16, a Sunday, make your way to the Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness, and come early. Come participate in a running event new to the Tulsa area, the LipBuster Challenge, in which you do not run a predetermined distance, but run for a predetermined time. Like the Snake Run, held in March, where you run for three hours or for six hours, in this event, you run for an hour. That's right--just a measly 60 minutes. No problem, right? Well, here's the challenge--the course is a 1/4 mile out, and then back. You repeat this for an hour. You needed a nice weekend run anyway. But I have to tell you the fun part--the 1/4 mile is UP the hill on the trail that runs parallel to Elwood Avenue, affectionately known as LipBuster.
The swag is good for this first year event. Very nice tech singlets are given to the first 120 runners, and all brave souls who make it up and back down at least two times, are awarded a beefy medal that assures bragging rights among your friends who just don't like hills.

The ladies singlets are royal blue, and the men's are purple. They are gender specific, but we have no problem with a woman opting to take a men's and vice versa.

I have been asked several times about the course. For those who have not ran trailz at Turkey Mountain, this is a great trail for an sweat-fest workout. I have friends who seem to delight in doing repeats here. Knock out a half dozen ups and downs, and you have burned off that cinnamon crunch bagel you had at Panera's. We have made the course exactly 1/4 mile each way to keep it simple. Half of this route is relatively flat (I just LOVE saying that!)


From the start until the electronic tower--about half way--you climb 36 feet. From there, you'll climb right at 100 feet in an 1/8 of a mile. Piece of cake the first time up, but it'll be more fun the next 10 or 12 times.


Here's a view from the near the top looking down. Yes, you can run like the wind going down, but watch your footing. This is where the hill gets it's name. The flatter half is what you'll love. A gradual decline is where you can make up some time, and for the competitive spirited runners, I expect we'll see them flying.
There'll be a well stocked aid station at the bottom with the usual aid station fare. We'll have plenty of first aid stuff too. I've heard rumors of an unofficial aid station and cheering squad at the top as well.

There will be three heats, the first going off at 7:00 am. This heat will fill up soon, as a lot of smart people want to get their hour of hill climbing done before it gets too hot, although I bet there are a few going early just to make sure we don't run out of beer. The second wave is at 8:15, and it is a competitive heat. This is for those who are determined to run for the whole hour, and who think they have a good shot at winning. There will be cash prizes for the top three male and female finishers, and this should be intense. If there was ever an exciting trail running spectatur event, this is it. We may need to put out a "designated throw-up area." The third heat is at 9:30, and this is for people who want to do the event without the fear of getting ran over by those running like their hair was on fire. I, TZ, will be running this heat. I will subject myself to my own torture, and I may or may not spend 60 minutes doing so. (Oh, actually I am sure I will be guilted into going the whole hour!)

So, what's the payoff for doing such an event? Well, cash prizes for the top three in the competive round. These amazing medals (below) for everyone who goes up and down at least twice.

But beyond all that, you'll have bragging rights. And maybe a little souvenir too! Busted lips can be quite fashionable, and dare I say, even sexy.


Well, some sexier than others. Don't miss this event. If you can't see yourself going up and down 136 feet in a 1/4 mile TWICE, then come out and watch. And stay around to laugh at me after 50 minutes of torture. See if you can shame me into going up one more time.

Click here to sign up.

War Eagle Trail Running Festival

I hung out at an aid station yesterday at the War Eagle 50K Trail Running Festival at Hobbs State Park near Rogers, Arkansas. This third year event is the creation of Jeffery Genova with the help of Rush Running in nearby Bentonville, and they've got trail running in their blood probably worse than I do. My buddy Shannon McFarland asked us if we would be interested in manning an aid stop, and it sounded like fun. Our original plan was to camp Friday and Saturday night, and spend Sunday running trailz over there--but the bad weather and heavy rains kind of took the wind out of our sails as far as camping goes, so we left out from Tulsa at 3:30 am and made a day trip out of it. We met up with Shannon's wife Jody a couple of miles away at 6:00 am, and followed her to our place in the woods.


We set up our tents and tables in a light rain, and were thankful we were on a gravel parking lot so standing all day in mud or water was not an issue. John Nobles was on board to help. He would normally have ran the 50K, and would have no doubt placed, but was dealing with a fractured a bone in his foot and sporting a cam-boot with a nice Hefty Cinch-Sak wrapping.

Our oasis was at mile 6, and again at mile 22 for the 50Kers. We brought our TATUR gear out, but other than our tent and banner, everything else was furnished for us. (Except Dana's protein bars, which I am munching on right now--so glad there were some leftovers!)

Heavy rain was forecast for the day--at least 80-90% chances of it. My friend Zach Adams posted on his Facebook wall: "Just left Rush Running Co.... Asked a dude what the chances of War Eagle 50k being cancelled due to severe storms and lighting. His response: "Zero". I love the badassery of trail runners!"

The start of the race was delayed ~30 minutes due to lightning, and we were primed and ready for the front runners. And the rain--it stopped at about 9:00 and was cloudy and 64° for the duration of the race--perfect conditions for June 1st!

Nick Seymour, a TATUR and friend from Yukon, OK blazed through leading the 50K.


After hitting our aid station, they headed across a large gravel parking area and entered another trail here.


The trails looked great--not at all like the muddy mess I thought they would be. My secret plan was to wait until all the runners made it through. My thinking was between the last runner to reach mile 6 at an 17-18:00 m/m pace, and Nick at mile 22 at a 7:00/m/m pace, I would have about an hour to get a few miles in.


James Reeves aka the farmer grazes at the buffet. Dana was in top form serving snacks and drinks like a pro. I almost did not recognize James--clean shaven and short hair.


First female was none other than Lori Enlow another TATUR from Tahlequah, OK. Buth Lori and Nick were running well. Could TATUR sweep the wins in the 50K?? That would be AWESOME, as those Rush Runners have mopped up at our races the past few years. :-)


Royalty passes through. The good king, Mr Eric "EPIC" Steele demonstrates a good standby Karate move.


My favorite Dirt Doll, Coleen cruises through, grabs some fruit, and speeds away.


We got slammed for a while, with clusters of 10-12 runners at a time refilling bottles, grabbing PBJs, Pringles, Oranges, then moving on.


A cool shirt. I've been called that.


Polly comes through, takes a couple of hits of Coke, and gets briefed on how far ahead Eric was. AT this point, I thought she was within striking distance.


Wes buzzes through, and to my surprise, he did not have a beer?? Our usual group from Tulsa was kind of small. We had Wes, Eddie, Polly, Karrie and Eric, and I'm not sure if we had any more Tulsans.


A large group leaves out. Six miles down.


Friendly faces. Julie and Peggy came over from the OKC area to run 25K. Peggy and I do a little "dueling cameras."


Karrie and Eric are enjoying the day running 25K.


One last rush at the watering hole. Check out John's foot skirt. He had picked up the nickname Sled Dawg, and I'm guessing the surfboard-sized skis plate he was dragging around had something to do with that. Injuries suck. I could tell John was aching to run.


Dave was one of the course sweepers. It was nice to have an assigned person to give us a heads up as to where the final runners were. Having been the last runner many times myself, I like knowing someone is keeping tabs on my whereabouts, and making sure there is still aid where there needs to be. David Newman also was sweeping. They took different trailz, and eventually pulled course markings after the 50K runners passed through.


Jody was super at our aid station. She had great course knowledge, which was helpful several times when runners had questions about where they had been and how much further they needed to go.


Mike Rush came by, and John just HAD to have a photo shoot with him. Such passion in their faces. I am puzzled as to why John had a Rafael Robles shirt???


And then I got to run!!


The trailz were soft, with very few muddy spots. If all of the course was like the section I ran, I'd have to call it perfect. The trailz drain extremely well, with just enough small rocks to offset dampness, and pine needles to keep it soft.


I did not have my Garmin, but I ran 30 minutes out, and came back. It was hard to turn around, as each curve invited me to have a look around it. I climbed each gentle incline to get another great picture, and then down the next downhill because it was just such sweet running. I could have gone on all day, but I suppose I had to go back. These trailz are as good as it gets--and there are miles and miles of them. I do know this race has a few longer steeper climbs, but compared to the rocky trailz of Turkey Mountain, these are easy running.


I did not make it back in time to see Nick come through the aid station, but caught him on the trail. He was moving so fast that he is a blur. I have an app on my iPhone which would have shot a clearer picture, but did not have time to find it before he flashed by.


I did get back in time to see Lori, who had increased her lead in the race. I had been given the assignment to man the cowbell, so much cowbell was delivered.


Epic Steele had stepped it up on his second loop. He was on a hunt, and I was sure he would knock down a PR this day. It is apparent that his shirt removal was not due to nipple chafing.


It was a bit calmer as the day wore on. There were far fewer 50K runners that 25Kers, and by 22 miles, they were spread out. But even the last runner was running a good pace. Had I ran, I don't know if I would have been ahead of her.


This sign cracked me up. I saved it for later in this post--after the last runner came through, we packed up our shit and got out of there.

Dana and I needed to get home, so I did not get to see the runners finish, but I did swipe a couple of significant pictures of a couple of TATURs as they finished.


Nick Seymour strolled across the finish line winning handily running 4:28:30--just shy of a PR.

Lori Enlow finished in 5:00:30 winning yet another race. Her time was a PR and a CR. TATURS ruled this race--came to Arkansas and took home the hardware. I have an idea they will return the favor though. Might be the makings of some smack-down.

We had a great time helping out. Hats off to Jeff Genova and Mike Rush, and a host of volunteers for putting on a first class event. And thanks is due to Hobbs State Park for allowing events like this. I can't wait to come back over real soon to spend a weekend running here.

Appalachia Bay Trailz

I thought I'd hunt down a couple of geocaches Monday afternoon. Appalachian Bay on Lake Keystone had two listed, and I headed that way. Should have taken Jake, but he and I had ran a little at Chandler Park earlier, and he just doesn't understand why I stand in the woods looking at my phone instead of running.
I found these on my PC at home, and blowing up the map, it sure looked like there were trailz here. Actually, I did know there were ATV trailz, but thought these would just be muddy rutted out roads, and had never investigated. Crossing a road that led to an island that was technically a peninsula, it looked like these were no more that boring roads.


The long narrow island had a "major" through road for about half the distance, but the side loops were a bit more interesting. Yes, these were somewhat rutted and tilled with off road tire tread, but most of the trailz early on were runable.


Loop after loop brushed the edge of the lake, making for a very scenic trip.


By now, I had forgot about geocaching. My mission was to investigate--running all the way to the end of the island on the west shore, and back on the east side.


This was not a flat island either. I climbed a 150 foot hill, that had several spiderweb trailz blasted out by ATVs futile attempts at ascension. If I had a criticism, it was the brainless trail construction. No, construction is to nice of a word. It was far more destructive than constructive.


Near the south end of the trip, remnants of a couple of oil pumpjacks stood in rusting majesty. Seeing the second one, I was sure I had gone in a circle and was lost, but I consulted my camera and saw it was a different one.


The southern end also had loose sand. My shoes were full, to the point that if I wanted to run at all, I had to empty them. It was like running on the beach, and actually, that's what I was doing for much of the way.


The whole trip, the rev rev rev of dirt bikes and ATVs drowned out the whir of the wind through the trees, and the lap of the waves on the rocks. But on a holiday weekend on an ATV course, I was the guest on their playground.


This is the vies from the east beach. I was heading back with a little over 3 miles done. The loose sand and all the picture taking had me in a time crunch and I needed to make some time back, so I carefully chose trails from the multiple webs that were less sandy.


This in no way meant the return trip was less scenic. At times, it seemed like a run through the jungle, and at times it was a run through the pines.


I'd come here again to run. Next time, Jake gets to go as there are endless swim opportunities. Coming after a brief rain would help with the loose sand problem. Coming on a weekday might avert some of the annoying ATVs and dirt bikes. I guess I should thank them for sharing their playground with me. And next time, I'll find those geocaches.

A field trip to a place with trailz across fields

Our Sunday group, better known as the TOTs (which stands for Training on Trailz) took a field trip today to Lake McMurtry. We ran the trailz on the east side, and had an dozen who ran for 7 or 14 miles on some excellent single track.
Bad zombie did not get a group pic--need to pull my head out. We took the north route first, cuz I think it's purtier. They're both awesome. All the rain had softened things up, and the run was so nice compared to concrete and asphalt.


We ran at about a 12 minute/mile pace, which is about my top comfortable speed. We got spread out a little,  and mark sent us on. Dusti and her friend were a bit back from them and were doing quite a bit of walking, so we went on. I usually don't like to do that, but since there was really only one group today (we probably should have had two) we went on. The three behind us made the rounds, and made all right-hand turns, but found a wrong turn that took them right along the lake shore, and got a bonus mile in. I'm jealous!


The north side trailz have slightly more rocks than the south side, but both are tame compared to other Oklahoma courses.


I lost count of how many turtles we was on the course. Jen had the idea that it might be mating season, and these guys were cruising for babes.


The trailz were slightly more overgrown than when I was here a few weeks ago, and grass and forest growth swiped our legs along the way. This grass is a boarding gate for ticks to grab onto hairy legs. I managed two travelers, the Plate boys had a couple, but I think Jen had the most--which would seem to indicate that she needs to shave her legs.

We finished the north loop in just over 90 minutes, rehydrated, regrouped, and headed out for some more miles. Just Stormy, Brandon, Cameron, Jen, and I went for extra mileage, while Mark, Brynna, and Bob waited around for us. Kristina, Casey, Dusti, and her friend stopped with 7.2 or in Mark's case 8.1 miles.


I think the south loop is easier--I guess because when I camped here, I did it first. The first 2-3 miles do not have any steep sections at all, and seem like a fast course. My pace was a bit faster, but on this side, Stormy was leading the group and he had his fast shoes on. I love the wooden bridges, although there were no water crossings, despite all the rain we've had.


These four would rocket on ahead, and about once a mile, they'd stop to wait for the old guy. Hey--I stopped to take pictures! Gimme a break, would ya?


Spring flowers were in full bloom, and there were plenty of them.


Fiddling with my camera settings was costing me time, so I pocketed the camera and just ran. My second loop was almost exactly the same as my first, although I did slow down a little in the last mile.


On September 22, 2013, I am putting on the inaugural Red Dirt Shuffle--a Half Marathon, and a 10K right here on these trailz. Depending on whose Garmin you wanna believe, the course is 13.9 miles to 15.5 miles. In either case, it looks like it'll be slightly longer than a half marathon, although I might be able to tweak this a little by making a more direct route between trail-heads, and I may be able to choose to take a shorter loop on the north trailz. I won't do it if it makes the course goofy though. If it's long--well, I like to give you a little extra at my races anyway. AN ultra-marathon is technically any race longer than 26.2 miles. We could call the Red Dirt Shuffle a HALF ULTRA. Well, maybe not.

We all had a great time, and I love going to new places to run. We plan on having field trips monthly, or as close to monthly as we can. Don't miss the next one!!