Deadman Peaks 50 Ultramarathon on the CDT

After what has seemed to take far too long I was finally able to finish a 50 mile ultramarathon this past Oct. 23rd. Nagging illiotibial band syndrome thwarted my success at running any ultramarathons last winter/spring so when the opportunity arose to run the inaugural race of the Deadman Peaks 50 this fall I set my eyes on the goal. This race can be described as grassroots and raw as it is still in its infancy, the course was a challenging 27 mile out and back that traversed along the edges of a steep rocky mesas for the duration of the race, interrupted by a few sagebrush choked valleys and sandstone bluffs in the lower elevation sections of the course. The "trail" was faint, leading us along the path of the Continental Divide Trail outside Cuba, NM which sees few thru-hikers annually. Typical trail race markings were present for the early miles of the race, but the majority of the race we relied on the white tipped wooden spires and abundant and large rock cairns that dot the length of the course on the CDT. The finish rate for those that braved the chilly wind and dark sky in the early morning was around 40%, many entrants either dropped out at the turnaround physically beat from the first leg of the race, or dropped out shortly after, some failed to even make it to the turnaround opting out at the 21 mile aid station. I wouldn't say this was successful overall, my training leading up to this race was inconsistent and my time reflected this. It is my intention to shave 2 hours minimum off my time next year, so photographs and video will likely be nonexistent as my focus will not be diverted from my running. For now, I have the memories of a long and rewarding day running 54 miles through beautiful and remote country. To finish to me was a physical achievement in and of itself, but it was the journey leading up to the finish that will stick with me for a while. Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim is in the works for spring if all goes well.

Oct. 23rd, 2010 marked the inaugural running of the Deadman Peaks 50 mile ultramarathon held on the Continental Divide Trail southwest of Cuba, NM. The "trail" was a challenging route filled with mesa traverses, sage filled valleys, sandstone climbs, short craggy descents, route finding, and general desert mayhem. This is my account from a long day on the trail running. Looking forward to next year and 2 hrs. shaved off my time.

Zombies! Zombies! Zombies!

One of the first frightening images to shake me to my very bones were the undulating, wretched, and grotesque motions of the mindless corpses from the original Night of the Living Dead dragging their pathetic decaying bodies across my screen. I remember staying up way past my scheduled time for sleep to sneak a peak at Tales from the Crypt and other various scaries and boogies that go bump in the television when mom and pops are asleep. The zoned out countenances of the living dead stayed with me for a couple years, yes, deep in the recesses of my mind I knew such a hellish being didn't exist. However, all matters of nature and logic I haphazardly threw out the window and I pulled at the strings of truth and sanity, did hell run out of room and allow the dead to wander the earth? Come to find out, no. But the boundless imagination of a young boy can be tricked into believing anything for a period of time, even through the power of cheap B-grade cinematic horror.

The whole mythology of the zombie returned to me last Sunday morning while running; I was about 10 miles into my 16 mile run when for a split second the activity I was engaged in escaped my mind. The steady release of endorphins, the relentlessly intense focus on the trail ahead, and the tremendous amount of exerted effort to make strategic foot placements amongst the gnarled heaps of sand and stone had quickly sent my mind into an enchanted state of "zombieism". Unlike the late night TV glow induced fears of my childhood, this zombie experience was quite welcomed, I had slipped into a serious groove, where the effort exerted was not perceived as it should have been. I was getting tired and ready to stop running physically, however my mind was quite satisfied with the current situation. Unfortunately this is not a regular occurrence, most of the time I'm convincing myself to "keep moving, don't stop", the incessant dialogue of an endurance participant. When I became aware of what was taking place, I managed to gain composure and perhaps consciousness and finish out the last 6 miles with a smile on my face as usual, for running always brings out this in me, I often throw my hands up with a thankful heart; suffer the joy.

The profundity of my "zombie" like behavior was that which is typically a steady laborious undertaking had for a moment become quite simple and effortless. Mind you all the symptoms of the Pain Cave were present; I was still soaked in sweat like a tripped out ruffian on the downside of a massive high, my calves/quads were pulsating with lactic acid and my lungs were working at capacity as I ascended the increasingly steep hill ahead. Was the momentary simplicity and effortless act of running simply a lapse in reality? When was the last time I became so completely absorbed in an activity where the mind persevered over the body? The only increasingly distant memory is the the marathon printing session I ran in the NMSU darkroom for 24 hours straight, however I have to credit my success at that feat to the abundance of harmful chemistry, a steady diet of diluted developer and fix, my crew member Maren supplying Chicken Express #1 and coffee, and the steady drone of Broken Social Scene playing in the background on loop.

The point I make, which is a long time coming, is that I want more zombie experiences in this life, where the body simply does what is asked of it without strain or without effort, where the mind says "Everything is all good". The act of being so absorbed in what you are doing to the point of effortlessness and pure simplicity is a sensation that rivals any. I imagine talented musicians experience this every time they are wrapped up in the intricacies of a song; dashing their eyes across the lines of music, triggering impulses in their fingers to the corresponding keys on a piano or guitar, emitting pleasantries to the ears of those in attendance. We see and hear pure harmony. Or perhaps the painter whose strokes come without bridled thought or hesitation, what a sensation that must be. Running is this way for some, I'm far from that group of individuals. Although as I wake up in the morning and throw on my trail shoes and take those first steps out onto the desert I look forward with anticipation for more zombie runner moments however brief and fleeting they may be.

Gus the Bodybuilding Navajo or so I thought.

I promise this one will be short(er). Truly the most profound or rather, abnormal situations occur during the most unexpected of circumstances. I was running down the trail the other morning and hadn't encountered any other individuals enjoying the coolness or the solitude, which is oddly typical. But I couldn't help but see the large Lou Ferrigno looking centaur of a man making his way up trail towards me. Now, you have to understand, when I see people on the trail during my runs, they are usually 'outdoorsy' in appearance, you could go as far to say the average garden variety REI type, not that there is anything wrong with that: cute dogs, Nalgene bottles, oversized hiking boots, nature inspired colors and apparel, you get the drift. But this manbeast was quite the opposite, for starters, he wasn't wearing a shirt, nothing too unusual, I go shirtless when running, it does serve a purpose, however this man had what appeared to be two very large sea turtles strapped to his chest. I was mistaken, it was simply his abnormally overdeveloped chest. He was in fact, a body builder as I would come to discover in our 6 minute conversation.

For some reason I stopped, probably cause I needed a quick recovery, and also I wanted to see if his reddish orange skin was in fact a fake tan or if he was a bodybuilding Navajo, honestly I was quite confused. Blast! The tan was fake, not sure if I'm disappointed in that it was fake or he wasn't a body building Navajo, hmm? But what was not fake was this guys' dedication to the "Pools". Now, the "Pools" apparently are the endless number of aquatic lounges that line the Vegas strip, the swim up bars and hangouts for the rich and famous, or people who seek to project the illusion of being of that degree. This juiced up man proceeded to quickly elaborate to me on how he has been training and working out for 9 months for the "Pools of Vegas", so I told him "Right on man! That's awesome" cause to him it was and I was hearing this guy out.

My newfound friend proceeded to tell me while looking off in the distance past me somehwhere, and I quote, minus his slight lisp, "This year I'm going shoitless (shirtless), yeah definitely gonna make that happen, shoitless...the Playmate girls don't go for dudes with the big guts (he gestures), they like them tight abs, this year it's shoitless for me not like last year with the shirt on and all." At this point, I about lost it, lotioned up muscle, the gold necklace, the 90's Oakley shades with the leash in the back, the slicked back hair, short work out shorts and white basketball shoes were too much for me. I didn't know people were so serious about their self image, this guy has literally dedicated almost a year of his life with one goal in mind, taking off a 1/16" of an inch piece of polyester fabric so he can reveal to the Playmates of Vegas at the "Pools" his man flesh.

Come to find out his name is Gus, not joking, he is from Chicago, hence the accent. He was a really cool guy, worked in insurance and planned on purchasing a condo on the Strip below Leo Di Caprio, but according to Gus, Leo keeps buying up entire floors along the strip as real estate investments while the market is down, very environmentally concious of Leo huh? Gus also shared some investment advice, Vegas is hot right now, get in, so is Mission Beach if I can acquire $300,000 now, cause it's gonna double in 3 years says Gus. I could only muster up "Nah, I'm good man, Vegas isn't my thing" what else was I supposed to say to the Gus, I didn't want him thinking I was total nerd.

But I learned a few thing from Gus, if you want to have a good time you gotta hit the "Pools" in Vegas up, and the more virtuous "Gusism" he shared is that anyone can work hard at something and attain it confidently. Gus had more confidence than most individuals I've met, there really was a certain mythical quality about Gus, maybe it was just the timing and circumstance, but Gus seemed sure of himself even when most would quickly assume he was some self absorbed overcompensating muscle head, I didn't see that in him. I'm not really sure where this is going, but I keep thinking about our conversation and the idea of attaining a goal. Our goals differ, the reasons and methods may differ but sacrifice and hard work, confidence are necessary for them all, that is something we can at least relate to and level with. If anything, the run in with Gus reminded me how important listening can be, which is hard for me, just ask my wife. Also, how important good fake tanning products are in achieving that natural look, cause the brother was hurting in that department. Cheers.