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Having completed its first project in the Middle East in the 1950s, EC Harris established a permanent presence in 2000. Its flagship projects since then include the $1.5bn Atlantis on Palm Jumeirah, while it is currently working on Sowwah Island and Saadiyat Islands in Abu Dhabi.
Partner and Middle East regional leader John Williams explains that EC Harris is a built-asset consultancy as opposed to a multi-disciplinary services consultancy. "The whole approach we took is how we interact with our clients' needs, where built assets are an important part of their own portfolio. Our primary driver is to look at those client needs against their built assets, and what solution we can put together to deliver these."
This approach is what differentiates EC Harris as a built-asset consultancy, says Williams. Instead of clients requesting consultants or project managers, "they present us with their specific problems, and sorting out what services are needed is our problem. Of course, we still pitch for cost and commercial or project management work, but actually our relationship with our clients has become much greater, as more and more it involves understanding what makes their businesses tick and their balance sheets work."
Such a 'one-stop shop' approach seems ideally suited to the current environment of cost-cutting and the demand for increased efficiency. "The other thing in this market is that most people begrudge spending on a purchase that is very functional, whereas actually by appointing someone like EC Harris, there is an opportunity to add some value to their portfolio, to save some money, to build things quicker, to get genuinely tangible value out of their assets – that is where we are trying to achieve something," argues Williams.
He adds that, while the market itself has changed, multi-disciplinary consultancies have had to adapt accordingly to keep pace with changing client needs. "In the ebb and flow of boom and quieter times, you do see teams expand and contract. When they contract, they need a more dependable consultant to work with them. When they expand, you maybe opt more for single-service lines, and your internal team will manage it. That is a big change. In terms of the major projects in the market at present, from Qatar to Saudi Arabia, they want someone to manage the programme of works for them. Clients want one person to sort it out, single point of contact and a very senior person to deal with it – actually how you sort it out is the consultant's responsibility. We are going to be seeing more of this," notes Williams.
"So, yes, it is probably a good time for built-asset consultancies. I think another aspect of it that we are starting to see – and this is early days – is that there will be more opportunity to refurbish and reconfigure assets. Maybe in a boom time you knock the old assets down and build new ones; maybe in a time like now you would think more about it. Maybe a five-star hotel is not working – can I get more rooms out of a four-star and raise the occupancy rate? I think that if we have the data that proves build costs and hotel efficiencies, we can get a head start on such opportunities."
In this regard, Williams says about the Dubai market in particular: "We are starting to see more investors looking at partially-built properties. It is interesting. Dubai generally is getting busier – everyone is saying that. Real estate was always the market that got hit the hardest, but the leisure market – hotels, retail – has always been quite strong actually. We are starting to see much more movement now, though not on the scale of the mid-2000s, nothing like that. What we are starting to see here are a lot of projects getting completed, and a lot of areas looking more finished off, even though the rental levels may still be quite low. So there are positive signs here." However, the construction industry itself is changing, and Williams says "we are seeing a real shift from commercial developments to physical and social infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and residential units, though more social housing – these are the sorts of projects that are being announced. In some cases it will require skills sets, and we will bring new capability into the region."
What stands EC Harris in good stead in this regard is its involvement with the schools' building programme in the UK, since cut back due to the government's imposed austerity measures. "Hence we are able to bring some of that capability over here, which is pretty much of the moment in terms of standards," says Williams. This has the added benefit of keeping the region up to date with trends in Europe, "as a lot of thought leadership comes from that part of the world."
Williams explains that EC Harris has about 250 people in the UAE, spread between its Abu Dhabi and Dubai offices. "Our people have become more flexible," he says. Staff retention has been high, which he attributes to the prevailing need for job security. "I think it is possibly true all over the world at the moment: if you say to someone, will you go from what you are doing, and do six months over there, what am I going back to? Security is what people want currently; then we still have an Arab Spring type of situation going on here."
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I once had a Emirates Post employee hang up on me when I asked her to repeat something. That said, the worst is my management company, Kingfield Management... moreSunday, 29 March 2015 6:07 PM - Sarah
The best advantage for T1 is it is in the center of the city. AI go for relocation and then notice only one way flights from India to Maqtoum Aiport will... moreMonday, 30 March 2015 12:34 PM - abusidra
This implies that the Purser could step into the flight deck as the second person with absolutely no experience of the controls, while one of the pilots... moreMonday, 30 March 2015 9:01 AM - Red Snappa
You forgot to mention the sewage pit between JLT and Jumeirah Park and the terrible landscaping in Jumeirah Park The chain link fencing they want to install... moreMonday, 30 March 2015 9:05 AM - An Emaar Fan
I once had a Emirates Post employee hang up on me when I asked her to repeat something. That said, the worst is my management company, Kingfield Management... moreSunday, 29 March 2015 6:07 PM - Sarah
The best advantage for T1 is it is in the center of the city. AI go for relocation and then notice only one way flights from India to Maqtoum Aiport will... moreMonday, 30 March 2015 12:34 PM - abusidra
This is nothing more than another example of greed on the part of Nakheel.
Of course homeowners should be allowed to develop their plots. Nakheel... more
You forgot to mention the sewage pit between JLT and Jumeirah Park and the terrible landscaping in Jumeirah Park The chain link fencing they want to install... moreMonday, 30 March 2015 9:05 AM - An Emaar Fan
@Deborah, sad as your story may be truth is that you were reminded many times (check AB!) that you should never forget the transient nature of your time... moreTuesday, 24 March 2015 1:03 PM - Telcoguy


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Monroe College's Bronx campus is an ideal urban campus located in the bustling Fordham section.
Located in downtown New Rochelle, the Monroe College New Rochelle campus is nestled in a diverse, thriving suburban community in Westchester County.
The scenic Monroe College St. Lucia campus in Barnard Hill Castries on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia combines the best of many worlds.
Monroe's Queens Extension Site is located in the heart of downtown Flushing, a vibrant and ethnically mixed district of Queens.
Monroe's School of Criminal Justice Recognized By Westchester Magazine
March 10, 2015
Though established just over 11 years ago, Monroe College's School of Criminal Justice has expanded rapidly to become one of the preeminent programs of its kind in New York State — if not the country. Read More...
Monroe Soccer Teams Honored By City Council of New Rochelle
March 6, 2015
On Tuesday, February 24th, the Monroe College Men's and Women's soccer teams were honored by the City Council of New Rochelle in recognition and celebration of their most recent winning seasons. Read More...
Monroe's Shirvone Greene is Track & Field Coach of the Year
On Wednesday, March 4, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced its first Region Athletes and Coaches of the Year awards for the 2015 indoor track and field season, as voted by NJCAA coaches — and there were two names that immediately stood out to loyal Monroe Mustangs fans. Read More...
Monroe Culinary at Luzerne Community College ACF Culinary Competition
Wilkes-Barre, PA TBA
… Read More...
Writing Workshop: All About Grammar
203 King Hall – BX 2:15 pm
Good Friday – College Closed

subset: commoncrawl


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Clarion Hotel and Conference Centre
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Calgary, AB T2E 1L4
Phone: (403) 291-4666
Fax: (403) 291-6498
Big Rock Brewery Ltd.
Wanting more of a variety in his beer choices, Ed McNally set up shop and started crafting his own brews in 1985. Today, over a dozen types of beer are brewed to perfection without compromise and use only the finest ingredients available. The brewery is open for tours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 1:30p as well as evening tours on Tuesday and Wednesday at 5:30p. Located at the brewery is Big Rock Grill, the onsite restaurant that offers North American and European cuisine that pairs excellently with the handcrafted brews.
5555 76th South East Avenue
Calgary, AB T2C 4L8
+1 403 720 3239
Earn valuable points toward free nights.


text:
Realistic animated 10-year-old girls are being used to catch sexual predators in the act, and creating moral, legal, and human rights quandaries in the process.
A phenomena known as Webcam Child Sex Tourism—adults logging into sex-chat rooms with minors in developing countries—is on the rise. It is estimated that tens of thousands of adults currently prey on children this way each day, and the number keeps growing according to international researchers.
Last week a team of coders, animators, and researchers announced they had created a solution: a computer-generated 10-year-old girl named Sweetie, intended to catch predators in the act. In just 10 weeks this bit of CGI wizardry and software caught 1,000 predators. But it also raised a lot of questions, like: can you commit a sexual crime against a piece of code?
Why Webcam Child Sex Tourism Is Getting Worse
"It was simply overwhelming, we were inundated, swamped by an avalanche of men," says Hans Guyt, whose organization first deployed Sweetie.
For 10 weeks earlier this year, Guyt and his team at Terre des Hommes Netherlands, an organization that fights child exploitation, worked out of a secret location in a warehouse in Amsterdam. The secrecy is necessary to avoid backlash from culprits.
WCST usually works like this: A customer logs into an Internet chat room and purposely seek out a child to engage with. Some may just chance their luck by trying to find unsuspecting children on Facebook or other non-purpose-built chat rooms. However, the FBI has identified thousands of Internet chat rooms dedicated solely to Webcam Child Sex Tourism. This means that the children in these chat rooms aren't just there for curiosity's sake, or just hanging out virtually with friends and are then unfortunate enough to be lured into a random predator's cyber arms.
"These children are either young prostitutes working from Internet cafes or children who, forced by their parents or other family members, perform sex shows in front of a webcam from their homes," Guyt says. "They surf public chat rooms to establish contact with men."
Once the children make contact, the men on the other end of the Internet connection then pay via PayPal or Western Union Online to watch live streaming video of the children acting out their sexual desires.
The sexual exploitation of children is unfortunately nothing new. But with the rise of cheap, affordable technology like webcams, high-speed Internet access, and online payment methods, now a person can, ironically, safely exploit a child halfway around the world from the comfort of his own living room—which is why WCST has exploded in recent years.
Why Combatting WCST Is So Morally Confusing
But even as this behavior increases, a large portion of the adult customers engaged in it can't be technically classified as pedophilic, a psychiatric designation that is characterized by a long-term primary sexual attraction to prepubertal children. Instead, many WCST customers seem to be people who engage in it simply because the opportunity arises and they get curious.
In other words, if Skype, PayPal, and the Internet did not exist, these people might not be seeking to exploit children in the physical world.
There is no doubt that the 1,000 individuals on the dossiers Guyt and his team identified were engaging in sexual acts (usually including sexual conversations and masturbation via webcam) with Sweetie. However, judging the criminality of such actions gets confusing because Sweetie is not a 10-year-old girl—no matter what she looks like. She's not even a "she." Sweetie is an "it." And it's code.
So I'm left wondering what crime have these men (and women, as Sweetie did have female solicitors) actually committed? Couldn't it be argued that these people haven't broken any laws? Guyt admits that is a valid argument. But, he says, "That wasn't our point anyway. These men had and have the intention to commit crimes against young children and should be stopped before they do. The novel approach that we promote does exactly that."
How Sweetie Was Born Of Code And Conscience
To prototype Sweetie, Guyt and his team first set up a pair of two-member research teams. One member on each team would create a fake profile and imitate a 10-year-old girl named "Sweetie" in chat rooms, while the other team member collected information the customer was revealing through IM messages, which they then used to piece together the real identity of the predator.
But they quickly discovered a (perhaps appropriate) level of paranoia in their marks, who frequently requested visual confirmation that they were indeed talking to a real underage girl and were not part of a sting operation.
That lead Guyt's researchers to get to work on creating an advanced CGI model of Sweetie. The result was a ultra-realistic 3-D model of a 10-year-old Filipino girl that would fool even the most accomplished Hollywood blockbuster animator. The development of Sweetie itself took six months and, though Guyt wouldn't divulge the software or the coding language used to make Sweetie, it's likely that it was rendered in Maya.
The researchers then programed a separate application to control the 3-D Sweetie on command. For the first time ever, while the researchers were having an active IM conversation with the predators, the predators were seeing real-time video of a software-fabricated child typing away at a keyboard.
It's Alive!
The ploy worked. In just 10 weeks Guyt and his team positively identified 1,000 sexual predators before they shut Sweetie down for good and then handed Interpol the dossiers of the individuals they positively identified.
To be sure, Sweetie marks an historic advance in identifying predators. Never before has such a technique been used. Indeed, it could not have been, as previously, in order to make predators believe they were talking to a 10-year-old girl with the confirmation they wanted, they would need to see video footage of a real 10-year-old girl interacting with them live on screen, which would have broken a number of international laws and put the health and safety of the girl at risk.
Sweetie changed all this. But it also raised that question: Did any of these 1,000 predators actually commit a crime?
Can You Commit A Crime Against Code?
Sweetie was never meant to run forever. It was a proof of concept application to inspire global law enforcement agencies to realize how much more could be done to fight child exploitation using advanced technology. It also, of course, was a publicity stunt to bring more attention to the problem of WCST—and at that it was a resounding success.
But besides bringing WCST to light in the press, Sweetie raised other issues that weren't widely reported on––primarily, can you commit a crime against code?
Guyt says that there are too many difficulties in trying to prosecute online predators engaging children in sexual acts for money, which is why a technological deterrent like Sweetie must exist.
"The victims won't come forward. They are either young prostitutes trying to survive and make some money or they are children forced by their parents. They won't come out either to testify against their own families. Secondly, there are no witnesses on the Internet. This is live streaming video and when the perpetrator switches off the computer, the evidence is gone. No victim, no witness, no evidence, no case. We should therefore intervene before a crime is committed. Though the Internet must be free it should not be lawless."
Public chat rooms should be observed, monitored, and patrolled by law enforcement, says Guyt. Once potential predators are identified, police could take the next step by issuing a warning. "This will serve as a deterrent to hundreds of thousands of potential so-called 'casual' pedophiles. It will scare the living daylights out of most of them."
I don't disagree completely with Guyt. Child exploitation and human trafficking are a huge, very real and pressing problem in the Internet age. And he is right that a deterrent like Sweetie to warn predators they are being monitored can scare many so much—especially the more casual one—that they stop for good. To that end, Sweetie is an admirable attempt to use tech for good.
One Step Toward "Pre-Crime" Enforcement?
But taken further Sweetie veers into Orwellian or Minority Report "pre-crime" territory and I'm wondering if any of the predators identified can actually be convicted for exploiting children because, though she looks like a 10-year-old girl, Sweetie can't suffer like one. She is non-sentient code: So, again, where is the crime?
This question is something governments, law enforcement agencies, technology leaders, philosophers, and members of society will have to increasingly debate as technology becomes more adept at identifying potential crime. For now, Sweetie is a good starting point, but its solution is not the only way to use technology to fight child exploitation, as some like Google and their partners have taken a very different approach.
Still, having spoken to trafficking victims in my research and seeing the horrible psychological effects exploitation has, it's understandable that people explore questionable methods to try to stop it. New technology will inevitably always be used by some to inflict suffering on others, and trying to fight that use can seem like an uphill battle.
As Guyt tells me, "Ask anyone who works in the area of cyber crime prevention to describe their job and you'll most likely be told that it's like running to stand still. Just as we all enjoy discovering the benefits that each new wave of digital technology brings us, so to do others enjoy discovering what new criminal capabilities the latest development affords them. We just have to keep on running…"
If you're interested in learning more about Sweetie and support the technology to catch potential predators engaging in Webcam Child Sex Tourism, you can sign the petition here to urge international justice ministers, police chiefs, and child protection chiefs to crack down on public chat rooms where WCST is rampant.
[Images courtesy of Terre des Hommes]
Add New Comment
11 Comments
While the intent maybe noble the truth of the matter is this is unacceptably immoral and the use of such a tool as sweetie is nothing more than a case of entrapment! Furthermore since sweetie is nothing but a code it can not be victimized so any so called offenders identified can not be charged with a crime! Using technology in such a manner is not the way to stop child exploitation. It doesn't address the source and that's how you solve any problem by addressing the source. If I were you Mr. Guyt I'd pray that the authorities do not charge any of those men with crimes against children. Since you purposely designed sweetie to resemble a minor child for the specific purpose of luring predators into your trap. You can be charged with the exploitation of a minor which is exactly what you have done even though sweetie is just a code!
just a fought. if this is a first step in catching them. so has it not came to anyones mind that a cgi of a man should be made to help find these girls and help them?
If a pedophile obtains the binaries for sweetie this and amuses themself, does the pedophile go to jail?
The main problem is that society is somehow wired to try to solve symptoms, not causes.
- As trans said bellow, someone must be pimping. Why?
- The "pedophiles" clearly don't have the same moral values that stop most people from committing these acts. Why?
We can go and keep catching and locking up people until most of the world is behind bars. But why not try to fix what causes people to do wrong things to begin with?
Maybe there's not enough money in that?
Or was Alfred right, and some men just want to see the world burn?
Think it's confusing now? Just wait until neurohaptics and sensory modification advance. Is it a crime for someone to fool their brain into thinking they're having a physical rendezvous with a digital construct with the appearance of a young girl? And if it is, what are the judicial criteria?
Bonus: if it's not illegal in all cases above, would flooding the WCST "market" with free virtual "girls" be effective to undercut the pimps and force them to give up on their cam operations? (Serious question; I have no idea what would happen there.)
The crime is being a pedophile.
Being a pedophile is not a crime.
Having sex with children is a crime.
Does this add up for other people? Something seems off about it. Two things come to my mind:
1. It is so obvious this is CGI. I don't see how anyone would fall for it.
2. Where does a six year old poor girl get a computer with a webcam?
Someone must be pimping, why don't they go after those people? Moreover if these children can just be replaced with CGI, why would any pimp want to bother with the cost of a child? In its own way, this solution for catching predators could be the solution to end exploitation.
Quote: "hundreds of thousands of predators". At that rate, does it occur to anyone that in part this is fighting a biological drive? I'm not sure just labeling these people "evil" locking them up and marking them with the letter "P" for the rest of their lives is an actual solution.
It was never meant to be once aprehended those people become tools used to scare the crap out of the rest of society. So that they blindly support the politicians who claim to want to protect them. Locking those people in prison is just the government's why of keeping all their tools together in one spot until they are needed again. Just like the tool boxes mechanics have to keep their tools together! This concept could be used to lessen exploitation but never end it. Certain parties make entirely too much money off of the fight to end child exploitation to allow that to happen!
Ugh, okay, in order:
Apparently it's not that obvious.
Computers are not that expensive and the Phillipines is not some desert. They have computers.
Pimps are not normally the case; usual pattern of offense is single groomers, sometimes groups, dealing with single children. "Cost" doesn't enter into it. As for ending exploitation, research is debatable but there's some evidence that that kind of "solution" actually makes things worse - exposure to communities increases offending, and exposure to artificial images depicting child sexual abuse may increase offending.
Lastly, to my knowledge every state that currently criminalises the crime REQUIRES treatment, so your information is bad; that's simply not what happens. This is actually one of the primary obstacles to research; control groups are illegal in all countries with sufficient populations to do research with reasonable statistical power, since refusing treatment to a group breaches legal codes.
Now they just need to have robo-child-hooker and we are in business.


text: "Looking at Prince William and Kate, it's a true inspiration, a royal inspiration. I'm fascinated by them, I just can't get enough of the royal family." Actor JAKE GYLLENHAAL admits he is eager to find lasting love after the announcement of the British royal's impending wedding to longterm girlfriend KATE MIDDLETON. The movie star has been romantically linked to Taylor Swift.


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News from Lopez Island Vineyards
Setting Sail from Ballard Market
To All our friends and fans at Ballard Farmer's Market, 'Tis time for us to haul anchor and set sail for horizons closer to our home waters… We are folding up our tent, "closing up shop" at the Ballard FM.
We at Lopez Island Vineyards, wish to thank you so much for the support and appreciation over these past 5 yrs. Many new doors are opening in our lives, so it has become time to close a few… We will be at Ballard Farmer's Market for two more Sundays; March 22nd, and Sunday March 29th, this will be our last day.
To follow our adventures and find our wines, enroll in our wine club, Friend us on Facebook,or join our newsletter list. We do have a number of Seattle outlets, but the LIV Fireside Port you can only get by being in touch with us.
So please be in touch! We have a busy summer ahead on Lopez; if you get a chance, come to visit and see where all the magic happens! We will be represented at summer markets in Edmonds and Everett May-September. We would love it if you came by to taste some of our newest vintages.
Upcoming Events
LIV Wine at Capital Food & Wine Festival March 28th
We will be featuring our Malbec, Madeleine Angevine and the new 2014 Siegerrebe!
Olympia's Capital Food & Wine Festival to benefit St. Martin's College, showcases select wineries, breweries and food producers; a great place to sample local beverages and then purchase what you like!
Please Check Back for more events!
Our Vineyard Garden
See our Grounds Rental page for more information
Lopez Island Vineyards and Winery
Lopez Island Vineyards and Winery is a small, family-run winery, growing special organically certified grapes and producing premium quality wines on Lopez Island since 1987.


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Ahh, I remember the Midway, it was fun it was like an air show but instead of crashes there were bullets. I was just informed by Jay that statement is both wrong and wrong. Moving on as graceful as Martha Graham. So I was actually thankful for a few days off, unhappy I didn't make the all-star team, but I'm told that poor vocabulary and lack of knowledge of the home row keys are not determining stats that merit all-stardom. Holds are fun, I don't care what you say, if that makes me a loser for rooting for a fake stat, then I'm a loser. This guys help your team though even if you don't play in a Holds or NSVH league. I am being serious. I am the Will I am Tell of the loogy business. Let's check out my four up and four down for the closers in the second half, and stay around after that for some set-up news and blues.Please, blog, may I have some more?
Luke Gregerson
If I may take you back to February of fourteen after twenty when Pablo Sandoval showed up to camp straight from a winter in Milan where he learned how to diet, smoke cigarettes, and eat nothing but greens, and this wasn't greens like lime-flavored Popsicles and moldy cheese. This was healthy greens. On that blessed day, he was wearing a mankini and when he walked into the clubhouse, Bruce Bochy whistled, thinking he was making a catcall at some fine Dominican honey. That was fine Dominican honey, but only in fantasy baseballers' minds who thought a contract year and 180 pounds dropped in a sauna was a sign of great things to come. Sure, Sandoval could now twerk without needing an oxygen mask, but what had changed? Well, apparently not a whole lot. Right now, he's hitting around .200 with two homers. Burp. The good news is he's been incredibly unlucky with his BABIP, his line drive rate is right about his career norm and he's due to hit more homers. There's some bad news, his K-rate is up and he's hitting more ground balls. Even at 133 pounds, he's not a great threat to beat out infield hits, so ground balls aren't good, and for a guy that swings at everything, a K-rate is a bit scary. This all goes back to he's not this bad — this terrible that he's been. He will get better and can be either picked up in leagues or traded for for (stutterer!) very cheaply. I mean, I wouldn't even give someone a Donkeycorn for him right now, but a Brain Freeze or a fourth outfielder sounds about right if you're trying to acquire him. Anyway, here's some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:Please, blog, may I have some more?
This whole opening will be devoted to Trevor Rosenthal. Why? Because you are being put on notice, a notice to cease and desist your sucktitude. Watching you makes me wanna renew my prescription card to the herbal remedy place. The stats are yuck, take your K's and jump around as he huffs and puffs and blows your WHIP house down. I wanna take a moment and send this note just for Trevor.
Trevor… Hey what's up man. I don't know you, don't know if you read Razzball, but you should, because we are like the Danity Kane of Fantasy Baseball. Take a look over your shoulder my friend, you see that beard having flame thrower getting prepped in the minors? Yeah, that's basically Wally Pipp coming back, but in this case he will be called Jason Motte. Now, Jason is a level-headed bloke, he stabbed someone in 3rd grade for stealing his apple sauce at snack time, and though all charges were dropped and wall-ball was played after… he is coming. Like the Balrog that Gandalf had to beat up… You have been warned homie. Oh, and say hello to your mother for me.
So if you are reading this and have a DL spot,or a wasted spot you wanna spec on for a week or two, now is the time. What's the worst that can happen? Well, he comes back and shats the bed on your bench, but who cares? That's like doing it on someone else's bed, and they have a maid. Stick around for some tid-bits or bits of tid for the guy who wears a helmet and reads this column.Please, blog, may I have some more?
Mark Ellis is considered a clubhouse leader. Listen, I'm gonna be real with you, there is no substitute for a leader in the clubhouse. These are real world intangibles you can't quantify. Unfortch, no one has Clubhouse Leader as a fantasy category in their league, so good riddance as Kolten Wong was recalled. As Pitbull kinda says, "Hey, Mark Ellis, you're going down, I'm yelling timber! Swing your butt, Mark Ellis is going down, he's going down. I'm yelling timber!" Hopefully, the Cards give Wong a legit chance to play, but that's not entirely clear yet. They should, since he could be Pedroia-like. For whatever reason the Cards seem to have a hard time going with a rookie in any kind of substantial role, but I'd still grab him in deeper mixed leagues. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:Please, blog, may I have some more?
If you cheated and looked ahead before reading, shame on you! But, for those who didn't, I am attaching my cart to Francisco Rodriguez. Not only has he done nothing wrong (which seems impossible for closers nowadays), but looks in no danger of getting the rug ripped out from under him. The team is winning, the bullpen is toight like a tiger, and Jimbo Hendo looks to be doing a swell job as second fiddle. Not only would I marry K-rod right now, he can also fart in my dinner… tonight. (Ed. Note– Protip: I wait until at least the second date before letting farts in my food.) I mean what he is doing is pretty remarkable– most saves in April, EVER. It reminds me of the good times when I played the jug in the band The Dixie Cups. For a barely drafted guy who wasn't even the teams first choice for saves… and to also be giving your team a saves boost for basically nothing, you should wanna carry his luggage. So keep reading to see what other closer goodies I got for ya… or just skip to the comments and tell me something awesome.Please, blog, may I have some more?
The H is O! Oh, no, Jose Fernandez has me so jazzed, I need to bust some rhymes. I came in the door, I said it before. I never let a top starter magnetize me no more, but watching Fernandez yesterday is biting me, fighting me, inviting me to want a number one starter just this one time. I can't hold it back, I'm looking at his pitching line — 8 IP, 0 ER, 3 baserunners, 14Ks. Taking off my coat, and that's me quoting Rakim's quote, his pitches were kicking it until his last hitter, Ryan Doumit. My mind remains refined, all kinds of ideas. Self-esteem makes it seem like his pitching took years to build, but his age is just twenty-one. Prepared, never scared, he's just a blessed one. And you know that I've never seen that terrible movie with Jamie Foxx, think it was called The Soloist, so Jose F. make 'em clap to this. I said it the other day, but in case you weren't reading, Fernandez is going to be the best pitcher going into next year. Thought he was a donut, you tried to glaze him. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:Please, blog, may I have some more?
As they say in a Jewelery District of any major city, Johnny Cueto pitched a gem. Well, any major city except Detroit. There they call a gem, "Slowly remove it from your finger, and no funny business!" Against the Pirates yesterday — 9 IP, 0 ER, 3 baserunners, 12 Ks. Pretty much across the board for Cueto's career, I haven't been a fan. His xFIP has always been much worse than his ERA, and his K-rate has never been close to an elite starter. Well, a weird thing happened on the way to his fifth start of the year, he looks like an ace. His xFIP is down to 2.55, his K-rate is 10.50 and his walk rate is 2.40. Those are fantasy ace numbers. Last year through April, he had a 2.80 xFIP, 9.35 K-rate and 3.12 walk rate. Those numbers aren't that different. Hey, random italicized letters are my shtick. Not right now, Random Italicized Voice. Whoa, snippy! There is one fairly significant difference between Cueto this year and last. About a mile per hour on his fastball. In some instances, his fastball is averaging two extra miles per hour from last April, and he's cut out his, uh, cutter, and his ground balls have remained. He's pitching slightly different, slightly better, and, for the first time I can remember, I'm really liking what Cueto is showing. Ain't that a kick in Jason LaRue's head? His ERA won't stay at 1.50, but I also wouldn't be looking to sell him high. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:Please, blog, may I have some more?
This has less to do with Jedd Gyorko than it has to do with panicking. You drafted Gyorko this year because of what he's done in the past. Yes, you're hoping for better in the future, but you're going on what he's done already. Fact or not fact? FACT or NOT FACT?! Fact. You want him primarily for his power. Fact or not fact? FACT or NOT FACT?! Fact. You knew he was on a lousy team. Fact or not fact? FACT or NOT FACT?! Fact. You knew he hit .249 last year. Fact or not fact? FACT or NOT FACT?! Fact. Last year, he hit zero homers in 93 ABs in April. It's simply a fact! Of course you want better this year, but he hasn't done anything less than he did last year thus far, and you still drafted him. If he does exactly the same as last year, but doesn't get injured and miss a month, he will hit around 27 homers and have 75-ish runs and RBIs. You're getting that from another 2nd baseman? Which one, cause I'd like to get in on that. Can we double date? Wanna hear something completely crazy? I'm typing this with my toes. Wanna hear something completely crazy related to fantasy baseball? Gyorko could have a better year than Tulowitzki. Tulo's already hurt and said last year he's no longer stealing bases. So, Gyorko hits 27 homers and .250, Tulo hits 27 homers and .295. A few weird bounces in BABIP and they hit the same. So why are you dropping Gyorko? Better yet, why are you not trading for him? Don't drop guys that just happen to have a bad one or two weeks to start the season. In general, anyone that you drafted in the first ten rounds, should be untouchable in April. You need to let your Clydesdales carry your beer. There's a fine line between reacting and panicking. Walk the line, Johnny. Anyway, here's some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:Please, blog, may I have some more?
Hello, Total Fiasco, it's nice of you to join us. Can I just call you Total? You prefer your full name? Can I get you anything, Total Fiasco? Bullpens scrambling? Real baseball managers pulling their hair out? Fantasy managers wishing they had hair to pull out? How about I just give Jim Johnson the ball and step out of the way? That should be to your liking. While you're waiting for a meltdown, here's a hot towel for your face. So, the A's announced they would move to a closer committee. The only thing ever done better by committee? Spice in jerk seasoning. The A's have the luxury of a few options: Luke Gregerson, Ryan Cook and Sean Doolittle, which makes things harder for fantasy. Much easier if there's one great handcuff and then junk behind him. I'd pick up the A's relievers in the order I listed them. Saves could very well be divvied up with a little Gregerson, a little Cook and a little Doo. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:Please, blog, may I have some more?
Well, it sorta began last week, but there wasn't really anything to report. We had one day of stats and a whole lot of J-FOH to deal with. Speaking of, I should point out that he did a wonderful job filling in for me last week as I traveled to the Bahamas and had a plethora of little umbrella drinks placed around my general vicinity. Haha, just kidding, I don't drink anything with umbrellas in them. And the Bahamas are what I call my bar "area". Which is really just a shelf with several Makers Mark bottles that have varying levels of fullness. I could have said emptiness, but I'm an optimist. And probably an alcoholic. That being said, we're here now, together, once again, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I mean, I might, but that involves you buying me a steak dinner. Speaking of ways into my heart, Rudy has found a way to become legend to my soul, and you'll learn what that is after the jump. So let's start the story of your 2014 RCL Season…Please, blog, may I have some more?


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Bowel Diversion Surgery Ileostomy, Colostomy Center - Brownsville, TX
WebMD Physician Directory
Brownsville, Texas
Bowel Diversion Surgery: Ileostomy, Colostomy, Ileoanal Reservoir, and Continent Ileostomy
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Bowel diversion surgery allows stool to safely leave the body when (because of disease or injury) the large intestine is removed or needs time to heal. Bowel is a general term for any part of the small or...
Read the Bowel Diversion Surgery: Ileostomy, Colostomy, Ileoanal Reservoir, and Continent Ileostomy article »
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Posts filed under 'Uncategorized'
A FUN Uwharrie 40
I ran the Uwharrie 40 mile trail race last weekend. I attempted to run it two years ago to less successful results. Two years ago I was injured and undertrained going in to the race. Pretty much from the get go I felt pain in my knee. Seven miles in I ran into a tree limb with my head and that should have been a sign, but I continued on with my probable mild concussion and my knee that felt like a hot knife was stabbing it, until I decided to call it a day at 29 miles.
Let's fast forward. 2015. I am healthy. I am somewhat better trained. I am ready to run 40 miles without hitting a tree limb, otherwise maiming myself, or quitting!
It's been a weird month for me. The running has been solid, but there is much more to life than running. Ultimately, I took Steph's advice to "start happy" and wanted to carry it further, to finish the same way. So in my drop bag I put my Pikachu shirt, figuring at the 20 mile turnaround I could change into it, with the weather getting warmer and I would be able to run back in something that would be a constant source of joy. I'm getting ahead of myself.
I got a decent night's sleep before the race. I've had a pretty good stretch of training although essentially none of it came on trails. I was confident that I could at least negotiate the route without doing any serious damage. Driving out there solo at 4:30 am was a bit rough but not anything I wasn't accustomed to. I got to the outpost around 6 and was able to get ready, get my drop bag ready, and get a ride to the start with about ten minutes to spare. Of course, I realized upon arriving at the race start that I'd forgotten gloves. Good stuff. Thankfully Ronnie had an extra pair of mittens that he generously lent to this guy, thus saving my hands from inevitable Reynaud's attack.
The start came uneventfully. Myself and Jeremy Ramsey, last year's winner, separated ourselves pretty early on. I was content just to follow him and not get lost for the early miles. I noted that we passed through the 8 mile aid station and I had not run into any trees so I was already doing better than last time! Somewhere around then he pulled off to the side to take a dump and I carried on, now leading the race. Alas, it was short lived as I promptly got myself lost, and needed Jeremy to come along to find the trail. Again I took the lead until getting lost a second time at which point he pulled away to the turnaround. I was content doing my own thing to the 20 mile point, getting in a few minutes behind and pretty much right where I thought I could/should be (3:05ish). I changed into my Pikachu shirt, had a Boost shake, refilled my Diet Dr. Pepper bottle (because someone let his Nathan get all moldy whoops!) with some water and was on my way, again leading the race.
We went back and forth for another few miles. Apparently Jeremy got lost in some section and fell a few minutes back, only to come roaring back and pass me around 28ish miles in, when I was feeling less than awesome. On the way back I was content powerhiking any significant uphill and subsequently bombing any downhill and trying to do something that resembled an actual run on the flat stretches. I think the key throughout the day was that no matter what the race brought, I was running happy. Steph had sent me a message before the race started telling me to take it easy early, run smart, and run happy. I took it to heart, making it my goal to stay upbeat and positive from start to finish. It definitely got difficult at times, but in the last 20 miles, whenever things started to feel kinda bad, I would look down at my shirt, see Pikachu, think of what that meant, smile, and feel better about everything. And it would carry over to the running. It was an easy way to "run happy".
At some point on the way back, right after the long, arduous ascent I saw Shannon and she took an awesome picture of me that makes me look like I was legit running the whole way. She is awesome and has been such a great friend to me and so is Anthony, who had an excellent race himself, and I love them. Every aid station I came to I was told I was somewhere between 60 seconds and 3 minutes back. I was trying my damndest to continue pushing but at the same time I was aware how close to the red line I was. The uphills in particular, I could feel my heart pounding in my neck even when I was power hiking them. I would turn things loose on the downhills but it would only get me so far. In general, the way back FELT significantly longer than the way out. But that makes sense.
i eventually got to the last aid station around mile 38. I knew I would be finishing this time which was lovely. I also knew I would probably not catch Jeremy and I was ok with that. I had run a smart race, and one that I could be proud of. I pushed with everything I had up the last hill. Once at the top, I knew it was just a twisty turny rocky downhill back to the finish and I ran with some reckless abandon. At some point I twisted my ankle bad enough to briefly consider I may have just broke my little toe, but fortunately that was not the case.
Eventually I could see the finish through the trees. I careened down the trail and into the chute, second place in 6:26 and change, about two minutes back of Jeremy's victorious and impressive run. I was and am delighted. While it got difficult at times, I never really hit a low low patch where I questioned why the hell I was doing it in the first place. I ran 40 rugged miles in about the time I expected, placed well, and had a chance to see some of my running friends finish their own races after that, which was just as rewarding as finishing my own run. And, in a way, that seems like a good metaphor for life. It's going to get difficult at times, it's not always going to go the way you hope for, but it's YOUR choice how you react to that. You can choose to be happy. You can choose to be optimistic that things will get better, that you will feel the way you did at the best of it. And it will make a huge positive difference. And things DO get better. I never hit a really low spot. The day I got to spend on the trail, the fun I had, the connections with the amazing aid station volunteers and the runner friends at the finish… that's the important stuff. The past few months have really helped me reshape and refocus my point of view on this whole running thing (and this life thing), reevaluate what's REALLY important to me. The two races recently I've run with a sense of positivity and happiness, I did really well at. It helps when you have great people come into your life and bring so much joy and positivity with them. Hopefully that running joy continues through this year and beyond. Stick with me, the best is yet to be.
Til next time, Run HAPPY everyone!
February 16, 2015 at 11:25 pm Tips from the front of the pack Leave a comment
Gutless bullshit (or, how I wasted the last two years)
A week ago I sat down to write up a report for the 12 hour race I ran two weeks ago and decided that was a bit shitty of me without first acknowledging how I apparently only write up races I do well at despite the last two years of running actually being pretty terrible. So then I started to write a bit of background info and it got long so I turned it into it's own thing and then wordpress gave me the middle finger when I posted that. And now I'm just annoyed but I want to write about this race and I want to say something about other stuff but I feel mentally stuck and unable to move beyond this whole, "Hey, the last two years sucked and I was pretty misleading and almost downright dishonest about why" and I don't want to look back ten years from now and actually end up believing the bullshit I wrote. So here I am writing this as a sort of cautionary tale to others who may find themselves in the same situation as I once did. I suffered so you might not have to…
Let's go back. Why? Because it's my damn blog and I can do whatever I like and really, it's just mom and Katie reading anyway (and maybe Kevin, hi Kevin!). Early 2012 I was running better than at any other point in my life. I had a string of a few races where I set PRs, won things, or otherwise kicked some pretty serious ass. And then some time around May I was told at work that I was going to help train a new program coordinator. Fine, whatever I figured. And then I met her and she was attractive and long story short we ended up dating. Now I will stop here and say this is not some post about how terrible my relationship was and what an awful person she was and how that is why I sucked at running for about two years. Because it's not. This is about how I made a number of choices, over and over again, that piece by piece began to sabotage my running. I dated a girl who I shouldn't have gotten involved with. I knew that before we ended up getting involved and yet I did it anyway. That was my first poor choice. And then as the relationship continued, and she demanded more and more sacrifices, I continued to make those sacrifices. At any moment I could have just said, "Fuck it, I'm done, this isn't worth the compromises I am making," but I didn't. It wasn't her fault, she didn't hold a gun to my head. She just made it clear that she was not a fan of me going to run and work out after work and not being able to see her until much later in the evening, sometimes just to say goodnight and go to bed. That wasn't enough for her. It was, realistically, all I should have been able to offer some days and if she wasn't ok with that, then it shouldn't have worked. Instead, instead of sticking up for my needs, what I held as important, I said ok and would skip out on a day of training in favor of going over after work and watching hours of shitty reality television and, probably, arguing about something. I sort of alienated a lot of running friends too, I often had to go to races I wasn't running by myself, she not understanding why I would want to spend a weekend at a race I wasn't actually IN. It was shitty. I didn't run much. I got hurt because of that. It was a bad cycle. I went from accidentally winning a trail marathon one year to walking most of the second half of it and completely embarrassing myself the next. I DNFed my first race. I barely ran an ultra distance at two different 24 hour races. I sucked and everything was terrible. And the real kick in the pants is that I wasn't exactly sacrificing all of this for some sort of romantic bliss. The relationship was one-sided and abusive and really sort of broke my spirit. I was stuck in a shit situation that I helped create and for whatever reason I couldn't find the strength to just get up and out, despite so many opportunities. It was sort of a "devil-you-know" thing, I think. Whatever it was, it was terrible and I was quite depressed for a good chunk of that time. The running suffered and that's what this blog is about so let's try to stay on topic.
This past July we broke up for good. It was a breath of fresh air; like when you try to see how long you can stay underwater for and you just keep holding it and holding it until you think you are going to pass out and you start seeing flashes of light on the periphery and finally you allow yourself to surface and take that big, wonderful, glorious gulp of oxygen and it instantly fills your lungs and you feel ALIVE. Yeah, that's what it was like. And wouldn't you know it, the running almost immediately improved. I will admit to running a marathon PR in April when we were still sorta technically still together (although on some sort of break and even running that marathon caused a HUGE fight but I digress). But from July on, things have been on an upward trajectory. The freedom that not being in a soul crushing relationship has afforded has allowed me to rediscover myself and who I am, as a person and as a runner. When I moved down here to NC I was single and alone. I lived alone, I didn't have many friends, I would go to work and come home to Cary and run for an hour or four and then come home and drink some beers and PTFO and do it all over again. And that's what the past few months have been more like.
Oh holy shit. Blah blah blah, waaaaaaaaaah. Life was soooooo hard. Holy shit, do you even HEAR YOURSELF?! Have you stopped to read this crap you're writing Mark? This is insane, inane bullshit. You sucked because you didn't run. You let some meanie girl dictate what you did. Wah. Get over it. I AM over it. Ok then, that's settled. Do not let anyone control your happiness. People, ESPECIALLY significant others, should COMPLEMENT your life, they should magnify your happiness, not control it. If you need to fundamentally change who you are and what you care about in order to be with someone, you should NOT be with that person. Period. No discussion possible. If you like to run and you want to do it all the damn time, fine. Find someone who thinks that's cool. And so that is what I'm doing. I'm running my ass off, drinking my beers, living my damn life the way that makes me happiest. I'll be damned if I allow myself to make the same mistakes again. So there's my cautionary tale, or something. It's sad and pathetic and embarrassing but it needed to be out there so I can't hide from it or use it as an excuse anymore. Or something.
Mark, out.
December 29, 2014 at 12:46 am Tips from the front of the pack 2 comments
Inaugural Rock n Roll Raleigh Marathon race report
ed note… this was originally started back in April. I obviously took a while to finish it…
Last weekend I ran the first ever Rock n Roll Raleigh marathon. This was my first road marathon in five years! Until sometime in January I had had no intentions of running this race. But by virtue of the generosity of Brooks toward their ID Coaches program (of which I am a proud member) I was able to enter at a cost that fits my budget (as in, free, THANK YOU BROOKS!)
The days leading up to the race were a bit tumultuous, personally, and as a result, the runs were not quite what I had hoped. Fortunately the Wednesday before, I had one of my best training runs/workouts in over a year – the Fullsteam run with a 5 mile stretch from around east campus that I ran in 29:40, faster than anything I have run in a long damn time. It gave me some confidence going into the weekend. The weekend itself was very rough. I made some bad choices. It was a very VERY emotionally draining time and I contemplated not doing the race at all. I went to bed very late the night before, figuring that I was still on 50-50 and leaning toward not doing it.
I woke up without an alarm and a feeling of crushing depression. I figured I might as well do SOMETHING today and run the race, because the plan for the rest of the day was to drink my feelings away.
I had something to eat, bathroom, the usual. The drive to Raleigh on so little sleep was actually fine. I felt surprisingly alert and awake and the sun was threatening to come up soon. I had a little wait when I got near downtown but before too long I was on top of a parking deck with plenty of time to spare. I got myself put together, finished my GenUCAN stuff, started the process of lubing the necessary body parts, tying the shoes, blah blah blah. I sauntered over to the start area and found a place to poop and then went over by the start where I saw Monk and chatted a bit. It wasn't until pretty close to what was supposed to be the race start time that I realized I did not have my D-tag on my laces. SHITBALLS! I ran pretty hard the ~half mile to the parking deck, up the stairs, tore through my bag, put it on, and ran back. Turns out because of the traffic, they were starting the race a little late, which gave my heart an opportunity to calm down some. Guess I had my warm up in now.
Some people talked, sang, etc. Then finally bang, we're off. The mass of people head down the block and I'm up near the front but for a while people are just blowing by me like I'm out for a Sunday jog. I glance at my watch about a half mile in, 6:30ish pace. Well at least it FELT like a jog, something I don't often have the luxury of thinking about 6:30 pace. The course wound through downtown Raleigh for a while, I wasn't focused on much of anything except running comfortable. I felt pretty good, I was breathing alright, I wasn't concerning myself with the people around me much, and I was trying to take in the sights and spectators enthusiasm.
Hit 5k in 19something. Right on. My splits were pretty even. I wasn't laboring, but other people seemed to be. I was guessing the ones who were looking closer to maxing out were half runners. Honestly, most of this early stretch is kind of a blur. I knew it felt a little humid despite still being pretty cool so I made a point to drink some at the aid stations along the way, but not too much. My belly never felt particularly sloshy. At some point we ended up near Hillsborough and that's where the half marathoners turned off while the full runners turned right to do the long out and back up Hillsborough to Edwards Mill and Reedy Creek. I could see the mile markers for 21 20 etc as I was going out, and approaching double digits. It was a long way to go still. Yeesh.
We ran around PNC Arena and I saw a photographer and still felt good and happy enough to throw up the "Bull City" sign. I hit the half in about 1:26ish. That was right on where I wanted to be, and feeling like I could probably turn around and run a similar second half. Considering I just wanted to break 3 hours, yeah, happy. Around Edwards Mill I ran through something called a mile of music, with speakers blasting some pump up jams the whole way and it was actually pretty neat and motivating. Turning on Edwards Mill, there was a fairly long uphill and I just remember thinking, "do work, do work". I had no idea how many people were in front but I figured at least a dozen or two. As we turned onto Reedy Creek there was a longish gradual downhill. I knew eventually we'd come to the turnaround and then I'd have to run back up this whole way. I started counting runners as they were coming back. The leader was way out in front. Then another guy, and another. I saw Heidi Bretscher, the lead woman (and only one ahead of me).
*ed note…. I have now successfully finished this report from this spot three times and each time, when I hit publish, WordPress basically told me to go fuck myself. So I give up WordPress, ya'll are getting a tl:dr of the rest
I was in 10th or so. I passed some people on the hill going back up. I started noticing it was getting warm. I passed some other guy. Then on Hillsborough I passed one more to be in 6th, where I'd stay to the finish. Crazy. We merged with the half marathoners. This presented issues when I started getting delirious and they were not staying on their side of the road. Grunts helped. Around mile 25 I thought I was literally going to die. I didn't thankfully. But my field of vision began experiencing black spots that kept growing in size. I sprinted in from mile 26 and could barely feel my body, it was a weird feeling. I managed to duck in under 2:57, in 2:56:52, a 4+ minute PR. It was hot by the end. I was dehydrated. I felt like shit, but I was proud of myself. It was a solid race and despite the second half being hotter and tougher, managed to hold it together. There, that's it. I broke 3. For my efforts, I spent a good chunk of the rest of the day apologizing for running the race at all, but that's not a story for this blog.
Mark, out.
November 22, 2014 at 12:16 pm Tips from the front of the pack Leave a comment
Hinson Lake 24
I had written up a pretty detailed post, as is my nature, about this past weekend's 24 hour race around Hinson Lake. I spent a good chunk of time on it, as I have a bit more of that than usual considering my quads will not allow me to get into a full depth squat yet, and other related sorenesses and pains, and maybe a touch of intestinal bleeding.
But fuck it. I don't know. I just, maybe I'm losing my desire to continually put myself out there. Maybe I am currently coming off as the sort of person I would very much like to slap upside the goddamn head. Maybe whatever. Fact is, I don't think this is going to be one of my detailed, thoughtful, insightful, maybe even helpful-to-some race reports.
I ran for pretty much 24 hours at Hinson Lake. The first two years I was there, I didn't do that. Not even combined. 2012 I was overcooked already and knew going in that I was only looking to get about 100 miles. I was starting three hours late and my goal the whole day became to just crack the leaderboard before I stopped. I did. Made it about 80 miles in 12 hours of running time, 15 hours of race time. Good enough. Last year was even worse; going in with a messed up left side (I say left side because it wasn't just one specific part, it was the hip, IT band, hamstring, glute, you name it). 16 miles and I was cooked. I walked a few more laps just to make the total look less pathetic but I spent most of the race helping at the timing tent.
This year I went in healthy, having survived a hot, humid summer of decent training. I was rested and ready to see what I could actually do. I was looking forward to conquering that 24 hour beast that has bit me so often.
Fuck it. Running is dumb. I ran 101 miles in 16 hours. Then I turned into a little bitch. I "ran" 23.5 more miles before 8am. I suck. Everything sucks. Running is terrible. I'm terrible.
tl:dr I ran 123.5 miles in 24 hours and placed 2nd and I am an asshole who is rude to other people and curses around little children
October 1, 2014 at 9:32 pm Tips from the front of the pack Leave a comment
Hey! I write about stuff!
I have been running. I've run a number of races this year that I have not written about because I suck as a blogger. I guess it's pretty easy to neglect something like this when you know only a handful of people read it regularly. It's not like I'm anyone that anyone would want to be reading anyway.
I digress. I broke 3 hours in the marathon in April, in a race I also almost died in. Or something. It is my birthday. In a few hours I will be waking up to head to Umstead to run 30 miles for my birthday. The fact that I can casually write that is a good indication that training has been and continues to go in the right direction. But fuck. That is soooo boring.
August 8, 2014 at 1:31 am Tips from the front of the pack 2 comments
Ray K's South Carolina Last Chance 24 Hour Race
I have another race report to write but I never wrote anything about this so I am going to quick write a recap of this and then move on with my life. I'm talking about Ray Krolewicz's 24 hour track race down in Florence, SC. He put it on last minute to give some ultrarunners an opportunity to run a distance that would qualify them for selection to the US team for the 24 hour world championships. While I would have loved to try to do just that, I knew realistically I'm not ready to make the attempt but it was so close and I'd never run a long race on a track so I wanted to experience it. I didn't actually run 24 hours, so I feel kind of like a poser writing this. I went down to South Carolina figuring on running a quick 50k and then stopping and spending the rest of my time down there helping out other runners,
I got on the road around 5 and except for a brief traffic stop due to an accident on 95, I got down to Florence very uneventfully. By the time I got there, there was maybe a half hour to go before the race.I saw Shannon Johnstone and Anthony Corriveau (great friends from the Triangle area, more on that later) and set up my stuff next to theirs. I got my number and eventually made my way to the start line as they were getting ready to send us on our way. The talent accumulated at the start was ridiculous. Zach Bitter, the American Record holder for 100 miles, a handful of women who all hand a realistic shot of making the World Championship team, a handful of men in the same boat. Go.
I jump out with two others, Zach Bitter and Harvey Lewis. We are going around the track quickly, like it's a 10k or something, not like anyone is about to run for an entire day. After a few laps, I caught up to Zach and we ran together for a little while. He's an amazing person — American Record holder at 100 miles and now 200km too. I think initially he was surprised to see anyone else up there keeping pace with him (we were running about 6:20-6:30s after all, not exactly 24 hour pace) but once I mentioned that I was only going for 50k it made more sense. I was impressed because he was running so effortlessly, and while I felt like I was running pretty easy too, I knew I didn't have nearly as far to travel.
And so it went for the next hour or so. Totally uneventful. Lap after lap clicking along, Ray's high school cross country runners keeping track for all of us, and doing a damn fine job of it! I went through 10 miles in about 65ish I think and remember hearing a half marathon yelled out in right around 85 minutes. Too fast for what I was going for, for sure. Around this time, the gentle breeze started to die down and the sun started to make itself more known. There was no cloud cover and the sun began to rapidly heat the black track we were all circling. I definitely hadn't drank enough to that point, it's easy to keep telling myself, 'I'll grab something on the next lap, it's only about 2 minutes more.' Those 2 minutes turn into 10, into 20 and yeah… I first felt off right around the half marathon mark, and probably stopped to grab some Gatorade. A few miles later I had to make a beeline to the port-a-potty to relieve what was a rapidly distressed stomach. That took some time and my legs felt much stiffer getting back to a run. At this point Zach had caught back up and went by me. There I was, intent on stopping after 125 laps and this guy, who is running all day, is already past me. Puts into perspective HOW good he is. Around this point I had put on my hat which helped keep the sun off (thanks for the suggestion Harvey Lewis!). Later on, in my final miles, Joe Fejes let me wear his bandana which had been dunked in ice water and that felt just lovely (thanks Joe!)
I started telling myself, well just get to 20 miles and stop. Then I got to 20 and had basically settled in. Uncomfortable but stable, I trundled on. I hit the marathon mark in about 3:13, two minutes slower than I ran at Umstead, a much more difficult course than a 400m track, a few weeks earlier. It was kind of demoralizing, realizing I had totally failed, realizing I probably hadn't run smart or well. I stopped for a few minutes and mulled over just being done at that point. But then I figured, if I get going I could probably still manage to break 4 hours which would be an official PR. So I ran again and started to feel a little better. I was consistently running something just under 8:00 miles. I tried to give encouragement to all the other runners out there, many of whom looked like they were also beginning to suffer from the sun and the heat. Each lap as I got closer to being done became easier than the last. Finally, I had one lap to go and pushed it a bit. Being done felt so satisfying. 3:56 and change which was a PR by a considerable margin, but ultimately a disappointing result. I quickly got some shade and some fluids in me and talked to Ray K about what I might be able to do to help. Ray told me to take it easy for the rest of the day, get some sleep later and then push out another 20 Sunday morning. So I did. I relaxed for a while, tried to help out where I could but the race was running like a well oiled machine. Ray's high school runner volunteers were amazing, many staying all day and night and the next morning tracking each runner's every lap.
The best part of the whole experience had nothing to do with me running. I did go run another 21 miles the next morning and felt significantly better and stronger but whatever. The best part was watching my friend and amazing ultrarunner Shannon Johnstone absolutely friggin kill it. She started very conservatively and I believe was DFL after the first hour or two. She slowly worked her way up, running consistently and patiently. In the middle of the night, I was sitting near our tables and she came in and sat down and was not feeling very good. I did some quick mental math and basically told her that she definitely still had a shot at 120+ miles and a spot on the team. But she had to get up and go NOW and she had to keep going. And that is exactly what she did. It was an privilege to watch her gut it out the last few hours and, in the end, finish with 123+ miles and the last spot on the women's US team! Woot!
I came away from the race weekend inspired by some incredible performances (Zach Bitter and Katy Nagy's American Records for 200k, Harvey Lewis also making the US team with 154+ miles, Shannon's race to name a few) and even more incredible people. The rest of this year is dedicated to putting in the work required to have a special kind of performance like theirs this fall.
Mark, out.
April 21, 2014 at 4:56 pm Tips from the front of the pack Leave a comment
Graveyard 100 crewing report
I have another race this weekend so I would like to finish writing this before that, don't want to get too behind. It's been so much fun this year to have POSITIVE stuff to write about, and often. Last weekend I didn't run a race myself. I had the honor of crewing for an ultrarunning legend at the Graveyard 100 in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Valmir Nunes is a former world record holder (6:18 for 100k), the current course record holder at the Badwater Ultramarathon, has run the 5th fastest time ever (3rd fastest person) at the Spartathlon, and the third fastest time at the Strolling Jim 40 among his many major ultra accomplishments. So, like I said, he's a living legend. Brandon Wilson, the RD of Graveyard, contacted me a few weeks ago asking if I would be available and willing to crew for Valmir at this year's race. I jumped at the chance. How often in life do you get to be around the best in the world at the thing you love to do? It's kinda like getting the chance to throw BP to Derek Jeter or run lines with Bryan Cranston. That's part of what I love about ultrarunning. I CAN do something like this, CAN get this close to someone who would certainly be in anyone's Ultrarunning Hall of Fame.
Anyway, Friday we ended up having a "snow day" although I guess it would more accurately be called a "freezingish rain so kids don't come to school but it's still a teacher work day." I headed to the Outer Banks in the early afternoon, driving through rain and high winds and generally miserable weather. The forecast said Saturday would be really nice but it was hard to believe given what I was dealing with on the drive out. I got to Kitty Hawk well after everyone else had packed up and headed north to Corolla for the night. Had a delicious burger and some beers at the Outer Banks Brewing Station and then headed to the Inn at Corolla Light for the night. It was a really nice inn and I wished I had gotten there sooner to enjoy the surroundings but I didn't so I settled in to bed and got a few hours sleep.
3:15 am came quickly. I stirred, packed all the things I had brought in from the car, dressed, and headed down to grab some breakfast. On my way down I saw Jack Cabral outside the door to his and Valmir's room so I introduced myself and went inside. There I briefly met Jack (who would be the other guy crewing for Valmir — as well as the English-Portuguese translator) and Valmir. We exchanged hellos and briefly went over some logistics and then I made my way to my car, loaded it up, grabbed some hard boiled eggs for breakfast and headed over to the start which was about a mile away.
The energy there was electric and made me sorta wish I were running myself. Almost. Valmir showed up and checked in and then started to jog around to warm up I guess. I talked some with Jack, figuring out logistics of what the day would entail and also of getting my car to the second aid station/beach house where I would be staying Saturday night. Right around 5 am the race started and Valmir was off. The race itself promised to be a good one, with many top caliber ultrarunners toeing the line. Aside from Valmir, Joe Fejes, Jonathan Savage, Olivier Leblond, and Connie Gardner were all running. I was going to get a front row seat to the action! Jack and I drove to the ~10 mile mark of the course and parked. It would be about 77 minutes before Valmir came through. After that, he wanted us to meet him every 3 miles along the route. Graveyard is unique in that it is basically just running south along one road from the northern end of the Outer Banks in Corolla to the end of Hatteras Island, probably a little more than 100 mile away. Jack and I chatted in the truck, getting to know each other — he's an marine and a generally awesome bad ass, a humble one at that — while staying warm and waiting for Valmir. He taught me some basic Portuguese that would be relevant for the day, like 'what do you want?' and 'you good?' (te bon?). Valmir came by in first without anyone else in sight. We handed him what he wanted — Coca! Agua! (Coca Cola and water) and he was quickly on his way.
We drove three miles up the road, parked, and waited. I could stop it here and that would pretty accurately depict how my day went. Stop, wait for Valmir, hand him some Coca Cola and some water, get back in the car/truck, head down the road, park, wait, repeat. It was chilly early on but the sun was out and it promised to warm up some. So it went for quite a while. Valmir was like a machine, clicking off miles pretty consistently in the low 8s, high 7s. Meeting us, grabbing his Coke and water and continuing on. I'm pretty sure the only times he wasn't running were the brief pit stops at the truck. It felt a lot like a NASCAR race, getting Valmir in and out as fast as possible. As we neared Kitty Hawk, Olivier and Joe had begun to catch up to him and the three of them were well clear of the rest of the field.
For the next dozen or so miles, the three men would trade positions but basically run pretty close to one another. At some point in the 30-40 mile range I saw Joe hunched over dry heaving, and Valmir needed to change his clothes because I think he was getting a little overheated too. It seemed like the three of them were pushing a little harder than the increasingly hot conditions were really allowing for and they were paying for it in varying degrees (purely conjecture on my part). At some point around here Valmir took something more than Coke and water — some Fanta and some kind of mix that was primarily just a ton of sodium in his water bottle with some flavoring. The stretch through Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, etc is just mile after mile of beach house, breakfast restaurant, surf shop, etc. It was boring enough to drive past it all, I cannot imagine running it, being able to see so far ahead without really feeling like you're making any progress. Oh, but the worst was yet to come!
The next stretch was just sand dunes and road. The only break was a 4 mile long bridge right around the halfway mark. We continued to supply Valmir with enough Coke to give most children diabetes every three miles and somewhere in here it became every two miles instead. At this point Olivier had jumped out to a decent but not insurmountable lead and Joe had fallen back a bit, which was sad because 1- Joe is awesome and 2- Kelly, his crew, is also awesome and was fun to see her at the same stops we were making and chat some before heading on down the road.
As we neared the next aid station, Valmir began to show signs that he was having a tough day, primarily by telling us it was kind of a tough day for him. Still, he was solidly in second and only a mile or two back of first, We continued with our every two miles stops. You'd think driving and crewing for someone for 100 miles would get boring and tedious but the fact that Valmir ran so consistently all day made for very little down time and a lot of excitement. I give all the runners credit for getting through this section with their sanity (mostly) in tact; it was just long stretches of open road and sand dunes on either side and nothing else to let you know you've made any progress.
Valmir tunred off of Rte 12 to go out and back to the Cape Hatteras light house, the last aid station, and saw Olivier going the opposite direction. Valmir was running a bit stronger, despite being nearly 3 miles back and that seemed to perk him up. We kept on him, pushing him, and getting him going without much stopping. At some point he had also eaten a power bar which was pretty much the only solid food he had all day. I was mostly just a cheerleader and cup hander at this point; he'd come in, take a sip, and be on his way. It was kind of amazing to watch really. He was clearly pretty tired and yet he seemed to find some extra inner strength and picked it up in an attempt to catch the leader over the final half marathon of the course. All we could do was hand off Cokes and waters and cheer every 1.8 miles now.
Leaving the lighthouse area, we encountered more barren, desolate, lonely road, but the end was fast approaching. At this point, after we handed off to Valmir, we sped up ahead to get an approximation of how far back he was before heading back to the next rendezvous point. The lead was shrinking, first from 3 miles to a little over 2, and finally to about 1.3 miles at its smallest. Alas, at the point there was only about 3 miles to go for Valmir, and about 1.5 for Olivier. Valmir was going to finish in second but it was still going to be a helluva time. He hit another rough patch with a few miles to go but toughed it out. We were waiting at the finish as he came in, running as he had the whole race. 15 hours, 1 minute after the start he crossed the finish line in second place. I high-fived Jack on a job well done. It wasn't his best day, but despite feeling kinda rough at time, Valmir still managed to run a pretty quick 100 miles and finish in second by about 13 minutes. Overall, I'd deem that a successful day.
I stuck around to congratulate my runner and thanked Brandon for all he did to put the race on. Valmir's daughter and her husband took him with them and Jack and I drove back to Nag's Head where the beach house was located. I said goodbye to Jack and went inside to watch the end of UNC-Duke, go for my own brief run, and crash out on the couch. I only ran 5 miles that day but I was quite exhausted.
I have crewed for people before, most notably/exhaustingly when I crewed Dave at Hellgate. THAT was quite an experience, one that still sticks out in my mind as fun, difficult, and awesome. This was not quite as physically challenging but there was some stress to not screw anything up for a guy who was clearly a contender for the win. It was fun and interesting to be on this side of things. Even though I've done similar, this seemed different. I have more appreciation for my mom and my brother who drove around Long Island on Christmas Eve 2011 while I ran 46 miles from Jones Beach to Oyster Bay and then back to my house in Wantagh, stopping every few miles to give me something to drink and/or eat. I also am amazed by Mr, Nunes, like I said, I'm pretty sure the only time he stopped running was when he briefly stopped at the truck to quickly down a Coke and water and whatever else he needed (usually nothing). Impressive does not begin to describe it. Olivier and Joe also ran incredible races for 1st and 3rd respectively. I don't know if I will ever do the Graveyard 100 myself, there is A LOT of sad, lonely running for the front runners, but I can recognize an extremely well-run race when I see it. Brandon, the Wilson family, and all involved put on a top notch race.
Thank you to Brandon for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to running more of your races in the future (hopefully at 100% so I can actually be competitive in them for a change). Thank you to Jack for being a great crew teammate and entertaining companion for the 15+ hours we shared on the road. Obrigado to Valmir for allowing me to help him, for being an amazing runner with no quit in him and pushing through when things got difficult. What a wonderful experience, truly. I feel very fortunate to have played a small part in the race up front and look forward to seeing Valmir again in the fall at Croatan 24.
Now to get ready for tomorrow. Ray K's South Carolina 24 hour race (I'll be running 50k and helping out after. Some big numbers are definitely going to be put up thought!). Mark, out.
March 14, 2014 at 8:43 pm Tips from the front of the pack 1 comment


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Andaman Islands: 50 Shades of Blue
For those of you who have been following me since the blog beginning – which actually only was a couple of months ago – a blogpost on the Andaman Islands might seem familiar. But for some reason I only uploaded three pictures and a couple of lines of text. I can't remember why I didn't […]Read Post ›


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