tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-314943422024-03-06T20:59:08.227-08:00Here's the DealUltra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494342.post-5871948796538903952010-01-07T11:30:00.000-08:002010-01-07T11:34:55.149-08:00Howdy friends and neighbors. time for my annual post to this blog, and also time for the final installment of the Mother Road 100 ultra marathon on Route 66 in northeast Oklahoma. I am approaching my training with a new enthusiasm which i hope will carry me to the 100 mile finish line. As you may recall, in the 2008 race i only made it to mile 42, and in the inagural race in 2006 i completed the entire 100 miles.<br /><br />the 2010 race will be in November. you can check out the details at www.motherroad100.com.<br /><br />i will try to update the blog as my training progresses, but i make no promises. happy running....Ultra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494342.post-82576782111226324552008-12-07T13:35:00.000-08:002008-12-07T13:49:02.876-08:00OK. So the Mother Road 100 (2) didn't go as well as I had hoped. I didn't do much training for it, so what was I to expect. My training pretty much consisted of a couple 5 mile runs in the summer, a 5 mile walk, and a 4 mile walk. I did a proper pre race carbo load at about 8:00 a.m. of 3 or 4 beers. You can find a picture of my big belly and the rest of me, and my lovely wife Sarah, enjoying a cold pre-race beer at trail zombies blog, somewhere around the date of November 6 or 7, 2008. Sarah crewed for me and my buddy Brian and does a great job. she seems to always know what I need before I even have to ask. She is the best. She also picked up another runner to crew for that had no other crew and was running the same pace as me, so we were running together for a number of miles. Even after I had dropped and my friend Brian had dropped, our adopted runner Michelle was still going, and Sarah was still taking care of her. <br /><br />It is probably a miracle I made it 42 miles with my considerable lack of training. I was probably not going to make the 50 mile cut-off time (although there was some confusion as to what the cut-off time actually was) so dropped at mile 42. Going to start back at the basics of running again. I am going to do my best to get out with the Runners World Store training group as often as possible and see if I can get a decent time at the Oklahoma Memorial Marathon in April 2009. <br /><br />Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all who happen by this blog. Here's to a fine 2009!! Cheers!Ultra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494342.post-75055348724868327852008-11-06T17:44:00.000-08:002008-11-06T17:46:25.851-08:00OK. I have completed my training and the Mother Road 100 part 2 is this weekend. I have not trained very much, but hope to make the distance before the 30 hour cutoff. I will update this blog with my results in a few days.Ultra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494342.post-39373699362775719512008-01-03T13:51:00.000-08:002008-01-03T14:18:11.094-08:00OK kids, I took a year off from any serious, or semi-serious, or remotely serious training. Now it is time to kick it into high gear as I have just registered for the Mother Road 100, Part 2 (MR2), scheduled for November 2008. This is a 100 mile ultra marathon on old Route 66 (yes, it is on pavement)in the western part of Oklahoma. I know that any of you who are ultra runners that might happen to read this probably prefer trails, but not me. I have tried the trails and everytime, without fail, no matter how much stretching, massaging, training I do, my ITB will get so sore I cannot run. About 8 or 9 months before the Mother Road 100 Part 1 (MR1) I attempted a 50 mile trail race. I made it about 30 miles and DNF'd becasue my ITB was so sore and inflamed that I wasn't able to run and barely managed to walk to the start line. I wasn't able to do any training for about 8 weeks afterwards. Needless to say, my training for MR2 will not include trail running. That is a real shame too, because I love the outdoors and the trails and hiking and camping. Just can't seem run the trails though.<br /><br />I don't mind the pavement. I have never had an injury due to running on the pavement. Have had some close encounters with cars, dogs, bicycles as we all have, but have never had an accident or injury. (I am knocking on wood as I write this). <br /><br />Over the past year I have gained about 20 pounds and lost a lot of the fitness I had acheived. I am confident I can get back to an appropriate level of fitness to complete the MR2.<br /><br />I will share my training journey with anyone that cares to read about it. For those of you who don't run, or don't think they can complete an ultra marathon, here is my background:<br /><br />I am a CPA, an accountant in Tulsa, OK. I am 50 years old, soon to be 51. I sit at my desk all day. I was not an athlete in high school or college. IN fact, I had a triple major in college: studyhall, pool hall and alcohol. I didn't take up running until about 5 years ago, and since then it has been pretty inconsistent. I am a bottom tier finisher, but I am a finisher! Ultra marathoning is as much about mental toughness as it is physical toughness. I am no expert, and actually know very little about the sport of running. I do know that the Ultra Running community is encouraging, compassionate, friendly, supportive, and a bunch of other adjectives (or is it adverbs?). I guess my point is if you want to run an ultra marathon, or marathon, just find a goal race and start training to get it done. Check out the local running stores and clubs and I promise you will find good people, at all ages and skill levels that will help you reach your goals.<br /><br />Happy training!Ultra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494342.post-85162140901092436842007-02-09T04:50:00.000-08:002007-02-09T05:15:01.464-08:00Day 10<br />Weight 195<br /><br />Well friends, if anyone happens to be reading this or following my experience on the Master Cleanse, I have made it to day 10. You will notice there are no posts for days 6 through 9. Mostly because things were the same as days 1 through 5. The flush continues to work well, when mixed with the proper amount of sea salt, the herbal tea laxative works ok, but will sometimes give me some minor stomach cramping in the mornings, but stops once the 'cleanse' is complete in the morning. I have not had any food other than: about a 1 inch long piece of raman noodle, one kernal of corn (which I think I spit out), and one piece of wheel pasta. This was just to taste them before feeding them to my daughter to make sure they were a) not too hot, and b) cooked properly.<br /><br />Honestly somewhere in the day 5-6 range not eating food didn't really bother me. I can sort of see how doing something like this master cleanse could possibly lead to the beginnings of an eating disorder if one were inclined to that sort of thing, or had a history of that type of a problem.<br /><br />Overall, I feel better than when I started, I have more energy, and generally have a better attitude. Due to a hectic work schedule and some pretty lousy weather, other than just a couple of days, I have not had the opportunity to get outside and run or ride my bike.<br /><br />I am really pleased with the amount of weight that I lost and am anxious to see it stays off once I beging eating again. I will write a post for my blog to let everyone know what happens.<br /><br />My plans for coming off the cleanse are to switch to the Michaels Naturopathic Programs Ultimate Detox & Cleanse for about 4 days. I will take their supplements and begin with eating fruits and vegetables (raw, if possible). Once the master cleanse is complete you need to replace some of the good bacteria in your system which has been flushed out through the cleansing process and the Michaels program supplements contaiin those things.<br /><br />Overall, this has been good experience for me and I will no doubt do it again. I don't know how often one is suppose to do this sort of thing, but it will be at least several months before I do it again. Total cost for the cleanse was less than $100 for the 10 days, and probably around $80-$85.<br /><br />Thanks for following along, and I hope this helps you.Ultra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494342.post-1170641131126031392007-02-04T17:58:00.000-08:002007-02-04T18:05:31.143-08:00Day 5<br />Weight 202<br /><br />It has been a pretty good day. I looked up the lemon cleanse diet first thing this morning and I think I had been putting two <strong>tablespoons</strong> of sea salt in a quart of water each morning, and the diet listed 2 <strong>teaspoons</strong>. So, I only added two teaspoons of sea salt to my water this morning and nothing seemed to happen other than I drank a quart of salt water. No 'cleansing' this morning at all, so I suppose I just retained the water. I have probably not had all the lemonade I was suppose to have today, but I have been busy cleaning up the garage and the day just slipped away from me.<br /><br />My energy level seems to be increased and I feel good. I still miss eating and get the urge to eat in the afternoons. So far, I have been able to resist.<br /><br />I am thinking about quitting this cleanse after day five and continue with a different cleanse, one that allows you to eat, for 5-7 days. Will just see how I feel in the morning.Ultra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494342.post-1170600667791249082007-02-04T06:42:00.000-08:002007-02-04T07:47:25.320-08:00Day 4<br />Weight 204<br /><br />Things went pretty well today. I seem to get hungry each afternoon, but other than that, being hungry has not really been much of an issue. The morning routine has remained the same, so I won't go into those details again.<br /><br />I haven't felt tired or run down. All in all, things seem to be going ok. I wasn't able to exercise any today due to a too hectic schedule, but might try and get out for a run or bike ride tomorrow. Temps still remain way below normal for this time of year, but at least it looks like we will have some sunshine tomorrow which always helps.<br /><br />I continue to drink 5-6 cups of coffee a day too.Ultra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494342.post-1170472770487625342007-02-02T19:02:00.000-08:002007-02-02T19:27:30.976-08:00Day 3<br />Weight 204<br /><br />Well, I have managed to get through the 3rd day of my master cleanse. I drank a cup of the herbal tea laxative last night before going to bed since I didn't have to be any where too early this morning, in case things got going really well. <br /><br />I slept in this morning until about 8:00 because I stayed out at the Indian Casino until 1:00a.m. and was a little tired. I actually came out of the casino about $800 ahead, so it was worth my while, and of course fun. Anyway, I drank the tea and went to bed when I got home and really didn't notice much difference in my morning due to the tea. I drank the salt water flush first thing, and it worked like a charm again. About half an hour after drinking it, I used the bathroom 5 times (see footnote 1 below) over the course of about 20-30 minutes, and the flush was done, I showered, and went in to the office. I honestly don't see the need for the laxative. Maybe the flush doesn't work as well for other folks, but I will drink it again tonight before going to bed and see how tomorrow morning goes.<br /><br /><br />I drank 8 glasses of the lemonade today (10oz each). I already have my lemonade made for tomorrow and will drink 10 glasses.<br /><br />Today I felt good but got a pretty hungry in the middle of the afternoon. Probably because I ran out of lemons and didn't have any lemonade from 10:00a.m. until 5:00p.m. Probably not the way the program is designed, but hey, life gets in the way sometimes. It is tax season and I have to meet with clients.<br /><br />I have read that day 3 is one of the tougher days, and for me it was pretty tough in the afternoon when I was so hungry. Would have helped if I had planned better and had my lemonade made the night before.<br /><br />The weather here has been below freezing temps for the last few days with some mixture of snow, sleet, and rain so I haven't been out to run. My eight year old daughter and I are home alone this weekend, so unless she goes to grandma's or one of her friends house's to play for a few hours, I won't be able to get out for a run. Might set my bike and trainer up inside the house and do some spin. I am curious how I will feel after exercising.<br /><br />To sum it up, so far so good and I am still bent on going the full 10 days.<br /><br />Now I am off to drink my tea and go to bed.<br /><br />footnote 1: As with any pure liquid diet, pretty much pure liquid comes out. Seems to exit rather forcful as well, so there is some splattering and subsequent soiling of the toilet that takes place. Just wanted to mention this so that everyone can live this experience with me, and you can plan for some additional time each morning to clean the toilet before leaving the house.Ultra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494342.post-1170356862627956782007-02-01T11:02:00.000-08:002007-02-01T11:13:14.203-08:00I am doing a cleanse and thought I would write my account of the experience. I will try to update my blog every day or two and keep you informed of my progress.<br /><br /><br />Day 1<br />January 31, 2007<br /><br />Weight: 208<br /><br />I started the Master Cleanse today, or sometimes called the Lemonade Cleanse or diet. The cleanse process takes 10 days. I think I can give up eating for this period, but I will probably still drink some coffee each day (organic of course). I felt like I needed to do something to jump start a weight loss program and get back on track with my training for ultra distance marathons. Also, lots of stress in my life related to work and finances so I thought what the heck, you know, what can it hurt.<br /><br />Basically, these are the supplies needed:<br /><br />For the Lemonade:<br />Mix and drink 6-12 glasses a day. Here's the recipe:<br /><br />2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice.<br /><br />2 tablespoons of grade B organic maple syrup,<br /><br />1/10 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and<br /><br />8 fluid ounces of spring or purified water.<br /><br />Other supplies:<br /><br />1/2 pound non-iodized sea salt (for the salt water ‘flush’ each morning)<br /><br />a box of herbal laxative (to take at night, before bed, to help ‘get things going’ in the morning)<br /><br />I picked up my supplies at one of the local health food grocery stores. I think I bought enough of everything I will need except for lemons and bottled water. Total cost was about $53. I don’t figure this is too bad since I won’t be eating anything else during this period.<br /><br />Today went ok, although I did drink some coffee. I only had 4 of the lemonade’s but I didn’t get started until almost noon today. Since I have to meet a client tomorrow, I am going to skip the herbal laxative tonight since I don’t know how I will react to it. I never did feel too hungry.<br /><br />Day 2<br />February 1, 2007<br /><br />Weight 205<br /><br />Somewhat encouraged by the weight loss although I suppose it is water retention being released and not real weight loss. Got up this morning and drank the salt water flush. 20-30 minutes after drinking it I needed to use the bathroom and begin the cleanse. Probably had to go 4 times during the next 45 minutes to an hour, then it was safe to shower and go on into the office. Didn't have a stomach ache or dicomfort, just felt like I had gas and needed to go to the bathroom. If you are considering doing this cleanse, I would make sure you either get up early enough to take care of the morning cleanse before having to leave for work, school, etc. or make sure your morning schedule will allow you to go to the bathroom frequently. Judging by this mornings results, I am not sure I need the herbal laxative, but I think my schedule is such for tomorrow that tonight I can take it and if I need to spend some extra time at home in the morning, then that will be ok. <br /><br />I mixed up some lemonade this morning before leaving the house and will do my best to consume the proper amount today. Also I am going to have a few cups of coffee this morning when I get to my office.<br /><br />I occasionally get hungry, but don't feel like I am starving. When I get the craving to eat, I just drink some more lemonade.Ultra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494342.post-1166019181855601502006-12-13T06:11:00.000-08:002006-12-13T06:13:01.856-08:00To read a great account of my Mother Road 100 experience, check out my wifes blog in the links section. (Sarah's Blog) <br /><br />Thanks,<br />SteveUltra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494342.post-1163519412697607862006-11-14T07:37:00.000-08:002006-11-14T07:50:12.716-08:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2414/3412/1600/alva%20mother%20road%20126.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 314px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 231px" height="217" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2414/3412/320/alva%20mother%20road%20126.jpg" width="314" border="0" /></a><br />The Mother Road 100....<br /><br /><br />I started and finished my first 100 mile ultra marathon: The Mother Road 100. It was an experience and personal accomplishment that I am sure will change my life. I don't know whether it was more physically or mentally demanding, but I got it done and am a changed person. I feel like I can conquer anything now.<br /><br />My wonderful wife gave up her goal of running the Tulsa Run in order to crew for me and provide the much needed moral support and cheerleading. The highlight of the race for me was being able to have my her run the last eight miles to the finish line with me. She is awesome and I don't even know how to describe how much I love her.<br /><br />I met some great people at this event: other runners, volunteers, aid station workers, other crew members, medical staff and of course Thomas Hill and Bret Scholar who dreamed up this crazy idea of running 100 miles on Route 66 to commemorate the 80th anniversery of the commissioning of the road.<br /><br />I will write more later. Just wanted to get something up here to make sure I thank all those involved in this race and all those that helped me along the way.<br /><br />SteveUltra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494342.post-1154130788117066032006-07-28T16:17:00.000-07:002006-07-28T17:19:10.096-07:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2414/3412/1600/Steve%20Tulsa%20Run.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2414/3412/320/Steve%20Tulsa%20Run.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Time for yet another entry into my blog. Want to write about my training and some of my intermediate running goals.<br /><br />Finally getting my weekly mileage up a bit. Last week was 40 miles, this week should be 40-45 miles. If you read my previous blog you know that I am entered into the Mother Road 100, which is a 100 mile ultra running event scheduled for November 11, 2006. I don't really have a specific training plan or schedule but I figure I need to get my mileage up. I recovered from my 25 mile run last Saturday without any problems and put 20 miles in on my bike the following Sunday. I feel like that may have helped my recovery. I took Monday off and have logged about 20 miles so far this week running, which includes a 7 mile hill workout. I took today off from running as I will try for another 25-30 mile training run tomorrow and wanted to rest up a bit. I will let you know how it goes.<br /><br />Also, as part of my big picture training, a week after the Mother Road 100 I plan to run back to back marathons. The Oklahoma Marathon on November 18 and the Route 66 Marathon on November 19. Maybe a little aggressive, but will just have to see how well I come off of the Mother Road race. After that, I will keep training and on December 10 I will run the Las Vegas Marathon.<br /><br />The only race I currently have scheduled that is prior to the Mother Road 100 is the Heartland 50 mile race up in Kansas in October. Our trail/ultra running club (<a href="http://www.tatur.org">www.tatur.org</a> ) is putting on a 50k trail race in September in which I will either run in or volunteer. Since I am somewhat of a klutz, I hate to take my chances on a trail run just a month and a half from the Mother Road. Would hate to roll an ankle or fall and break, sprain, or otherwise injure something. Anyway, should be a great race so if you are looking for a trail race in September, check it out. There is also a 25k and a 10k.<br /><br />My ultimate goal at this point, as mentioned in my first blog, is to run Badwater in 2007. I think that would be a fitting present for my 50th birthday! I will turn 50 on January 18 and must say that I am probably in the best physical condition I have ever been in. Perhaps an entire year of celebration would be in order. I will keep you informed of my plans and also keep you updated on my training.<br /><br />Take care...Ultra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494342.post-1153570157641969682006-07-22T04:35:00.000-07:002006-07-28T16:15:17.833-07:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2414/3412/1600/4e35re2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2414/3412/320/4e35re2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Well, here's the deal: I am not a writer, I am not creative, for goodness sake I am an accountant. I want to keep track of some things in my life and this on-line journal/blog thing seemed like it might help me in this regard. I suppose I could buy a notebook and get a pencil and write this all down in a journal but that seems so old fashioned and I wouldn't have the chance to share my life with you. I don't consider myself illiterate but my spelling and sentence structure may not pass an eighth grade test, however I will do the best I can and will attempt to look up in the dictionary the spelling to words that I recognize I don't know how to spell. As far as sentence structure, I apologize in advance for putting sentences together improperly but again I will do the best I can.<br /><br />I don't know who reads these things, or why they read them, but here goes my attempt to become a real-life blogger:<br /><br />For some reason I have lately become somewhat obsessed with running, and in particular ultra running. Ultra running is basically running any distance further than 26.2 miles. I am currently training for my biggest ultra undertaking which will be the Mother Road 100. A 100 mile race which is ran entirely on Route 66. Starts in Arcadia, OK and ends in Sapulpa, OK. Check out <a href="http://www.motherroad100.com">www.motherroad100.com</a> for more info. Following is a brief history of my not-so-illustrious running carreer:<br /><br />About a year ago I started training to run my first marathon. Before that, I ran a few miles every now and then, but nothing consistent. A marathon is 26.2 miles long. A pretty substantial distance to run by most folks standards. I sought out a training program to help me with my goal and found one I thought would work.<br /><br />Some background information: I have never been an athelete. I never ran track. The only organized sport I participated in was baseball which I was honestly not all that good at. I played baseball through my sophmore year in highschool which has been a long, long time ago. Even in my baseball days we didn't really train. Throughout most of my baseball carreer I smoked cigarettes, chewed tobacco, and drank beer. I say this only to encourage those that may wish to start a training or fitness program of any sort, that you don't have to have a background as an athelete or as someone that was once "in shape" and now longs for those days of six pack abs and muscle shirts. That was never me; not then and not now. I did quit smoking and chewing tobacco a number of years ago. I do however, still drink beer. I have also had that 10-20 pounds of spare tire to deal with too.<br /><br />At the end of my four month training period, my wife and I packed our bags and we headed out to Las Vegas so I could run the inaugural New Las Vegas Marathon. It is called "new" because it is the first marathon to actually run down Las Vegas Blvd ("The Strip"). They close down the strip to traffic and thousands of runners take to the street. The start is quite a sight as there is music and fireworks right at daybreak, and then the sound of thousands of runners feet pounding the street. To make an already too long story short, I finished the marathon, never walked and ran a time of 4 hours 47 minutes. Not very fast by most standards, but it is not about winning or racing for me. It is about setting a goal and doing what is necessary to achieve that goal. It is about personal satisfaction and accomplishment. The feeling I got when I crossed that finish line among the people cheering (yes, there are still people hanging around and cheering on the slower runners) is awesome. For just a moment you forget that the winners crossed the line several hours prior and it is just all about you.<br /><br />OK. So my training is going ok for now and I have set yet another running goal. Every July there is an Ultra running event in California called Badwater. This is a 135 mile race through Death Valley. It has been called the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet. Temperatures can reach 135 degrees. Anyway, enough about that for now. Just another dream of mine and I will keep you updated on my progress.<br /><br />Until my next blog, take care.<br /><br />ps: if you want to read a really good blog, you can check out my wifes blog at yahoo 360. i think it is under sarahstrums.<br /><br />take care...Ultra Okiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654426930854555280noreply@blogger.com0