24 hours of running for a worthy cause

Megan Myers was a 14-year-old freshman at Dana Hills High School when she collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest while running a cross-country race in September 2007. Megan died about an hour later at a hospital from what medical examiners later determined was inflammation of a heart muscle, most likely caused by a virus.

I wrote about Megan for the Orange County Register and her story has stuck with me, as a parent and a runner.

The Megan Myers Memorial Fund raises money to help keep such a tragedy from happening to anyone else. The non-profit uses the money to buy automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and donate the potentially life-saving devices to schools. AEDs are toolbox-size devices meant to be used when a person goes into cardiac arrest. They send bursts of electricity to restart hearts that are quivering instead of pumping. The devices, often used in conjunction with CPR, can save lives before emergency crews arrive.

Continuing a tradition I started last year, I will be running for 24 hours straight on a 1-mile loop to raise money for the Megan Myers Memorial Fund. This is strictly a personal endeavor as part of my involvement in the Nanny Goat 24-Hour race in Riverside on May 29-30. Click here for race details.

If anyone is interested in donating money to this great cause, please send a check to:

Megan Myers Memorial Fund
32565B Golden Lantern #123
Dana Point, CA 92629

All donations are 100-percent tax deductible.

To learn more about AEDs and sudden cardiac arrest in youth, check out these web sites:

www.parentheartwatch.org

www.sads.org

And to learn more about Megan, check out her website here


Me at last year's Nanny Goat -- it got warm!

Leona Divide 50-miler

Charlie, Olga me and George the evening before the race near Lake Hughes, northeast of Los Angeles.

New race director Keira Henninger and all of her amazing volunteers deserve props for staging an excellent race that was blessed with perfect weather this year. Keira tweaked the course to add more singletrack, which made the course more beautiful and, in my opinion, more challenging.

I finished in 9:49 and change -- not bad, considering I just wanted to finish and was undertrained. That time put me in the top third of finishers, and despite some severe cramping in my legs that set in past mile 40 or so, my body held up pretty well.

Because I now am devoting more of my running-related writing to the Rundown.net, I mostly will use this blog for photos and short recaps of my runs. Multitasking has gotten the best of me.

Stay tuned for your opportunity to contribute to a GREAT cause as I embark, once again, on the Nanny Goat 24-Hour race at Shelli Sexton's horse ranch in Riverside.

Other images from the Leona Divide 50-miler:


Robert stretches minutes before the race


Pre-race madness




Me at mile 38

Back on track

My "home trail" for training, the Santiago Truck Trail, Orange County

I have three upcoming races and hope to be doing a lot more running than I have in the last six months.

Temporary insanity?

Yes.

Looking forward to Leona Divide 50-miler in April, El Moro 50k (inaugural race) in May, and right after El Moro, a return to Riverside for the 24-hour Nanny Goat! YES!

Still insane?

Yup.

Twin Peaks 50/50

I have signed up for the Twin Peaks 50-miler on Feb. 13 -- a Valentine's Day gift to myself as I work my way back into a more consistent race schedule. Foot and knee issues have kept my running to a minimum recently, but I hope to make 2010 a great running year!

My first ultra was the Twin Peaks 50-miler in January 2007. How can I not do this one? My friend Jessice Deline is the RD. Here's hoping for better weather this year at Twin Peaks! Last year's blizzard-like version was even worse than the recent Chimera 100, which was cancelled after runners got in about 40 miles.

Happy running!

Vibram sweepstakes announcement

I have been lame lately at blog updates. Am getting ready for the Chimera 100 miler (not really) so here's something to chew over, courtesy of the good folks at Vibram:

"Vibram is getting psyched for the winter by partnering with Jackson Hole for the Grip Your World Giveaway sweepstakes from now through Dec. 10 to give away weekly prizes including Burton and K2 snowboard boots, and Vibram Five Fingers.

"One grand prize winner will also win a 5-day trip to Jackson Hole for two, including airfare, hotel and lift tickets. It’s also ridiculously easy to enter (no long forms or excessive fields, etc.), which is a big bonus. Check it out here: http://www.gripyourworld.com/.”

Saddleback Marathon

It's been a while. I have been too busy to keep my postings up to date, but plan to be better about it. Lots of stuff going on.

I have been slacking on the running, so I wasn't sure how I would fare as a first-time runner of Baz Hawley's "magical" Saddleback Trail Marathon. I had never run it before but have volunteered at the race, which starts and ends at Blue Jay Campground in the Santa Ana Mountains off Ortega Highway.

David Whiting and Bill Ramsey

The weather was perfect: sunny, but with the chill of autumn in the air. I also appreciated the relatively late 8 a.m. start, having gotten out of the habit lately of running at insanely early hours of the morning.

I told myself I would take it easy, given the daunting 5,100 feet of climbing (making this the toughest marathon in California, reportedly), but of course I didn't. Because I was feeling good at the start, I pushed myself up the steep, 3-mile climb up the Main Divide that marks the start of the marathon.

Charlie Nickell in his new shirt -- awesome!

From there, I blasted the four or so miles down the at-times treacherous Trabuco Trail -- but since my strength is uphills, I wasn't blasting fast enough and got passed on the downhill by four or five runners, including my buddy Martin "James Bond" Brooks. I am a conservative downhill runner -- I have fallen too many times LOL.

I swung into the Holy Jim Canyon aid station to be greeted by my great friend Keira, who was manning the station solo. It's always great to see the lovely and upbeat Keira during a race. She's a natural motivator and I needed motivation to get up the next stretch of the race -- the 4.8-mile Holy Jim trail, a steep climb with several punishing switchbacks. The Holy Jim trail is one of my favorites when I am out for a "fun" run, but not my favorite when it comes to races.

I ran some of Holy Jim and power-walked through other portions. By the time I got to the top of Holy Jim, also known as Bear Springs, I was in serious need of some fuel/motivation and got it in the form of seeing my buddy Kirk and his fiancee Stephanie, who plied me with some flat Coke and pretzels.

From this point on, I started to get my second wind and felt strong running the roller-coaster-like hills of the Main Divide for about 6 miles, looping back to the top of the Trabuco Trail before finishing the marathon by barreling down the 3-mile-long screaming downhill to the finish line at Blue Jay.

The amazing Tommy Nielsen

I finished in 4:14 and change, good enough for a top 20 finish (I was 16th) which always is my goal. I wasn't in the best of shape but was pleased with my performance. Funny, but I prefer 50-milers -- marathons and 50ks to me seem too much like races; I feel rushed. But as far as trail marathons go, Baz's Saddleback Trail Marathon is a stunner and should be on every ultrarunner's list of must-dos. Great fun, with a close-knit feel to it.

To read David Whiting's take on the race in the OC Register, click here.

Hi pam!